Helmets and Officer's Hats of the German Military

[GermanSoldier]

The Basic World War 2 Helmet in the German Army
http://i19.tinypic.com/4vn2ucy.jpg

The 1942 German Helmet was mostly the basic helmet for a german soldier in the army. On the side of the helmet they would have a type of insignia that would show that they where either in the army, SS, and etc. This helmet gave great protection to the men on the battlefield and I think most men actually liked the helmet. This helmet was a newer design during the war. The older helmet design (in 1935 which it is based on) had a part cut off on each side that made each soldier's ear show. The 1942 helmet does not have this included because if I am correct snipers had more of a chance killing the soldier with the sides off because of no protection and this helmet gave better protection.

The Luftwaffe Helmet of the German Airforce
http://i11.tinypic.com/4kym1ec.jpg

I do not have any information right now of the Luftwaffe Helmet. If someone could please discuss with the other members about this helmet it would be greatly appreciated. If anybody has any cool facts about Officer's Hats of the german military please share. Thank you.

P.S. Sorry about the long thread name.
Sincerely,
GermanSoldier

[bwing55543]

I do know the basic helmet was originally designed in World War I. In the WWI era stalhelms, I don't remember ever seeing a German wearing one and having his ears exposed. The main difference between the WWI and WWII stalhelm is that the WWII had a smaller shell, much like the Vietnam US M1 helmet vs. the WWII M1.

Officers' peak hats really weren't different from that of any other nations besides different decorations.
http://www.replicaters.com/ww2%20german%20army%20uni/ww2%20german%20officers%20peak%20cap%20.jpg
Officers' field hat:
http://www.thehistorybunker.co.uk/acatalog/africa%20troop%20c.jpg.
Armored crew officer's hat: a sort of mini US garrison cap:
http://aboutww2militaria.com/December2006/german_cap_small.jpg.

[GermanSoldier]

[QUOTE=bwing55543;107185]I do know the basic helmet was originally designed in World War I. In the WWI era stalhelms, I don't remember ever seeing a German wearing one and having his ears exposed. The main difference between the WWI and WWII stalhelm is that the WWII had a smaller shell, much like the Vietnam US M1 helmet vs. the WWII M1.
QUOTE] I think I was looking at a world war 1 helmet when i said that. Must of put wrong information. Sorry about the misunderstanding. Think you for the information bwing55543

[bwing55543]

You were probably thinking of the Pickelhaube, which wasn't a helmet at all, because it was made of leather and served no purpose other than decoration. The soldier who wears that will have his ears exposed. Much like France, Germany didn't adopt steel helmets until towards the end of the war.

http://www.zoll.de/z1_bilder/a1_wir_ueber_uns/pickelhaube.jpeg

http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/geschichte/summerschool/bismarck/imagesbismarck/bismarck_pickelhaube.jpg

[bwing55543]

Hold up, I found a WWI Stalhelm with exposed ears.

http://www.stahlhelms.com/M18Cut1.jpg

And one without

http://www.stahlhelms.com/M16Cam1.jpg

WW2 stalhelm

http://ww2germanhelmets.com/images/german_soldiers_in_Soviet_41.jpg

Turns out you were right all along about the exposed ears, Germansoldier. The ear cutouts were designed to give the soldier improved hearing.

[Berns]

watch this... in italian sorry, but with many photos available.
www.germanlids.com (http://www.germanlids.com/)
I belive that the this photo (links page) is the webmaster himself in a fake-old photo... fantastic!!! ;)

http://www.germanlids.com/images/pg026_1_00.jpg

another in english:
http://www.german-helmets.com/

[bwing55543]

The part that Germansoldier was wrong about was that the ear cutouts were on the M1918 helmets, not the M1935s.

[Gutkowski]

The part that Germansoldier was wrong about was that the ear cutouts were on the M1918 helmets, not the M1935s.
He really needs to think before he speaks and stop spaming every post

[GermanSoldier]

He really needs to think before he speaks and stop spaming every post

You think I am spamming with my post. Everybody makes mistakes once or twice but you can't call them spammers just for that. If anybody thinks I am spamming I would like for them to tell me in a private message.

With all due respect,
GermanSoldier

[bwing55543]

He really needs to think before he speaks and stop spaming every post

How was he spamming? This topic was started by him, after all. What's more, he's not advertising some random thing, so I'd hesitate to call it spam if I were you. Finally, the reason GermanSoldier started this topic was for people to give him information on German WW2 head gear.

[GermanSoldier]

thank you bwing55543 for understanding. bwing55543 is absolutely correct about what he said about the spamming thing and I am very interested in hearing everybodys information. So lets just stop talking about the spamming thing and get back on topic!

[bwing55543]

The Luftwaffe helmets were for paratroopers of the Fallschirmjäger. They were no longer deployed as invaders after they lost 4000 grunts at Crete.

[RifleMan20]

your picture is just a little big but here is my share



I dont know if these are all ww2 decals though

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8795/germandecals2aq2.th.jpg

a man i need another walkthrough with the image hosting

[bwing55543]

your picture is just a little big but here is my share



I dont know if these are all ww2 decals though

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8795/germandecals2aq2.th.jpg

a man i need another walkthrough with the image hosting



Yeah, I know about the size of my picture. The thing is that the picture on the site I got it from was a lot smaller than that.

[George Eller]

The Luftwaffe helmets were for paratroopers of the Fallschirmjäger. They were no longer deployed as invaders after they lost 4000 grunts at Crete.

German paratroopers:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3497/fallschrimjeager01oe6.jpg

-

Hi bwing,

I reduced the size of your pic in the quote above. If you want, feel free to copy my link and edit your original post.

-

Fallschirmjaeger helmet (German Paratrooper helmet) - WWII
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/7356/fallschrimjaeger02qu5.jpg

-

RZM Supply Company
http://rzmsupplyco.com/products.htm

Replicas of WWI and WWII German helmets

-

Google image search - "fallschirmjaeger helmet"
http://images.google.com/images?as_st=y&svnum=10&hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=+%22fallschirmjaeger+helmet%22&spell=1

-

Google image search - "german helmet"
http://images.google.com/images?as_st=y&svnum=10&hl=en&q=+%22german+helmet%22&btnG=Search+Images

-

[Gutkowski]

How was he spamming? This topic was started by him, after all. What's more, he's not advertising some random thing, so I'd hesitate to call it spam if I were you. Finally, the reason GermanSoldier started this topic was for people to give him information on German WW2 head gear.
First off he stating this post as a fact with no research involved and has to be corrected like his 400+ other posts that he spammed on to gain his rank because it must be a child's game for him .I know this is his topic but look at his past post's I think it was something like someone in his family was with the 101st ?But it was a lie and then it was a flood of nonsense posts that he posted to gain rank just my 2 cents and what's this "so I'd hesitate to call it spam if I were you" Is that a threat ?

[Panzerknacker]

Yeah, I know about the size of my picture. The thing is that the picture on the site I got it from was a lot smaller than that


Bwing I deleted you huge pic, put the one added by George Eller.


He really needs to think before he speaks and stop spaming every post


Our dear GS had a special way to post, that is true but I dont see any spam in this topic so far, as usual I will recomend him to be careful with his ortography, is important as you try to say.

Everyone need to start in some way to learn.

In any case I am deleting the agressive comments.

Thanks everybody for your attention.

[bwing55543]

Bwing I deleted you huge pic, put the one added by George Eller.



Our dear GS had a special way to post, that is true but I dont see any spam in this topic so far, as usual I will recomend him to be careful with his ortography, is important as you try to say.

Everyone need to start in some way to learn.

In any case I am deleting the agressive comments.

Thanks everybody for your attention.

Thanks, Panzerknacker. :D

[Strangy]

your picture is just a little big but here is my share



I dont know if these are all ww2 decals though


a man i need another walkthrough with the image hosting


heres the meanins bud, well i think anyways. haha

http://www.german-helmets.com/DECAL%20MAIN/CAMO-LUFT-decal.jpg
Luftwaffe

http://www.german-helmets.com/HEER/Army_decal.jpg
Heer

http://www.german-helmets.com/KREIGSMARINE%20MAIN/NAVY-3-3.jpg
Kriegsmarine

[Strangy]

and to continue....

http://www.german-helmets.com/DECAL%20MAIN/NATIONAL-5-copyright.jpg
All Wehrmarcht

http://www.german-helmets.com/DECAL%20MAIN/WAFFEN-SS/ss-fp-swas-decal-1.jpg
Police & SS most commonly

http://www.german-helmets.com/POLICE%20HELMETS/decals-3.jpg
German Police

and of course

http://www.german-helmets.com/DECAL%20MAIN/WAFFEN-SS/ss-fp-decal-1.jpg
The SS

[Panzerknacker]

Nice information...but that signature....:roll:

Check your PMs inbox.

[bwing55543]

Here's a camoflauged Waffen-SS stalhelm:

http://germanhelmetsinc.com/Gallery%20SS%20cover0001.jpg

And a camo Luftwaffe paratrooper helmet:

http://germanhelmetsinc.com/Gallery%20para%20cover0005.jpg

Because of the camo, that is why the US Army opted not to put camo patterns on their M1 helmets in Europe even though the USMC had camos on their helmets: It was too easy to confuse an American for a Waffen-SS trooper and vice versa.

US marine with camo helmet:

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1758/usmcbarzy1.jpg

[Panzerknacker]

Rare example of a He-111 gunner with the steel helmet m1935 on, the luftwaffe eagle is clearly visible.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/477/cascoluftza4.jpg

[Bryan A]

Hi Guys, new to the forum looks like an interesting place to share. I am a collector of original WWII militaria and focus primarily on Steel Helmets of German and US origin. Thought I would share some original examples of WWII German Helmets spanning a number of models implemented over the course of the war.

The first is an Example of an M42 German Steel Helmet, this was the last model implemented during the war. The edge of the helmet is left uncrimped which gives it a "raw" flared appearance. These late war helmets for the most part are undecaled due to steps taken to cut down on cost and production times. This example is HEER or regular army and a breadbag strap added for camouflage purposes (twigs, leaves were added under it)

[Bryan A]

The next Helmet, preceded the M42, it maintained the rolled edge however the two airvents were stamped instead of being a seperate grommet again for cost and production reasons. This example is again HEER or regular army however the field grey paint has been overpainted in Tan for use during the African Campaign by the DAK or more commonly known as Rommel's Afrika Korps

[Bryan A]

Next up is the first of the new model of German Helmets and is collector known as the M35. The Shell features a rolled edge and the air vents have seperate grommets which are affixed into the shell. This helmet would have started life as a double decal helmet with a smooth apple green "parade" finish. After the polish campaign many of these helmets were refitted as single decal helmets with a rougher field grey finsh. The tricolour decal as well as the smooth shiny apple green finishes proved to give off too much glare and was obtrusive. The helmets were either sent back the factory to be refitted or the refit was completed at depot level.

The attached helmet is again a HEER issued helmet with the prominent HEER eagle (silver on black) decal affixed to the left side of the shell. This particular example was souvenired off the battle field and has been "corpse cut" as is evidenced by the wat the chinstrap has been cut as well as the blood stain on the liner. Truly a harsh example of the horrors of war

[Bryan A]

The next helmet is what we refer to as a "Transitional" helmet. These are Helmets reissued to troops prior to the development and issue of the newly designed helmet in 1935. These carry overs from the great war were meant as stop gaps until the new helmets could be made in sufficient numbers to supply the quickly growing Wehrmacht. These helmets were issued and used right up until the end of WWII

The example shown is an Austrian Made M16 shell which has been refitted with the newer liner system as seen in the M35. It is also a HEER example and has the rough texture Field Grey overpaint

[Bryan A]

The next helmet is an M42 and was issued to Feld Polizei Units (Field Police) as you may know control of these police Units fell under the Jurisdiction of the Waffen SS and many units saw bitter fighting on the Eastern Front as well as other regions. The helmet paint is again a rough finish and is the only M42 authorized to have two decals, the Bordered or unbordered Police Decal as well as the Party Shield

[Bryan A]

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my helemts and if you have any questions about these helmets or German Helmets in General please do not hesitate to ask!

Bryan

[ww2admin]

Those are great pics Bryan! What do you consider the most valuable German helmet from WWII?

[Bryan A]

definately one of the rarest and most valuable of the WWII era helmets would be the M36 Para Helmet or one of the M35 helmets worn by the honour guard at the Felderrnhalle (hall of Field Marshalls) in Munich. Extremely rare helmets that command extraordinary prices. SS combat helmets are also scarce however there are no shortages of fakes and copies to be found

WWII helmets in general have become very collectible and are now highly faked and reproduced. Great caution should be taken in aqquiring any WWII artifact nowadays (especially German)

Regards,
Bryan

[ww2admin]

The smell of a real helmet....can that be reproduced? :)

I remember going into an attic of a local museum (now closed) in my small town and seeing tons of WWII helmets, including German helmets, just scattered around on the floor. One has a swastika on the side. I never took a close look at them. I wish I did!

[Bryan A]

You would be astonished at the lengths individuals will go to "cook" up a fake helmet including literally cooking a helmet (heating in an oven) to eliminate the new paint smell... burying them outside, battery acid, etc etc fakes have become BIG business

Bryan

[Major Walter Schmidt]

Um... What are those red/white/blue circles on the caps?
http://www.johnnyg.westhost.com/fl057-clo-cap-E-s.JPG

[bwing55543]

From what I've managed to learn, that symbol appears to help differentiate between Heer and Waffen-SS soldiers. A Heer soldier would have that symbol whereas a Waffen-SS grunt would have had a skull where the circle would have been.

Heer:

http://www.warelics.com/images/HeerSignals.jpg

Waffen-SS:

http://www.warelics.com/images/ssvisorF.jpg

[larryparamedic]

A cool topic.
I would hesitate to call combat helmets "exellent protection", however, considering most basic infantry rifle rounds could penetrate one, just like they can the modern helmet today.
And I thought the skull was the classic "Death's Head" division?

Actually, that may be correct anyway.
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/DachauScrapbook/SScamp/SSHistory.html

[imi]

http://i36.tinypic.com/2ekkb52.jpg
That is a nice cap
http://i35.tinypic.com/25gqoar.jpg
favourite helmet

[kamehouse]

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/kamehouse-uk/Clervaux%20Museum/BattleofthebulgeMuseums113.jpg
From 13.Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Handschar" (kroat.Nr.1)
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/kamehouse-uk/Clervaux%20Museum/BattleofthebulgeMuseums115.jpg
Afrika Korps

[kamehouse]

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/kamehouse-uk/Diekirch%20museum/BattleofthebulgeMuseums025.jpg
German medic

[aly j]

well the german ww2 helmets must be really popular
cause in 2 days allies armies..............they all got german helmets