Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service used example of a German WWII Luftwaffe M35 double decal steel helmet, complete with its original style M31 liner and chinstrap. The shell is stamped SE64 with lot number 20800 and retains approximately 80% of its smooth semi-gloss blue gray Fliegerblau Luftwaffe finish. Both early decals remain present, with the Luftwaffe eagle approximately 60% intact and the National Colors shield retained at over 85%. Inside is a reinforced aluminum band M31 liner dated 1940 and sized 56cm, making this a particularly appealing early configuration helmet.

The M35 was the first of the familiar German WWII steel helmet patterns and is distinguished by its rolled rim and separately inserted ventilation bushings. Early Luftwaffe examples were finished in a relatively smooth blue gray paint and originally carried two decals, with the Luftwaffe eagle on the left and National Colors shield on the right. The National Colors decal was discontinued during 1940, making surviving double decal examples especially representative of the early war period.

This shell has clearly seen a good amount of service. Approximately 80% of the original smooth semi-gloss Fliegerblau finish remains on the exterior, with scattered chips exposing bare steel and a few small dents. The paint appears unusually heavy in areas and may represent either a particularly substantial original application or a period repaint, as the depth of the chipped areas makes the underlying surface difficult to assess with certainty. The heavy finish has also made the stamped shell markings somewhat faint. The interior retains the same blue gray finish with expected age and service wear.

Both decals display an attractive matured appearance, with the clear protective surface having yellowed slightly to produce a light amber tone. The Luftwaffe eagle is approximately 60% present, showing overall checking and substantial loss to the right wing, while the left wing, body, and lower hook cross remain much better defined. The National Colors shield is considerably stronger at over 85%, with only localized edge loss together with overall checking and crazing.

The rear interior neck guard is stamped:

20800

The left interior skirt is faintly marked:

SE64

The SE code identifies Sächsische Emaillier- und Stanzwerke A.G. of Lauter, Germany, while 64 denotes the shell size. The stamp is difficult to read beneath the heavy paint, although the S and 64 remain clearly discernible. A size 64 shell is appropriate for liner sizes approximately 56cm to 57cm.

All three original liner retaining split pins remain present. Their solid nickel alloy heads have lost most of their paint through wear and now display an attractive aged patina. The helmet retains its M31 leather liner with all eight fingers intact together with the original top securing tie. The leather has developed a rich dark chestnut brown color from age and use and remains supple, with no major tears, although there is some splitting around the lower edge.

The liner is mounted on the reinforced aluminum M31 band used during the transition before galvanized steel became standard. The left side is marked:

64 n.A / 56

indicating a size 56cm liner intended for a size 64 shell. One of the rear leather fingers is additionally stamped 56. The opposite side carries the maker and date:

B. & C.
BERLIN
1940

This identifies manufacture by Biedermann & Czarnikow of Berlin in 1940. B. & C. later produced liner components at Litzmannstadt in occupied Poland, but this earlier example is clearly Berlin marked and dated at an appropriate point in the transition from reinforced aluminum to steel liner bands.

The complete chinstrap remains installed. The longer section is attached with an aluminum stud, while the shorter buckle side uses a steel stud and steel buckle. This mixture of aluminum and steel hardware is entirely plausible for a helmet assembled or refurbished during the 1940 transition period, when steel fittings were increasingly replacing earlier aluminum components.

Overall, this is a very attractive early Luftwaffe M35 with a strong combination of original features. The surviving double decals, approximately 80% smooth Fliegerblau finish, clearly identifiable SE64 shell, lot number 20800, complete 1940 dated B. & C. reinforced aluminum liner, size 56cm leather, and complete chinstrap give it excellent period character. The service wear, chipped finish, small dents, decal loss, and minor liner edge splitting are all fully disclosed while leaving this as an impressive early war Luftwaffe helmet.

Luftwaffe Helmets
The first "modern" steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, ("Gaede" helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

The Luftwaffe pattern national eagle was originally introduced for wear by Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), personnel of the DLV, Deutscher Luftsportsverband, (German Air Sports Association), the clandestine, civilian, forerunner of the Luftwaffe on August 18TH 1934, and adopted for wear by the Luftwaffe on March 1ST 1935 along with the national tri-color shield for wear on the helmet.

The first pattern national eagle was utilized until a modified second pattern eagle was introduced in late 1936 or early 1937. Regulations of June 12TH 1940 discontinued the use of the national tri-color decal and further regulations of August 28TH 1943 abolished the national eagle decal and dictated that it was also to be removed from all helmets although the directives were not completely adhered to.