Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice rare all aluminum construction M34 "Square Dip" Third Reich helmet by BXF, outfitted for German WWII Fire police (Feuerwehr) issue. Almost all of these that we have seen have a steel shell, however this shell is aluminum, with an aluminum comb on top. Features genuine double decals of a NSDAP Party Shield on the right, and NSDAP Civic Police Eagle on the left. Comes with a leather liner and chinstrap.

At some point during its life the helmet was definitely crushed at bit from side to side, which has deformed it and left a dent on the right side. The shell is now skewed slightly to one side, and is more oval in shape than it should be. As the shell is aluminum, it could probably be re-shaped relatively easily, however we have elected to leave it as is.

The exterior of this German helmet retains almost all of the original black paint, with some small scuffs and scratches, which show the aluminum material. There is some overall speckling to the finish, but nothing major, and the aluminum comb is in great shape, still bright and shiny with the padding underneath fully intact. The NSDAP Party Shield decal is about 95% complete with some small chips, and the NSDAP Civic Police Eagle is about the same. Both have some nice yellowing due to age and really look great.

The inside of the back skirt is marked with the maker and pattern details:

(Logo)
BXF
VORSCHRIFTSMÄSSIG
LT. GESETZ 3.5.34

This means that maker BXF has made this helmet per the regulations set forth in the law passed 3.5.34. It is this marking that gave this style the nickname M-34. The top mounted aluminum comb is in great shape, with just a few small dents and scratches in the black painted finish.

The helmet still has all four liner split pins present, with their internal cork spacer washers. The liner is the standard civic issue, similar to those in the military issue but made using a fiber band. It also has two fiber supports that cross inside the crown, supporting the leather crown padding, which is still present, though the top securing tie is missing. The chinstrap is still present and in good condition, and all five of the leather "tabs" for the rear skirt are still present.

The inside crown of the helmet is marked with a decal from HEINRICH MANDELARTZ AACHEN (HMA), who most likely sold the helmet itself. They are currently still in operation as a supplier of Equestrian and other sports equipment.

Overall a great opportunity to get a very good example of an All-Aluminum WWII Civic Police Fire helmet, deformed a bit at some point during service. Ready to display!

More on the Fire Protection Police:

On June 17TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany including the Feuerschutzpolizei, (Fire Protection Police). As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted on June 25TH 1936 to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country. The Police were divided into eight assorted branches of service with each branch being assigned a specific identifying, Truppenfarbe, (branch of service color), with the Feuerschutzpolizei being allocated carmine truppenfarbe. The Feuerschutzpolizei were further distinguished from the other police branches of service with blue uniforms and headgear instead of the typical police green uniforms.

Types of Helmets Used:
Prior to 1929 many fire-fighting units used leather helmets in various styles with most appearing similar to the leather spiked helmet (Pickelhaube) of World War I. These helmets bore a stamped metal crest on the front depicting the province or township to which the fire-fighting unit belonged.

In 1929 a light-weight plastic fiber (Vulkanfiber) helmet was prototyped for general use by all fire-fighting units. The first models were issued in 1932 and proved unworthy of further consideration. As a result a second prototype was explored using light-weight steel alloy known as "Edelstahl." During this time leather fire-fighting helmets were slowly replaced with a combination of surplus World War I model steel helmets and privately manufactured versions in the “Austrian” pattern shell. These early helmets were generally painted black although some were left in their original field-gray World War I color.

In 1934 the light-weight steel alloy prototype helmet was approved for general use by all fire-fighting units. This helmet is designated the “M1934” by modern collectors because of the year of its introduction. Several different versions of the M1934 helmet exist with many variations resulting from subtle differences in the air vents or visors. The M1934 helmet was painted semi-gloss black inside and out with two insignia placed one on each side.

Fire Protection Police helmets were manufactured with and without an aluminum metal comb. In some cases the metal comb was also painted black. As a result of a large surplus, M1934 helmets without combs were issued in 1940 for general wear by all fire-fighting personnel. The helmets used typical civilian style liner systems and chinstraps. The liners were made so that they could accommodate a removable black leather neck shield.