Poor design of NVA helmet?

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Von Schadewald
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Poor design of NVA helmet?

#1

Post by Von Schadewald » 24 Dec 2013, 17:45

The DDR's helmet didn't protect the neck, was too big for its purpose and it trapped blast air wave which could cause it to flip and even break the wearer's neck even more than the British WWII helmet. Who designed it?

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Tim Smith
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#2

Post by Tim Smith » 25 Dec 2013, 12:13

This thread should answer your question.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=177353

Hint: The design dates back to 1942.


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John G.
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#3

Post by John G. » 25 Dec 2013, 15:00

As the link says....this pattern was proposed as a replacement for the "M35/40/42" models.... and supposedly was tested extensively by Wehr. experts and showed major improvements about head wound protection, etc. as well as "ease of production"...

There's an example complete with single decal that was a "test helmet" (several bullet "splashes") in Baer"s "History of the German Steel helmet 1916 - 1945" (Angolia). (Not shown in the links photos but is in the Patent Document illus.)
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Ivan_S
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#4

Post by Ivan_S » 22 Dec 2014, 15:22

Previous posts are usefull indeed... Some german army leaders were obviously, in light of the increasement of head wounds suffered by their soldiers, aware of the many drawbacks of their model 42. Using infos from Ludwig Baer's "History of the german steel helmet (1916-1945)" we can learn that model II/B was really better in many aspects. It showed 60% greater ballistic resistance when compared to model 42 with similar shell thickness... Moreover, the model II/B demonstated greater freedom of movement, improved vision and hearing (by the removal of the acoustically unfavourable side and neck apron) for its users. So that helmet, designed during world war 2 and which would ultimately be adopted by NVA armed forces in 1956, is far from being poorly designed...

Angus1235
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#5

Post by Angus1235 » 07 Jul 2016, 20:47

I don't believe there are any reported cases of the m56 breaking anyone's neck, I think if it was the case, the NVA would replace them pretty quickly because having dangerous equipment would hinder their military effectiveness, something highly valued by Germans.

The design was made (as mentioned before) in 1942 and removed a lot of the complaints soldiers had (interfering with vision, hearing and head movement) as well as greatly reducing the weight, production time and increasing the ballistic resistance, and the Thale factory that made the protoype (Thale B/2) was situated in East Germany too.

But most importantly: Hitler himself rejected the design, not liking the strange shape, allegedly because it "Doesn't look German".

Originally east germany used the Thale B/1 for the KVP, which was a very bizzare design that more or less simplified the M35, but this was replaced for the NVA because the uniform already closely resembled the Wehrmacht enough without a similar helmet as well (not to mention the other fators being taken into consideration)

In my opinion it is the greatest helmet design, both due to its coolness and function and I am actually surprised that a modern kevlar equivalent hasn't been made.
Searching for Truppenfahrrad parts: Torpedo coaster brake parts, Union-werke headlight, truppenfahrrad handlebars, Torpedo front wheel hub.

Marshall Owens
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#6

Post by Marshall Owens » 15 Oct 2017, 06:14

They are lighter and balance well . Only complaint I would have is if you bump one its like hitting a gong .

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Mark in Cleveland, Tn.
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Re: Poor design of NVA helmet?

#7

Post by Mark in Cleveland, Tn. » 20 Oct 2017, 03:36

I remember the day not to long ago when you buy thse East German lids for $5.00, crap, I could go to Goodwill and other thrift shops back in Alamogordo,NM and buy them quite regular for $5.00 to $10.00, Guys, remember you cpould find thes eat every little piss ass gun show anywhere for the same price?

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