Having written about so many helmets over many weeks, I thought I’d keep on to the logical end: the M18, though I have less to say about it.
As the M18 designation implies it was introduced in 1918 and was the last version of the WWI Stahlhelm.
The outer shape is like the M16 and M17. It has the liner with steel liner band as introduced in 1917, but the chinstrap mount is different. From 1918 on the chinstrap was fastened to mounts that were fixed to the steel liner band. This did away with the M91 chinstrap lugs, that were never very good, and even less good when put on the inside of the skirt of a Stahlhelm. Thus the M18 is lacking the rivet that is on the sides of the skirt that is seen on the earlier variants.
The chinstrap was also changed to a two piece strap. My example sadly has only one of the pieces intact.
This example has been in for an arsenal refurbishment and has been repainted and had the size 64 inkstamped in the rear of the skirt. Two illegible names are written inside the skirt, and a third name is written in the liner. So, a warrior that has seen some use.
There is also an ear-cutout version of the M18, but that is another beast entirely, rare, and sadly therefore heavily faked.