Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice patinated genuine steel construction M34 "Square Dip" Third Reich helmet, outfitted for German WWII Luftwaffe Fire Brigade Crash Crew issue. Crashes were never the desired outcome of a flight, but in WWII they were simply a reality. Aviation was still relatively new, and crashes on takeoff, landing, or otherwise were not uncommon. Every airstrip had to have fire crew on hand to quickly take care of fires, especially if they endangered other planes or fuel supplies. They wouldn't wait for the local brigades to arrive, so they had their own.

This service used helmet features genuine double decals of of the "National Colors" on the right, and a white Luftwaffe eagle on the left. Comes with a leather liner with all four split pins present, and the liner itself is still in very good condition. The leather is still supple and soft, though there is some popped stitching on the front right where the chinstrap used to be. There is also the leather crown pad and lining, very often lost, and one of the fingers still displays a 58 stamp. The liner still retains all five of the leather "tabs" that would allow attachment of the rear skirt, with none missing, though the four point chinstrap looks to have been cut off long ago.

The exterior of this German helmet has a lovely service worn patina. showing much of the original black paint, with wear consistent with long service. There is overall scuffing and subsequent oxidation, and damage to the paint consistent with exposure to moisture over a long period. There is no white band around the helmet like we have seen on other examples. The National Colors decal is about 80% complete, with a scratch across the center, and the white Luftwaffe Eagle is about 90%, with both showing a lovely patina of age from oxidation and age toning. We checked the top of the shell, and there are no holes for the installation of a comb. There is a large letter A stamped into the shell, with no other markings.

Overall a great opportunity to get a lovely patinated example of a WWII Luftwaffe Fire Brigade helmet. Ready to display!

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.