Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 454:
Description
WWII German Model 1940 Stahlhelm Combat Helmet, shell stamped ‘NS64’ for Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke A.G., Schwerte, size 64, finished in multi-tone field camouflage with M31 leather liner and maker-stamped leather chinstrap. This lot presents a size-64 M40 pattern steel helmet, successor to the M35 and introduced in 1940 to streamline wartime production by stamping the ventilation bushings directly into the shell rather than fitting separate rolled eyelets. The shell carries the maker code ‘NS’ for Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke A.G. of Schwerte, together with the size designation ’64,’ struck into the left skirt in the manner typical of German helmet manufacture of the period. No separate published unit history or named attribution accompanies this piece; its story is told through the shell markings, the applied camouflage, and the surviving liner and strap. By 1940 German helmet factories across the Reich were converting their tooling to the simplified stamped-vent pattern, a change driven by the demands of a rapidly expanding wartime army and the need to conserve machining time on the older two-piece rivet eyelets used on the M35. Multi-color camouflage finishes combining greens, browns, and near-black tones over a base coat were widely applied in the field and at unit level across the European and Western fronts, intended to break up the helmet’s silhouette and reduce reflective glare in wooded and broken terrain. The heavy, irregular flaking and layered pigment visible on this shell are consistent with a helmet that saw genuine field use and weathering, though as with all painted German helmets on the collecting market, buyers should weigh paint authenticity on its own merits and inspect in hand. The steel shell displays a multi-tone camouflage scheme in green, brown, and dark pigments over the dome, skirt, and rim, with extensive honest flaking, surface abrasion, and oxidation exposing the underlying metal and factory finish throughout, particularly across the crown. The ‘NS64’ maker and size stamp is struck into the left interior skirt. The interior retains much of its original dark factory paint, with a scratched, V-shaped mark visible on the interior skirt, likely a period ownership or unit scratch-mark. The helmet is fitted with its M31-type leather liner band, pierced with the standard perforations and drawn together by its working drawstring, showing light overall toning and minor edge wear but remaining supple and structurally intact. The leather chinstrap is complete and attached at both sides, stamped with a partly legible maker’s mark beginning ‘RAHM &, ‘ the remainder to be confirmed on close inspection, and displays surface creasing and age-hardening consistent with the rest of the helmet. Condition throughout the shell, liner, and chinstrap is honest and consistent with a combat-worn helmet of the period, with no indication of modern reproduction touch-up. A striking, all-original example of the M40 combat helmet, its heavily weathered multi-tone camouflage, surviving M31 liner, and maker-stamped chinstrap combining to make the history of wartime German helmet camouflage immediately tangible.
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