ABSTRACT
The First World War triggered a series of technological innovations in the field of weaponry that changed the face of battle dramatically. The use of poison gas and the deadly effectiveness of modern artillery-fire 1 created demand for better protection for soldiers and eventually resulted in development of gas masks and steel helmets. Introduced in France in 1915, and in Germany and England in 1916, the steel helmet became one of the most widely distributed, mass-produced artefacts during and after the war. Far reaching, beyond its original purpose of protection and national distinction, the German steel helmet developed into a modern icon that embodied heavily contested war experiences and carried them through the interwar years. The paramilitary Freikorps appropriated the helmet as early as 1918, and it subsequently became a part of the Nazi regalia together with the swastika and the black SS uniforms. After 1945, the iconic shape of the German helmet resurfaced as a symbol of evil and destruction, and up to today authentic German steel helmets are much-desired objects for collectors and ‘living history’ re-enactors.
