M35 (steel helmet)
The M35 steel helmet was the standard helmet of the German Wehrmacht from March 16, 1935 and its allied partners in the first years of the war from 1939 to 1942 and the successor to the M18. From 1940 it was first replaced by its successor M40 and then gradually by the M42 after 1942 , but remained in service until the end of the war. The prototype draft M45 was rejected by Hitler because it represented a departure from German tradition. His helmet pattern was then slightly changed and used by the armed forces of the National People's Army of the GDR .
Description of the steel helmet
The M35 steel helmet consisted of 1.1 to 1.2 mm thick sheet steel , but nowhere below 0.950 mm . It was pressed seamlessly and crimped 0.5 cm wide around the inside. The side was to be measured in such a way that the helmet was 20 mm away from the head on the sides and at the top. On the front left and right as well as on the back there was a hole for the split pins for attaching the interior fittings. There was also another hole on each side to accommodate the ventilation sockets. The lower part of the helmet ran out on the sides and back into the neck and neck protection shield and in the front into the eye protection shield. The edge of the neck and neck protection screen was horizontal so that the helmet stood straight when you put it down. The M35 was painted on both the inside and outside with an anti-rust matt gray paint; in the case of the Schutzstaffel in matt black. 4 mm below the ventilation sockets were attached:
- a) on the right the coat of arms in the imperial colors black-white-red and
- b) on the left the national emblem in silver-gray color on a black shield.
M35 (in black) with side front and rear view profile; Remains of the heraldic shields are still recognizable
The M35 in the front profile, the two front split pins clearly visible
Used M35s were also issued in 1944
Erwin Rommel's M35
The heraldic shields for the M35 steel helmet
The center line of the two badges had to run exactly through the middle of the ventilation sockets and be perpendicular to the lower edge of the helmet. The shields, rounded at the bottom, were 3.3 cm wide and 4 cm high. The colors used also had to be waterproof.
Miss and fit of the steel helmet
Sizes of the M35
The Steel Helmet M35 offered by the war experience from the First World War protection against shrapnel and small shrapnel . Weight and type of seat were the result of the high demands that the Army Weapons Office had to place on its resistance to fire. The helmet size was to be folded in on the left inside of the neck visor. The following sizes and weights were available (without interior fittings and chin strap):
- Size 60 for head sizes up to 53 cm, weight approx. 810 to 930 g
- Size 62 for head sizes up to 55 cm, weight approx. 880 to 1000 g
- Size 64 for head sizes up to 57 cm, weight approx. 920 to 1070 g
- Size 66 for head sizes up to 59 cm, weight approx. 1000 to 1125 g
- Size 68 for head sizes up to 61 cm, weight approx. 1025 to 1170 g
There were also intermediate sizes, but these were only achieved through the interior fittings:
- Intermediate size 61 for head sizes up to 54 cm
- Intermediate size 63 for head sizes up to 56 cm
- Intermediate size 65 for head sizes up to 58 cm
- Intermediate size 67 for head sizes up to 60 cm
With the helmet size 60, the size means that the inner circumference of the helmet, where the helmet bell merges into the peak, was 60 cm. The front shield of the M35 had to cut off with the eyebrows . If you missed the helmets, you had to make sure that the helmet size was chosen that corresponded to the head width of the soldier. After that, there had to be a space between the head and the sweat leather, which should prevent skull injuries if the helmet buckled. The ventilation sockets were used to ventilate the M35. Incidentally, the affixing of badges, except for the German coat of arms and the national badge, was prohibited under penalty. If the chinstrap was not used, it was to be placed over the front visor of the helmet so that it could not interfere with wearing.
camouflage
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In peacetime, the helmet was only camouflaged by adding grass, etc., on the orders of the senior officer. Brushing with clay, earth and the like was also prohibited as a criminal offense. In the field, however, every possibility of camouflage had to be used, especially the repainting to adapt to the respective surrounding landscape. First the coat of arms was painted over; In the later course of the war, especially with the introduction of the new models, the coats of arms gradually disappeared due to the scarcity of materials. An exception were the steel helmets of the Waffen-SS , which continued to wear their victory tunes , as well as military honor guards and the like.
Others
If the black leather chinstrap was not pulled down, it was to be placed over the front visor of the helmet. In addition, the helmet was not allowed to be misused e.g. B. can be used for cooking, since the metal would otherwise have lost its strength and thus the protection security if heated. If the paint coating was damaged, it had to be renewed or supplemented with paint as quickly as possible in order to prevent rust formation. Varnishing, polishing with oils, etc., or greasing the steel helmets was forbidden, as this would make them lose their dull, matt appearance. Simpler repairs, such as the replacement of split pins, could only be carried out by an armory; If necessary, a saddler had to be consulted for damage to the leather straps . Steel helmets painted with paper interlayers had to be stored in storage rooms so that the paint would not be damaged. Incidentally, for this reason, no more than five steel helmets were allowed to be stored on top of each other.
Description of the steel helmet splint with washer
The three-part steel helmet splint with washer was made from sheet brass and galvanized. The head was arched flat and for the
- Army steel helmets in field gray and for
- Luftwaffe steel helmets blue-gray
painted. The color of the paint had to match that of the helmet as much as possible.
Dimensions of the split pin
- Head diameter: 13.00mm ± 0.20mm,
- Height of the head: 1.50 mm ± 0.05 mm,
- Length of the legs: 17.50 mm ± 0.50 mm
- Width of the legs: 6.00 mm ± 0.30 mm
- Thickness of the legs: 0.55 mm ± 0.02 mm
- Radius of the rounded leg ends: 3.00 mm ± 0.02 mm
Dimensions of the disc
- Diameter of the disc: 12.0 mm ± 0.20 mm
- Thickness of the disc: 1.0 mm ± 0.05 mm
- Length of the slots: 6.5 mm ± 0.02 mm
- Width of the slots: 1.0 mm ± 0.02 mm
- Width of the middle bar: 3.5 mm ± 0.10 mm.
The weight of the split pin with washer should be around 3.5 grams. The split pins were to be provided with the company and year stamp on the flat side of one leg. The split pins were to be packed so that the paint could not be damaged. The delivery company was to be identified on the cardboard boxes.
Interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap
The interior of the M35 consisted of four components. These goods:
- the outer ring with two movable hanging plates;
- the inner ring with five steel springs;
- the 7- to 9-degree sweat leather with felt strips and the
- Pull cord.
Outer ring
The outer ring was stamped out of one piece and was about 35 mm wide and 0.7 mm thick, closed with two rivets made of light metal to match steel helmet sizes 60 to 68. Between the rivets was a round hole 8 mm in diameter. The diameter for the rear helmet split pin, equidistant from the hole, at the front two horizontal slots about 24 mm long and 5 mm wide for the side helmet split pins. The distance between the side split pin slots and the rear round split pin hole, measured from the center of the hole to the center of the slot, was for helmet sizes:
- Size 60 for head sizes up to 53 cm, 210 mm.
- Size 62 for head sizes up to 55 cm, 220 mm.
- Size 64 for head sizes up to 57 cm, 230 mm.
- Size 66 for head sizes up to 59 cm, 240 mm.
- Size 68 for head sizes up to 61 cm, 250 mm.
In the ring there are five vertical, loop-like punchings about 100 mm wide and 20 mm long for the springs of the inner ring; the lower edge of the outer ring was slightly curved outwards, the upper edge a little inwards. In the middle of the ring, a hanging plate with a square ring made of light metal to accommodate the chinstrap was riveted to both sides at the same distance from the round rear split pin hole.
Inner ring with steel springs
The inner ring was about 35 mm wide and 0.4 mm thick, closed with two light metal rivets. At the bottom, depending on the size of the helmet, there were 10 to 15 round holes for the fastening pins of the welding leather with felt strips. Five steel springs fastened with rivets made of light metal on the inner ring. These had the following properties:
- Length of the springs for helmet sizes 60 to 64: about 212 mm;
- Length of the springs for helmet sizes 66 to 68: approx. 232 mm;
- Width of the feathers: about 15 mm;
- Thickness of the springs: about 0.25 mm.
The inner ring was resiliently connected to the outer ring by pushing the ends of the steel springs into the loop-like punchings in the outer ring so that it was about 4 mm below the upper edge of the outer ring. To protect against rust, the feathers were coated twice with a white base and a field gray topcoat with stove-enamel.
Sweat leather with felt strips
The sweat leather with felt strips consisted of sheep (bastard wool) or goat leather and was about 1 mm thick, natural-colored, without any application of a finish on the grain side. The sweat leather had to be cut from one piece so that, depending on the size of the helmet, there were seven to nine spikes. They had to have the same thickness everywhere and be free of cuts and other damage. In addition, they were not allowed to have any knots or hard spots. Five ventilation holes about 6 mm in diameter and a lace hole for the pull cord were to be made in each prong. The laced hole had to be reinforced by a firmly glued leather disc with a diameter of about 14 mm. A strip of felt about 40 mm wide and 1 mm thick was sewn onto the lower edge of the welding leather. The welding leather itself was attached to the lower edge of the inner ring with 10 to 15 light metal split pins so that its closing seam was opposite the rivet point of the outer ring and the felt strip was about 30 mm wide between the inner ring and the welding leather. The sweatband had the following dimensions:
- Height of the welding leather: about 140 mm;
- Height of the prongs: about 50 mm;
- Width of the prongs below: about 50 mm;
- Width of the prongs at the height of the lace hole: approx. 25 mm.
Pull cord
The pull cord was a round white cord about 60 cm long.
Seat of the interior
The interior fittings were to be inserted into the M35 steel helmet in such a way that the round split pin hole of the outer ring coincided with the rear split pin hole. The suspension ensured a firm fit, which could be improved by tightening the pull cord accordingly. The weight of the interior was about 153 grams.
Material acceptance regulations
The M35 was exposed to a large number of material acceptance regulations. These goods:
- material
- Outer ring: light metal according to HgN 12 240 Al-Mn.
- Inner ring: light metal according to HgN 12 240 Al-Mg-Si.
- Springs: made of the best spring steel. The paintwork must dry hard and be abrasion-resistant.
- Hanging plate and eyelet: light metal according to HgN 12 240 Al-Mg-Si, sandblasted.
- Rivets and split pins: according to HgN 12 240 Al-Mg-Si.
- Sweat leather: The unsplit or split sheep (bastard) or goat leather had to be tanned with vegetable tanning agents, whereby the use of synthetic tanning agents was permitted and was tanned or tanned with sumac tanning agents. It was not allowed to contain any mineral tanning. In addition, the mixed content of the leather was not allowed to exceed 6 out of 100, the total growth loss not exceeding 7 out of 100. The fat content of free fatty acids in leather, calculated as oleic acid, must not exceed 2 in 100. The leather also had to be free of strong free acids and harmful substances (e.g. soluble synthetic tannins). For the production of welding leather, only leather was allowed to be processed that complied with these regulations and that had been expressly approved for processing after examination. This investigation was carried out at the expense of the contractor by the German Research Institute for the Leather Industry in Freiberg ( Saxony ). The cost per batch was 35 Reichsmarks . The contractor therefore had to send three samples of one hundred of each batch of the leather considered for processing to the research institute for the investigation. The sample leather strips had to have a size of 2 × 8 cm and had to be separated according to the production variant and provided with appropriate tags from which the date of production, the size of the lot and the processing company could be read. The approval itself was then given by the procurement office.
- Felt strips: undyed sheep's wool with an admixture of 30 per hundred shredded wool, but without the admixture of vegetable matter. The felt strip was also not allowed to shrink. The felt strip had to be kept resistant against the attack of the moth caterpillar with a suitable moth repellent. The investigation of such moth protection fabrics was the responsibility of the Wehrmacht procurement office.
- Pull cord: made of cotton with 20 out of a hundred cell wool admixture with a tensile strength of 11 kg with a free clamping length of 30 cm.
- Sewing thread: Machine fine thread No. 30/3 mtr. Was used for the seams to connect sweat leather and felt strips. used. Machine fine thread No. 10/3 mtr. Was used for the closing seam of the welding leather. for use.
- Stamping
- behind the right hanging plate: delivery company and delivery year;
- behind the left hanging plate: helmet size and head size. Until the old type of steel helmets were used up, meaning the M16 and M18 (which were still widely used), the addition was
n.U.stamped on the M35 . - on the grain side of the welding leather I. Zig next to the seam below the lace hole, the head size was to be affixed with acid-free stamping ink.
Others
For military parades and other festive occasions (e.g. state receptions) there was also a plastic version in addition to the steel version. This was more practical and comfortable with a longer wearing time. These plastic helmets were also worn as standard by older officers and generals. These plastic helmets were also worn by the wounded. The synthetic helmet was outwardly indistinguishable from the 1935 steel helmet, but it only weighed a few grams.
As part of the modernization of the Army of the Republic of China by Hans von Seeckt through the Sino-German cooperation , China bought its armaments from Germany. Up to 1936, this also included the import of around 250,000 M35 steel helmets that were used by the Chinese army from 1937 to 1945, although other types were also used at the same time.
In the armed forces of Chile , the M35 steel helmet is part of the parade uniform due to its historical reference to German military traditions.
literature
- James Lucas: Handbook of the Wehrmacht 1939–1945. A reference work Tosa-Verlag, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-85492-152-7 .
- Brain L. Davis: Uniforms and Badges of the German Army 1939–1945. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613_02359-8.
Web links
- More information and pictures of the M35
- History of steel helmets on "world-war-helmets.com" (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the description, location and acceptance regulations for the M35 steel helmet. Sub-item: Description. Printed in: Uniforms Market . Born in 1937, pp. 51-52.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap. Subitem: Missing and Sitting. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 51.
- ↑ a b Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the description of the steel helmet splint with disc, letters b, c, d and e. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 51.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap. Sub-item: Description. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 51.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap. Sub-item: inner ring. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 51.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap. Sub-item: sweat leather with felt strips. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, pp. 51-52.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the interior fittings for the M35 steel helmet without chin strap. Sub-item: pull cord. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 52.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the description, location and acceptance regulations for the M35 steel helmet. Sub-item: seat and weight. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, p. 52.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the description, location and acceptance regulations for the M35 steel helmet. Sub-item: 1f acceptance regulation for welding leather. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, pp. 51-52.
- ↑ Leaflet of the High Command of the Army on the description, location and acceptance regulations for the M35 steel helmet. Sub-item 2: stamping. Printed in: Uniforms Market. Born in 1937, pp. 51-52.
- ↑ James Lucas: Handbuch der Wehrmacht 1939-1945. P. 166.
- ^ Brian L. Davis: Uniforms and Badges of the German Army 1939-1945. P. 105.
- ^ Philip Jowett: The Chinese Army 1937-49. World War II and Civil War (= Osprey Military. Men-at-arms Series . Volume 424 ). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2005, ISBN 1-84176-904-5 , pp. 23 ( limited preview in Google Book search).