A German helmet, a soldier’s protective headgear from the Great Patriotic War, is housed in the collection of the City Museum of Local History. The surface of the helmet was covered with rust, and there were breaks in the upper part — consequences of the battle. Because of the characteristic round shape and protruding visor of German helmets, Soviet soldiers mockingly called them pots, buckets and bowls for shaving.
The exhibit was given to the museum in 2000 by members of the ‘Poisk’ [‘Search’] club of Anzhero-Sudzhensk. The headdress was found during a search expedition on the battlefields that took place during the Great Patriotic War near Poltava in the northeast of Ukraine.
Similar helmets in Germany were first produced during World War I in 1916. Before that, the German army used a ‘pickelhaube’ — a spiked leather helmet. The first models of metal protective headgear — ‘stahlhelms’ — were designated M16. Helmets of this type were distinguished by two protruding sleeves (‘horns’), which served for ventilation. A special plate was attached to them to enhance the protection of the forehead. In the 1930s, this model was abandoned because it was obsolete: such helmets offered good protection from lead shrapnel bullets, but they were no longer used in combat by that time.
In 1935, a new M35 helmet was designed — with a reduced visor and without nape-guards. The ventilation holes design was more modern. Due to the thickness of the material, such a helmet better protected the head; it withstood heavy pressure, large shrapnel, and machine-gun bullets. In 1940, the design was simplified again.
‘Model 1942 Steel Helmet’ — other names M1942 or M42 — was produced in Germany without modification until the end of the war. These helmets were made of higher quality steel. They were supplied to the Wehrmacht, SS troops, and other army units, as well as to the Hitler-Jugend and the police.
The coloring of the helmet varied: olive, sand, black, dark gray. If it was necessary to camouflage, soldiers used leaves and branches, which were attached to the helmet using improvised materials.
The exhibit was given to the museum in 2000 by members of the ‘Poisk’ [‘Search’] club of Anzhero-Sudzhensk. The headdress was found during a search expedition on the battlefields that took place during the Great Patriotic War near Poltava in the northeast of Ukraine.
Similar helmets in Germany were first produced during World War I in 1916. Before that, the German army used a ‘pickelhaube’ — a spiked leather helmet. The first models of metal protective headgear — ‘stahlhelms’ — were designated M16. Helmets of this type were distinguished by two protruding sleeves (‘horns’), which served for ventilation. A special plate was attached to them to enhance the protection of the forehead. In the 1930s, this model was abandoned because it was obsolete: such helmets offered good protection from lead shrapnel bullets, but they were no longer used in combat by that time.
In 1935, a new M35 helmet was designed — with a reduced visor and without nape-guards. The ventilation holes design was more modern. Due to the thickness of the material, such a helmet better protected the head; it withstood heavy pressure, large shrapnel, and machine-gun bullets. In 1940, the design was simplified again.
‘Model 1942 Steel Helmet’ — other names M1942 or M42 — was produced in Germany without modification until the end of the war. These helmets were made of higher quality steel. They were supplied to the Wehrmacht, SS troops, and other army units, as well as to the Hitler-Jugend and the police.
The coloring of the helmet varied: olive, sand, black, dark gray. If it was necessary to camouflage, soldiers used leaves and branches, which were attached to the helmet using improvised materials.
