A First War German Army Camouflage Helmet

A First War German Army Camouflage Helmet - Steel helmet, magnetic, exterior painted in gray and dark yellow, with swirl patches painted black with red centres, the left one surrounding the lug, the right one set in just in front of the lug, all in a camouflage pattern, rolled edge, both lugs with air vent holes intact and held in place via their original washers on the inside of the helmet, the three pins holding the steel ring frame inside are intact. Inside, the steel ring frame is held firmly in place by the exterior pins with fold back tabs, the steel ring size stamped "66" on the right side under the existing leather flap, the flap attached to the ring and has two protruding tabs, the tabs with a hole near their ends for the feeding of the drawstring, which has been lost to time, the underside of the flap with a white cotton pocket. The other two flaps have separated themselves from the helmet and have been lost to time, although a piece of each remains wedged between the ring and the body of the helmet. The underside of the skirt on the left side appears to be maker marked but is indistinguishable. The original chinstrap connectors and leather chinstrap with buckles remains intact. The helmet measures 235 mm x 312 mm x 170 mm in height, exhibiting scattered paint loss and contact marks, along with surface rust on top on the exterior, the interior has extensive wear present on the leather flap, with a tear and a small piece missing in one of the two tabs where it passes through the hole. Very fine. Footnote: At the beginning of the First World War, soldiers had no head protection other than their cloth and leather caps. But after the war became centered on trench warfare, the number of casualties suffering from severe head wounds increased dramatically on both sides. The French were the first to see the need for more effective protection. In late 1915, they began to issue Adrian Helmets to their troops. The British followed suit with their Brodie Helmet, and the Germans developed the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet). The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional Pickelhaube (spiked helmet) with the Stahlhelm in 1916. This helmet provided superior protection over other countries' designs due to the skirt that covered the side and back of the wearers head. Although superseded by newer models, it was still being used by second-line and home guard units until the end of the Second World War. The lugs on either side of the helmet served two purposes: they were mounting points for the heavy brow plate that was designed to be worn with the helmet, meant to be used by soldiers whose job (observer, machine-gunner etc...) required that they be more exposed to enemy observation. The other purpose is an air-vent, explaining the holes that go through them. (C:4)