.Featured Helmet:
Periodically I will feature a helmet to discuss its characteristics, nuances and special history (if it has one). Featured helmets will not be offered for sale, but rather are presented as a way to educate and share information about original SS helmets.
Featured Helmet, February 2009.
Featured this month is a truly one of a kind black M-35 SS
helmet. The batch number, in the 2000s, indicates one of the earliest ET M-35s
produced. The 1935 dated liner (with embossed leather) attests to this early
production. The finish is not typical of other black SS M-35 helmets, in that
it is an unheard-of FACTORY BLACK FINISH. The finish is satin enamel, with no
sign of any paint underneath, in any area of the helmet. The enamel is clearly
not spray-gun applied like typical M-35s, and this was truly a surprise to
see. In my collecting years, I have heard of one, but not seen an example.
Therefore any of these that existed were likely prototypical, as there is no
practical combat reason for producing a black helmet in the newly adopted
combat shell configuration. It is likely this helmet was part of a special
delivery of a very limited number. Condition-wise, the paint is about 99% and
free of dings and scratches.
The decals are classic CA Pocher and follow all the norms expected in this
pattern (see photos--courtesy of Dave Shirlin). The combination of the paint
spirits and obvious period polishing for parade use have toned and crazed the
decals. Otherwise, it has seen no abuse and very limited use. The only real
use displayed is in the liner, which shows remnants of two names (one
being the stitching marks where a cloth nametag was removed). The liner is
also a dark golden brown, but supple; suggesting a lot of wearing in parade
formations. So the helmet, a rare beauty, saw a lot of use in its day. It is
simply a spectacular icon of its type, and now resides in the collection of
Mr. Doug Buhler. A detailed writeup will be presented in the upcoming updated
version of "SS Steel." Special thanks and kudos go to Dave Shirlin,
who skillfully fished this helmet out of the woodwork--thanks Dave!
Featured Helmet, December 2008.
Featured this month is a Waffen-SS camouflage helmet that consists of a Q64 M-35 double decal, 1938 issue helmet. The helmet shows medium to heavy wear, including having had the party shield removed (scraped off) early in the helmet's duty life. The runic shield was left untouched, suggesting this was in accordance with the 1940 order for national shields to be removed from helmets (the outline of the full runic shield is visible under the camo paint). Sometime probably very late in the war, the helmet was sprayed camouflage, because the level of wear to the camo finish is comparatively very light--suggesting the SS trooper did not use it for very long after it was camouflaged. The camouflage finish consists of a base coat of ordinance tan, topped with brick red and grass green. The colors are spray-gun applied and appear to be tank paint (the color scheme is typical of tanks and armored vehicles during the 1944 period in the West). There are two names; one is scraped out, the other says "W. Walther" -- indicating the helmet had been issued to two individuals.
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Featured Helmet(s), October 2008.
This month's feature helmet is actually two M-34 Medium Duty
helmets, with a very unique and apparently identical camouflage paint job on
each. I first featured the larger sized one in my "SS Helmets" with Mike
Beaver, to present an example of a very rare camouflage M-34. About a year
later, I discovered the reversed decal camo M-34 on an internet militaria
website, and at first thought it was the helmet I had presented in "SS
Helmets." Upon closer examination, I realized it was a second piece, with
reverse decal configuration. The purpose of camouflaged M-34 helmets would
ostensibly be for use in anti-partisan field operations by the
Sicherheitsdienst. In extraordinary circumstances, such as supply shortages
toward the end of the war, they could have been used by (foreign) field
formations of the SS. The provenance of the reverse decal example is Holland,
so this deepens the mystery of the camo paint. In the final days of the war
however, units made their way westward from a lot of points in Eastern
Europe--especially by boat to Atlantic port cities, from Latvia and other
Baltic regions where the SD were particularly active throughout the war.
The basic characteristics of the two helmets are typical of M-34 Medium Duty
helmets: pea green paint, four-rivet liners with quick-release chinstraps, and
un-lacquered CA Pocher SS runic and party shields. (The reversal of the decals
on many of these helmets continues to be an un-documented purpose). The
camouflage paint consists of spray-gun applied brick red and dark green, atop
haphazardly masked decals. There is soil and sawdust present in the paint, as
if it was hand-thrown on while the paint was being applied. Thanks go to David
May for sharing pictures of his camouflage M-34.
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Featured Helmet(s), September 2008.
The absolute rarest and possibly most interesting helmet produced for the SS in the model 1935 is the "Fat Runes" type, in the batch number 3567 to 3574. The date of production of these, according to the dome stamps, is 1936, so this is not the earliest SS helmet in the 35 model. There is one example of a 1935 dated ET 64 with factory applied CA Pocher shields, so this is likely the earliest pattern of the new model helmets. As for the fat rune, it is truly an anomaly. Why does this runic style appear on these helmets? Were they leftovers during a period when ET ran out of Pochers and needed to fill a contract? Were they "purpose-built" for the LAH? We know that the fat rune shield appears on all types of SS transitional helmets, including civic, fiber RZM, and combat shells. There are 5 M-35 Fat Runes helmets known to exist in the world -- as far as I have been able to determine since first knowing about them. I have featured 3 of them in SS Steel and SS Helmets (Beaver / Hicks). With the exception of the one that covered with a reissue finish and outfitted with a refurbished liner, the others feature the exact same characteristics: thin, apple green paint; single ply 1937-dated liner band; blue-green (similar to the 1939 color) liner retaining rivet heads (with the split pins being zinc coated brass themselves); and finally, ET party shields and the Fat Runes decal. One of the helmets is marked to a Totenkopf Standarte, one is from Berchtesgaden, named to a "Dr. Dietrich"; one is marked to the LAH, and two are unattributed. Shown here are the Berchtesgaden helmet and the unattributed one. Both share the exact same batch number and characteristics as described; one of them is near mint and the other shows the additional grace of heavy combat use. More research will go into solving the reason behind this style of helmet within this production lot number grouping. Some additional findings will appear in my next update of SS Steel, early next year.
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Featured Helmet, August 2008.
The August Feature Helmet is a Q 64, M-40 factory issue double decal that popped up out of Norway, via my Canadian Colleague Darryl, about 8 years ago. The overall condition is "issued but not used," and shows only minor storage scuffs and dings. The helmet features the early Q medium texture Schiefergrau finish, in the medium grey color characteristic of Q. The rivets are dated 1940, as is the liner band. The batch number is 475. The Q runic and party decals are both factory applied with the glue and lacquer technique. It is somewhat rare for an M-40 double, when it bears the party shield of the maker, rather than an "after market" applied party shield, which so many original M-40 doubles possess. In this case, the party shield is classic "Q," with the red-ish hue to the shield and the well-centered swastika circle.
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Featured Helmet, June 2008.
A helmet with a hidden story. This month's feature helmet is one with an unusual story to it. I obtained it through trade about two years ago, knowing it had been deep in a collection for about two decades. I noted it is just my type of ET M-40--early smoother texture finish, with heavy lacquer to the runic shield. Not thinking much more than just being happy to get it, I placed it on the shelf and that was that. One morning I was looking at it in the sunlight, and noticed striations in the liner leather that resemble writing. I could make out the name "Schorn." Underneath the name were some disjointed lines in the leather. As I rotated it in the sunlight, the shadows of the lines clearly revealed the title "SS-Oscha" (SS-Oberscharfuhrer). The photos attempt to show the appropriate shadow angle, and a negative version, of the inscription. I was thrilled with this find and am looking forward to researching this individual at the National Archives. I know from a cursory search that there are quite a few with the name Shorn on the Waffen-SS rolls, so the challenge will be fair. It always pays to look carefully inside helmets in the sunlight or with a magnifier--you may get a pleasant surprise that has been hidden by time.
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Featured Helmet, May 2008.
Featured for the month of May is a very
unique Waffen-SS helmet that consists of a Q64 M-35 double decal helmet, dome
dated 1938 with a lot number of 767. The chinstrap is a 1937 date, with a
polished aluminum buckle (first I have seen). The helmet is classic Q issue in
every sense. It bears the inscription (in ink) "SS Oberscharfuhrer Rudolf
Dimmel" in the liner, perfectly penned in a fraktur style calligraphy. The
party shield was expertly removed (likely in accordance with the 1940
regulation to do so), leaving only one edge of the lacquer present, and no
damage or scratching to the paint underneath.
Researching Dimmel's file among the archives of the Berlin Document Center
collection, National Archives, was relatively easy and straightforward. Dimmel
was a died in the wool Nazi, having joined the SS in 1931 and participating in
(according to documents) many Nazi Party-related fund drives and other
efforts. Dimmel applied for marriage through the Rasse und Seidlungs Hauptamt
RuSHA in 1937, and submitted the accompanying portrait photo of himself.
Dimmel was in the SS-Bereitschaft organizations throughout the 1930s, seeing
service in Dachau and then Standarte Deutschland. The last record of Dimmel
came from his feldpostnummer which appears in one of his file documents. The
number corresponds to the horse hospital of the V SS Korps (Gebirgs). An SS
veteran who I knew from my childhood until his passing in 1998 told me that in
the latter stages of the war, SS units conducted their postal operations
through any available means within their order of battle for the area of
operations (his was a Luftwaffe unit during Normandy). So it is not
necessarily that Dimmel was stationed at the horse lazarett, but rather
probably was merely his designated postal unit for that area / time.
Otherwise, Oscha Dimmel has no additional records stating his fate.
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Featured Helmet, April 2008.
Featured for the month of April is a uniquely marked helmet that was pictured in my "SS Helmets" with Mike Beaver (Schiffer, 2005). The helmet is a Q-64 M-35 double decal with the 1939 dark "apple green" paint and blue-green liner retaining rivet color combination. Most of the helmet makers went to a variation of this shade in 1939. The liner band is dated 1939 and the chinstrap bears a 39 date as well. The helmet shows some stacking scars and slight use overall, but was clearly not used in combat conditions. The decals are classic Q pattern, factory applied with the glue and lacquer technique. The somewhat fragile liner features an interesting ink stamp that reads "Jugendschutzlager Moringen." The liner also shows the double ring on the leather tongues that many helmets feature: a ring created when the helmets were placed atop the gas mask canister and stored on top of the soldiers' lockers (I have photographs of this and may post them later--but for those of you who were wondering where the two rings come from, it is the gas mask canister). There are also two names written in the liner, actually two versions of the same name, "P. Just" (Paul Just). Jugendschutzlager Moringen was referred to as a "Wild Camp," and at one point housed teenage detainees who performed labor as a subsidiary of the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. Just himself was an early member of the SS and because he was in his 40s by the late 1930s, he was assigned to the camp at Moringen. I am still researching aspects of the camp, including any information on the camp staff and their whereabouts subsequent to the closing of the camp (which closed around mid-war).
An interesting aside, this helmet was fished out of an Ohio Gun Collectors Show by Karl Kithier in 1986, for $165.00 US.
Ken N had just passed the table where this helmet was sitting, covered up, and Karl came along a lucky few minutes later
.
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Featured Helmet, March 2008.
This month’s featured helmet is an EF M-40 double decal factory mint example. EF was the last producer to come online into full production at the very beginning of WWII. Much of their product at the onset of M-35 manufacture shows a non-standard approach to paint scheme, decals, liners and so on. This is manifest in the variety of component mix that appears in original examples (i.e. pea green, apple or slate grey finishes, and pea green or blue-green rivet combinations. Moreover, liners appear with both 1939 and 1940 band dates in M-35 helmets.
It appears that in M-40 production this was no exception, as there are at least three paint colors and textures represented in EF M-40 helmets alone. The dark green medium texture finish is one; the simulated ET finish is another, and the medium grey medium texture finish is the third. The two aforementioned finishes have shown use of champagne runes and ET runes, respectively. The third finish displays the final EF pattern of decal, the jagged first pattern version. This decal went on to be the EF hallmark decal, but remained one of three types used for the duration of EF production.
Pictured here is an extremely rare double decal M-40 EF helmet, with a size 66 shell and a lot number of 5018—suggestive of 1940 or early 1941 production. Judging by the overall condition of the helmet, it has not been issued or worn. As such, it is a benchmark helmet, showing the factory characteristics of production at that time. The finish is medium grey Schiefergrau, with medium texture. The decals are un-glued and un-lacquered EF pattern runic and party shields. As an interesting aside, I have noted a lack of glue and lacquer use in the application of decals on EF examples. Few of the M-35, M-40 or M-42 helmets I have observed from EF have displayed glue and lacquer treatment of the decals (some do show glue and lacquer, but more random). As such, this may explain why EF decals often tend to take on a grey tarnish rather than a gold-ish yellow tone over time. The liner band date is illegible, but the chinstrap is marked G Singer Klattau 1941. The dome stamp is no longer visible in the helmet.
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Featured helmet February, 2008
This month’s featured helmet is what I have referred to in the past as the “Austrian Pattern” due to its uniqueness in helmet shell selection, paint scheme and decal patterns. To explain, five of these helmets are known to exist. At least one of the five shows depot repairs to the shell to fill holes that were once apertures for the Austrian “Guarde Battalion” or one of the many home guard insignia. Moreover, the distinct brown color of the outer finish bears a resemblance to the Austrian WWI version of field grey. Lastly, the one of a kind decal design and combination were considered unique and possibly foreign (Austrian) made.
Over time it has come into question whether this helmet had to do with the Austrian SS, or was possibly just a unique, early variation of German SS usage. The reason has to do with taking a deeper look at the helmet’s basic characteristics. Yes, the shells on at least four of the five known examples are Austrian-made (unknown maker, possibly BGB) and bear the two small holes on the right side of the shell that ostensibly bore the “flaming-bomb” Austrian rural police emblem (again, a possible “Austrian” indicator for post WWI forensic judgment, especially knowing that the Guarde Battalion existed around 1935-1938, for instance).
However, the base paint finish in all five examples is distinctly German Feldgrau without question. Moreover, the feldgrau is covered, in all five cases, with black satin spray finish and bears a set of CA Pocher SS and Party shields whose outline is visible under the paint. The final finish is a color which can really only be described (and uniform buffs know this) as “Erdbraun,” which is the early color of SS-TV and in some cases VT units. To reiterate, each helmet displays this unusual design evolution in shell, finish and insignia.
So from the basics a new explanation might be derived for this unique helmet. Millions of Austrian WWI combat shells found their way into the German inventory of transitional helmets in the 1920s and 1930s—so it is possible these helmet shells were “in the inventory” of a particular German unit in the early 1930s. This would help explain the distinctly “German” modern field grey color, as well as the Allgemeine-SS configuration involving the black finish and the CA Pocher decals. It is the final configuration of this helmet that is enigmatic and at the same time exciting.
None of the five examples I have examined bear any name or unit marking. Yet all bear the “signature” of being created and used by the same unit at the same time. The party shield, which is normal size (but bears a huge swastika), is distinct and actually appears on some civic or commercially produced German shells, indicating a local, limited manufacture of that particular design. The runes are also unique, and appear on one example of an SD helmet, which only bears runes and no party shield.
My conclusion is the helmet is actually German, and traces its history to a unit of the SS-TV or SS-VT. I am hesitant to say it is purely Austrian because prior to the Anschluss of 1938, the Austrian SS was a banned organization and there was not much venue for parades with special uniforms and insignia. Once the Anschluss took place, we begin to see the use of the hand-painted SS insignia on some helmets, which is probably the earliest use of SS insignia publicly by the Austrian SS (see SS-Steel, pp. 46-47).
Hopefully this brief treatise on a very rare and handsome SS helmet type will be of use to my fellow collectors. Also, when I find them, I will post pictures of the interior again.
Regards, KH
Reversed Decal “Austrian” showing the unique runic shield and brown paint.
Right side of helmet, showing the large swastika party shield. Note the crackling in the paint atop the area of the runic shield that lies underneath.
One of the other “Austrian” pieces. This one features decals in proper layout, and also features the brown over black over field grey paint scheme.
Runic Shield Party Shield