Early Bundeswehr Zweiteilige (two part) Stahlhem

[Watchdog]

Look what I found!

After an age of searching and finding only items that had sold long before I got there I located a nice example for sale and made by FW Quist. Sadly I was once more outbid (some people offer silly money for these) but on the off chance I asked the seller if he knew where I might find another.To my surprise he said that he in fact had another but not a Quist. Rather a Linneman & Schnetzer.

I would have preferred the Quist for the historical antecedence but the L&S would do I suppose

So, we made a deal and here it is;

Der Zweiteilige Stahlhelm der Bundeswehr known in official nomenclature as Model 1A1 and by collectors as the Bundeswehr M56 (distinct from the DDR NVA M56) was introduced when the Bundeswehr was formed and is an almost exact copy of the US rear seam swivel bale M1 so much so that some of the fabric used could easily be ex US stock! To me it is the one Euroclone that is the most worthy of the label "Clone". The differences are clear but minor. For example the nape strap is fixed and non-adjustable and this is about the biggest real difference.

It was made by FW Quist of Esslingen and Linneman & Schnetzer of Ahlen.
The liner or Innenhelm in German parlance was made by Bebrit Presstoffwerke, Bebra, Maury & Co, Offenbach, Presswerke, Schwaben, Hans Romer, Neu- Ulm, Rommler, Grossumstadt and Schuberthwerk KG, Braunschweig.

This one comprises a Glocke (or bell) / shell by Linneman & Schnetzer (Logo stamp in dome) and Innenhelm by Presswerk Shwaben (marked PSP 58 for Presswerke Schwaben Plochingen 1958). The Innenhelm is not painted gloss green as many seem to have been but an eggshel finish green on top of what seems to be matt olive underneath so perhaps for "duty" rather than parade use.

There was initially no net for these helmets and before the BW thin black synthetic net was produced the thick dark green knotted natural fibre Bundesgrenzschutz net was used by some units but this does not seem to be throughout the entire Bundeswehr.

Neither was a camouflage cover issued but eventually covers were made under local arrangements from the various patterns of Zeltbahn material. There was a snow cammo cover introduced I think in the '60s which continued until the reversible Flecktarn cover appeared in the '90s.

Anyway, I am pleased to have filled another gap (I did mention I don't collect helmets right? )

Here are some pictures. All comments and opinions welcome.

Regards

Mark

PS The pictures up-loaded in an illogical order for some reason!

[ogpsycho]

Nice helmet. Congrats to this early piece!

Kind regards
Basti

[emileverbunt]

Looks good. Top condition.

Cheers,
Emile

[Sleepwalker]

Hi there. Unfortunately I have to disappoint you there. You have a put together helmet, which is not an original two-part Bundeswehr steel helmet ("model 1956").

The shell is Danish with typical stamps. It is an export from Linnemann & Schnetzer to Denmark. You can also see from the clips that the chin straps are holding the eyelets. There was no two-part steel helmet.

The inner helmet is West German. But it was painted over in brown olive RAL 6014. That happened often.
Originally, the inner helmets were slate gray according to sample RAL 7015.

The chin strap of the inner helmet is not German.

[Sleepwalker]

see also

Strange M1 Helmet

The different fate of 2 euro clones

[Twthmoses]

Hi there. Unfortunately I have to disappoint you there. You have a put together helmet, which is not an original two-part Bundeswehr steel helmet ("model 1956").

The shell is Danish with typical stamps. It is an export from Linnemann & Schnetzer to Denmark. You can also see from the clips that the chin straps are holding the eyelets. There was no two-part steel helmet.

The inner helmet is West German. But it was painted over in brown olive RAL 6014. That happened often.
Originally, the inner helmets were slate gray according to sample RAL 7015.

The chin strap of the inner helmet is not German.

You are correct; I too would call this as a Danish shell.

I got this theory; mind you, it is only a theory. All Danish LS shells of the 50s and 60s have an A, like the above A-59-2. All Dutch LS shells from the 50s and 60s, I have seen, always have a B, like LS58-B93. Dutch shells are rim stamped, while Danish ink stamped. German M/56 helmets (Zweiteilige), where the shell is made by LS, has ink stamps that looks like this, L-S.A.58,2. Always thought it meant Linnemann-Schnetzer (of) Ahlen. Now that I think about it, why would LS on one single M1 shell stamp a place name?, especially when they have never done so on any product they made? So I think it should be read L-S A.58,2 – just like the Danish and Dutch, a Lot number.

Now why does the Danish and German have an A and the Dutch a B? First I though it was because Denmark has 1957 LS shells, the Dutch have 1958 shells, so costumer A and B. Germany should by that reasoning then have C, they don’t! LS produced German M/56 shells, I have only seen with the year 1958, but all with an A also. Of equal interest someone on this forum, many month back showed an Indonesia shell, with an LS stamp, looking just like the Danish from 1959, also with an A. It was in white ink (all Danish are black ink)

So I though this is not a costumer letter, but maybe rather a shell manufacturing characteristics. A is the norm, while the Dutch wanted something different, resulting in another manufacturing process, other metal or some other characteristics, thus a B.

Well anyway that my theory
Note LS shells from the 70s and 80s does not include those A and B anymore.

Danish ink stamp (1962 stamp, looks different than 1958 and 1959)


Dutch rim stamp


German M/56 ink stamp


Indonesien ink stamp

[emileverbunt]

Interesting!

Thanks for posting this theory.

Emile

[Sleepwalker]

All West German "M56"-Shells, because of delivery regulations (TL = Technische Leitline), are marked like this.




Maker, Year, Lot-Number


In the case of Linnemann & Schnetzer, there are two slightly different stamps from 1956 and 1958. In 1957, there seems to have been no delivery to the West German Bundeswehr.


will introduce the West German M1 helmets in more detail.

[Twthmoses]

All West German "M56"-Shells, because of delivery regulations (TL = Technische Leitline), are marked like this.




Maker, Year, Lot-Number


In the case of Linnemann & Schnetzer, there are two slightly different stamps from 1956 and 1958. In 1957, there seems to have been no delivery to the West German Bundeswehr.


will introduce the West German M1 helmets in more detail.

Very nice first time i have ever seen a 1956 LS shell

[Sleepwalker]

LSA 1956 shells are quite rare. The highest LOT number I've found so far is this 12.
The highest from 1958 the 21 shown.

All in all, I would estimate that the LSA production for the Bundeswehr is only about 1/10 to 1/5 compared to the F.W. Quist production matters.