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West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). German Helmet M56 “Zweiteilige Stahlhelm”
After West Germany joined NATO in 1954 and created the Bundeswehr in 1955 with 495,000 soldiers, a new military helmet design was sought. Germany first adopted the Belgian Model 51, a copy of the American M1 helmet, and then produced its own Model 56 (“zweiteilige Stahlhelm”) between 1956 and 1958. This helmet, very similar to the Belgian version, was used only briefly before being replaced by the M1A1, which remained in service until the 1990s. Only about 190,000 units were manufactured.
The liner is marked “SW II” from the manufacturer Schuberth Werke of Braunschweig. It retains its leather chinstrap, although the shell is missing one of the two external chinstrap loops.
