Germany M42 Luftwaffe

A nice example of a WWII German M42 Luftwaffe helmet, this helmet retains about 90% of its original blue/grey rough textured paint, the steel liner band is stamped 59, the second pattern ET Luftwaffe Eagle is 96% intact and excellent condition. The M42 helmets were identical to the previous M40's, the only difference is the rim is no longer rolled, it is a raw edge and slightly flared outward. The ET 66 (size 58-59) stamp to the interior tells us that this helmet was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk Firm in Thale, this was Germany's largest helmet manufacturer, and began producing steel helmets in WWI. The lot number of this helmet is 1572.
The photo below shows the Eisenhuttenwerk plant in more recent times.