GERMAN WWI M.16 SQUARE DIP HELMET.

The Square Dip was one of the pre mass production examples of the M.16, stamped ‘ET64’ but extremely difficult to read because of corrosion in the area of the stampings. This example has at some time been camouflage painted in a splotch pattern over the basic green using what appears to be two other colours of deep ochre and green. There is a slight crack to the shell from a shell splinter just below the left hand liner retaining rivet. The three pad M.16 liner is all in place, the band itself has shrunk slightly, all of the three inner pads are present with only faint remnants of one tongue of one of the pads, which appears to have been eaten by a rodent, some damage to the area of the join of the pad to the liner with another one of the pads, all are without their inner horsehair pads. Both original strap posts are complete with the helmet. Excellent reading on the history of the M.16 Square Dip are on both pages 50, 51, 52 and 53 of Feldzug 1916 Michael Baldwin, also pages 26 to 39 of the excellent work by Oliver Lock Stahlschutzhelme with numerous photographs and in-depth written text. A rare addition to the Imperial German collection.

Code: 79418