M35 Heer SD Helmet Quist 68

Product Description: This M35 Heer SD Helmet Quist 68 is an extremely appealing helmet, with great character and an untouched “combat” look. The exterior retains nearly all of the original textured field gray paint, with light wear and scattered marks as well as an even, mellow patina. The single German Army eagle and swastika decal is the correct “Bigfoot” style used by Quist, and is about 85 percent intact, with slight wear and age toning. Inside, this M35 Heer SD Helmet Quist 68 has a nice original liner. The liner band is steel, and the leather is complete, though the tips of three of the fingers are cut where the drawstring has ripped through. The leather shows wear; this helmet definitely appears to have been worn on a soldier’s head during the war. There are some initials inked on one of the liner fingers, presumably those of the wartime wearer. There is a nice, undisturbed dust ring between the liner band and the shell, indicating this liner is original to the helmet. The bales on the liner band retain a cut down original chin strap, with 10 holes remaining on the long end. The chin strap hardware is wartime steel. The inside skirt of the helmet is stamped with the lot number “1234” as well as “Q68” indicating manufacture by the firm of Quist in Esslingen, in a very desirable and rare large size 68. This is a really beautiful helmet, that displays very handsomely. Overall, the condition is excellent.

Historical Description: When the German Army first marched into war in 1914, it went to the front lines wearing the traditional “Picklehaube” helmets. The war soon developed to necessitate the need for an improved headgear to protect the wearer. The German Army developed the M16 helmet in 1915 and began issuing it in mass quantity to its fighting troops in 1916. The M16 underwent changes to bring about the next model, the M18. Both the M16 and M18 saw use by the German Army during WW1, as well as the interwar years by the Reichswehr and Freikorps. In 1931, a new liner system was developed. The M16 and M18 helmets were in mass supply right up to the time the Nazi Party took control of the German government. During Adolf Hitler’s rearming of the German military in the early 1930’s, the M16 and M18 helmets saw extensive refitting with the newer liner system, fresh paint, and the addition of a centralized decal system for the newly formed Wehrmacht’s respective branches. Decals were generally placed on each side of the helmet, one side being the branch and the other the national colors shield or party shield. In 1935, the M35 helmet was introduced. This new design was lighter and more streamlined than the older style helmets and is what the world now recognizes as the iconic helmet of the German Military. M35 helmets can most easily be identified from the separate rivet ventholes and rolled edges. With the outbreak of war, some changes were made to bring in a new model, the M40. The changes made to this new model was the use of a more matte field grey finish and the vent holes were now integral to the helmets shell. In 1940, the national colors decals and party shields were ordered to be removed. It should be noted that many M35 helmets were brought up to date by repainting them with the matte field grey finish and/or other modifications if necessary. These refitted helmets are what collectors now term “reissue helmets”. The next model helmet to evolve was the M42. The model M42 has the same features of the M40 with the exception of the edges of the helmet not being rolled and remain flared. This was to speed up production and lower cost as the war dragged on and the German economy began changing to a total war economy. In 1943 all decals were ordered to be removed from combat helmets.

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