Hi
Mannet,
Model with ear cutout 1918
Taking into account the exhibitions of the troops, the wind noise and impairment of hearing were also taken into account. The main disadvantage of the low temple protection was the poor pick-up of outside sounds. When the wind picked up, the problem was compounded by the helmet itself, as its shape created a lot of wind noise. Furthermore, the suspension bolts cause strong background noise, especially in side winds. After trials with attached leather plugs in the suspension bolts or pasting the inner cavity with felt, the result was unsatisfactory. The wind noise in the suspension bolts was solved by the soldiers themselves. They stuffed small sticks or soil into the ventilation holes. A 20mm high and 60mm wide crescent shaped cutout solved the problem of acoustic restriction. These helmets were intended for observers, listening posts and field guards and should only be exchanged for a normal helmet while on duty. These helmets were manufactured by the company Eisenhüttenwerk Thale.
Source and more info:
https://www.stahlhelmsammlung.de/de/der-stahlhelm/
This design is rare, I personally have had less than five of these helmets in my hands, fakes and reproductions are known, the few originals are traded at very high prices.
"
Kavalleriehelm" (Gregor Koppen /
FdW 2003)
Link:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Un ... hlhelm.htm
* If I remember correctly, the helmet was also worn in a few copies by the "
SS-Verfügungstruppe".
The corresponding photos can be found in the well-known German illustrated books about the Waffen-SS.
There's a photo of a motorcycle buddy from the 1970s, the young man was wearing such a helmet on his head, and he raised his right arm in the German salute.
Back then, we thought that kind of thing was funny, those were different times, the friend died, the helmet was probably thrown away.
Those are two worlds, I myself wore the skull and crossbones collar tabs of the German armored forces on my motorcycle leather jacket. And I liked and wanted to provoke exactly that.
One may smile about it today, I liked that, and today I marvel at myself, this young and confused idiot.
Hans
The paradise of the successful lends itself perfectly to a hell for the unsuccessful. (Bertold Brecht on Hollywood)
