Original German WWII Luftwaffe Oberleutnant’s Summer Flying Suit by Ernst Rihm of Berlin & Two Flight Helmets
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a nice service used WWII German Luftwaffe Summer Flyers Suit (Fliegerschutzanzug für Sommer) with two original flight helmets. The suit is a one piece, coverall style summer flight suit constructed in slightly mottled, white flecked, tan cotton with leather and metal fittings. We often see these looking like they never left the depot, but this one looks to have seen moderate service. Some of the zippers are broken or gone, and there are several stitch repairs across the suit. The helmets are in fair shape with some tears and one has holes in the earcups.
Most buttons, snaps and zippers on the suit are present, though they definitely do show wear from age and use. The interior flap retains a very faint stamped maker’s mark:
Ib
Ernst Rihm
…. 194…
This denotes manufacture by Ernst Rihm of Berlin in the early 1940s, but the marking is too faint to determine the year of manufacture. The suit’s leg zippers are in rough shape, with both of the outer zippers missing the zippers completely, and the inner brass zippers appear to have been stitched on later. The snaps are PRYM-marked. There is another tag for a different maker along the front flap, for Karl Heisler of Berlin.
Each sleeve has a stitched rank showing two birds over one solid horizontal line, denoting the rank of Oberleutnant, or 1st Lieutenant.
The zippers are a mix of RAPID, RI-RI, RHEINNADEL, and ZIPP marked examples, with most in good shape minus the leg zippers.
The first flight helmet is a simplified version and has a faintly-stamped tag inside noting the maker as Sandiez & Co. and the size as 57. The silk lining shows minor wear with some sweatstaining from period use. The buckles are oxidized but in good shape and the straps are all retained. The strap of this helmet is stamped L.B.A.B.F. 41. This denotes issue in 1941.
The second flight helmet is a LKP S101 Summer Pilot Flying Helmet with heavy wear, with large holes made in both ear cups with red paint on the exterior of both. We are unsure when or why this was done, but it could’ve been to allow the use of a different earphone system, as the wire for this one was torn out long ago. The inner label reads:
FL. Kopfhaube Gr. 53
Baumuster LKp S101
Gerät - Nr 124-436 B
Werk - Nr - 1 K. H s l
Anf. Z Ln 26617
Hersteller
Deutsche Telephonwerke
und Kabelindustrie
Taken together, the Ernst Rihm-marked summer flying suit, applied Oberleutnant insignia, mixed wartime hardware, broken leg zippers, size 57 Sandiez & Co. helmet, and size 53 Deutsche Telephonwerke LKp S101 form an especially interesting Luftwaffe flying grouping. The repairs, sweat staining, broken zippers, ear-cup alterations, and missing communications wiring all point to genuine period and post-war use rather than an untouched depot set.
Approximate Measurements
Collar to shoulder: 10"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25"
Shoulder to shoulder: 19.5"
Chest width: 18"
Waist: 18"
Hip: 20"
Front length: 63"
Pants:
Waist: 20"
Rise: 11"
Inseam: 27"
- This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
- Due to legal restrictions this item cannot be shipped to Australia, France or Germany. This is not a comprehensive list and other countries may be added in the future.
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