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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    WW2 German Helmet Production

    I noticed part of this clip on the "World at War series" and found it on Youtube. What is interesting is how labour intensive the manufacture of the shell is.




    Also interesting is the hardening of the shell which is included in this 2nd clip. Not shown is any tempering of the shell, after hardening, which is a normal process after hardening steel to make the steel less brittle. Notice the quenching of the helmet shells into an oil quench, as one would expect, indicated by the "flaming on the surface of the liquid, rather than a water quench. One does see a number of relic WW2 Germanicon helmets for sale on eBay that have sustained battle damage in which the shell appears to have "shattered" and failed. This could be the result of the shells being hardened during manufacture but not tempered, i.e. over-hard.

    I have seen it stated that the type of steel used for the M42 helmet shell changed but I do not know if this was the time that heat treatment was introduced or changed for the shells.

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    Last edited by Flying10uk; 11-19-2020 at 08:12 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying10uk View Post
    What is interesting is how labour intensive the manufacture of the shell is.
    What I saw in the first video was a kettle factory. Then they removed the handles and spun them on a lathe to make helmets out of them. Is that accurate? - Bob

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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by USGI View Post
    What I saw in the first video was a kettle factory. Then they removed the handles and spun them on a lathe to make helmets out of them. Is that accurate? - Bob
    I think that it is helmets being made in a kettle factory rather than out of kettles. Either way it appears labour intensive.

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    Legacy Member matthanne1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by USGI View Post
    What I saw in the first video was a kettle factory.
    The first part was of a factory that made kettles from helmets. Later it also described repairs. I'd seen this one before, back in Germanyicon, as part of a report on postwar reemployment and recovery jobs.

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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Here are a couple of examples were the helmet shell appears to have failed which could have been the result of the steel being over hard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by matthanne1 View Post
    The first part was of a factory that made kettles from helmets.
    I looked at it again. Still looks like a kettle went on the lathe and came off as a helmet. I'll have to have my son-in-law take a look at it. He understands Germanicon. - Bob

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    You could be right and it could be a compilation of film clips in the first video. I found the clip that appeared to be on the World at War series, plus the also 2nd clip. I know that some kitchen utensils were made from helmets post WW2 and it could be that some Luftschutz helmets were made from kitchen utensils during WW2. The radial band round the Luftschtz type helmet would have to be "rolled/spun" on the helmet as it would not be possible to form it on in a press.

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    Such was the shortage of pretty much everything, including kitchen utensils, immediately after the Germanicon surrender many helmets were converted. In my garage I have a 'pot' with bits & pieces in it which is a German helmet converted into a colander. I'll try & get a photo of it.

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    There it is..........whatever else it is it's definitely original!

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    I've heard about those...
    Regards, Jim

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