Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a very nice and rare genuine steel construction 1930s Commercial Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet), which was at first outfitted for early Third Reich Police officers, but then converted to a Luftschutz Air Raid Defense helmet later during its service life. Definitely a helmet with a long and interesting history!

These helmets were for the most part identical to the WWI production M16 helmets, however the folded over rim on the bottom of the skirt actually flared out somewhat, almost looking like an M42 helmet. The overall shape was the same, and they still retained the long vent lugs for attachment of a stirnpanzer front armor shield, though we do not know if these were ever used at this time. We measured the shell, and it is a 66cm size with the correct lugs without a step. We checked the shell, and it has no production markings at all, probably to obfuscate the origin.

The helmet originally looks to have been painted pre-war Apfelgrün (apple green), and had a first model Third Reich police decal on the right side, which was a large white swas (hook cross). The left side most likely had either a Tri-Color shield or NSDAP Civil Police Decal as well, however both were removed, and the shell was repainted with pre-war smooth Luftwaffe Fliegerblau, and then had a LUFTSCHUTZ wing and oak leaf decal installed on the front. This is in very good condition, retained at about 75%, showing overall and wear from service, with some chipping. The paint job is well retained, though it has flaked away in areas, showing the apple green original paint. There are a few dents and some wear on top of the helmet, as is typical for helmets that saw a good amount of use. It was not repainted inside the shell beyond the skirt, so the original color is present inside the dome. We can see some oxidation and paint loss due to age and service.

The liner system has a leather band with three leather panels, which have padding behind them in the typical WWI style. The leather liner band is affixed to the shell via three split liner pins in the same places as on the original M1916 helmet, with an added reinforcement metal washer below the pin to better help grip the band. The leather bands becoming detached from the split pins was a known issue during WWI, and one of the reasons they switched to steel liner bands. It also has a crown pad, as often seen with police and Luftschutz helmets. The leather liner is in very good condition, with the expected deterioration from age and wear. It still has the padding under one of the three panels.

The chinstrap attachment system is similar to the later WWI or Austro-Hungarian M17 pattern, and is attached to metal standoffs that are riveted directly to the shell, and are not attached to the liner itself. In this case the chinstrap attaches to the loop on the right side by passing through a rectangular loop, and then attaches via a buckle to a flat spring clip, much like the civic chinstraps used during the war. The condition is a bit delicate, but still complete.

Commercial Stahlhelm Police helmets are probably the rarest variety of the Police style and are very hard to find, and sure to appreciate in value over the years. This is a very good example that was converted during the war to use as a Luftschutz helmet, and is the first time we have seen one like this. Comes ready to display!