An armoured brow plate, introduced to German troops in April 1916 alongside the steel Stahlhelm, designed to bolt onto the front of the helmet for sentries and snipers facing sustained, direct fire. The added plate significantly increased frontal protection at the cost of considerable extra weight, making it impractical for extended wear beyond static, high-risk positions. Genuine examples are relatively rare today, since the plate's weight and limited practical application meant it saw far more restricted issue than the Stahlhelm itself.
The Stahlhelm ('steel helmet') was developed by the Imperial German Army to replace the traditional boiled-leather Pickelhaube, whose spiked design offered little real protection against the shrapnel and shell fragments that dominated casualties in trench warfare. The first Stahlhelms were tested at the Kummersdorf Proving Ground in November 1915 and field-tested by German assault troops before wider issue began in 1916. Its distinctive silhouette, resembling the medieval sallet rather than the kettle-hat shape favoured by British and French designs, remained recognisably German through every subsequent redesign for the next three decades. This armoured brow plate, known in German as the Stirnpanzer, was designed to bolt onto the front of the standard Stahlhelm for troops in especially exposed, static positions such as sentries and snipers, offering extra frontal protection at the cost of significant additional weight that made it unsuitable for general infantry issue.
Part of our World War heritage range.
Use for:
- World War living history and re-enactment
- Museum-style display on a stand
- Militaria-themed home decor and collections
- Historical events and living history fairs
- Film and theatre productions set in the First or Second World War
- Collectors of World War-era military helmets
