As the German army behaved hesitantly in the development of an effective head protection, some units developed provisional helmets in 1915. Stationed in the rocky area of the
Vosges the Army Detachment "Gaede" recorded significantly more head injuries caused by stone and shell splinters than did troops in other sectors of the front. The artillery workshop of the Army Detachment developed a helmet that consisted of a leather cap with a steel plate (6 mm thickness). The plate protected not only the forehead but also the eyes and nose.
Stahlhelm (plural
Stahlhelme) is German for "steel helmet". The Imperial German Army began to replace the
traditional boiled leather Pickelhaube (spiked combat helmet) with the Stahlhelm during World War I in
1916. The term
Stahlhelm refers both to a generic steel helmet, and more specifically to the distinctive (and iconic) German design.
The
Stahlhelm, with its distinctive "coal scuttle" shape, was instantly recognizable and became a common element of military propaganda on both sides, just like the Pickelhaube before it.
In early 1915, Dr. Friedrich Schwerd of the Technical Institute of
Hanover had carried out a study of head wounds suffered during trench warfare and submitted a recommendation for steel helmets, shortly after which he was ordered to Berlin. Schwerd then undertook the task of designing and producing a suitable helmet, broadly based on the 15th-century sallet, which provided good protection for the head and neck.
After lengthy development work, which included testing a selection of German and Allied headgear, the first
Stahlhelme were tested in November 1915 at the
Kummersdorf Proving Ground and then field tested by the 1st Assault Battalion. Thirty thousand examples were ordered, but it was not approved for general issue until New Year of 1916, hence it is most usually referred to as the "Model 1916". In February 1916 it was distributed to troops at
Verdun, following which the incidence of serious head injuries fell dramatically. The first German troops to use this helmet were the
stormtroopers of the Sturm-Bataillon Nr. 5 (Rohr), which was commanded by captain
Willy Rohr.
In contrast to the Hadfield steel used in the British Brodie helmet, the Germans used a harder
martensitic silicon/
nickel steel. As a result, and also due to the helmet's form, the
Stahlhelm had to be formed in heated dies at a greater unit cost than the British helmet, which could be formed in one piece.
From
1936, the
Mark I Brodie helmet was fitted with an improved liner and an elasticated (actually, sprung)
webbing chin strap. This final variant served until late
1940, when it was superseded by the slightly modified
Mk II, which served the British and
Commonwealth forces throughout World War II. British paratroopers and airborne forces used the
Helmet Steel Airborne Troop.
Several Commonwealth nations, such as
Australia,
New Zealand,
Canada and
South Africa, produced
local versions of the MK II, which can be distinguished from those made in Britain.
During this period, the helmet was also used by the
police, the
fire brigade and
ARP wardens in Britain. The helmets for the ARP wardens came in two principal variants, black with a white "W" for wardens and white with a black "W" for senior ranks (additional black stripes denoted seniority within the warden service); however numerous different patterns were used. A
civilian pattern was also available for
private purchase, known as the
Zuckerman helmet, which was
a little deeper but made from
ordinary mild steel.
