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Large mechanical presses are shown forming M1935 steel helmets at the Thale
plant in 1937. At the onset, these helmets started as a flat
sheet or pan of metal that was then pressed several times until the
final stage of completion which was to roll the outside rim of the
helmet inward to create a soft edge. The rolling of the edges of
the helmet was accomplished by using machines as well as hand held
hammers (see the
helmet production video for details).
The photo above shows German laborers working the first four stages of
the production process. Viewing the photo from left to right the
reader can easily see helmets being moved manually one step at a time
through the pressing process until they achieve their characteristic
round shape. At the far right of the photo stands a stack of
helmets that have achieved most of their finished shape having come
through the presses.
This technique was quite complex and required a great deal of time in
order to manufacture a single helmet. The entire manufacturing
system was streamlined in 1940 with further revisions in 1942 when
Germany moved its wartime material production to increased levels of
efficiency. At this time the "hot stamped" process was employed
which eliminated the need for the older press form methods depicted
above. |
