Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive original German WWII M34 “Square Dip” steel helmet configured for Ordnungspolizei police use, retaining both its Police eagle and NSDAP shield decals, much of its original satin black finish, and a stamp in the metal reading Thale / stahl, for manufacture at the Eisenhüttenwerke factory in Thale, Harz, Germany.. The helmet also retains all four liner attachment pins and an M31 style liner assembly, and the liner is retained with wear, but the chinstrap is gone.

The pressed steel shell retains much of its original satin black exterior paint, with heavy wear at the crown where it likely sat for many years. There is moderate scuffing and finish loss, with some oxidation peeking through where the paint is gone.

The police decal remains approximately 90% intact, but the NSDAP shield is missing a chunk of the swas, and is at around 80% intact. Both have some age discoloration and checking to the clear lacquer overcoat.

The interior paint is well-retained, although there is some bubbling and oxidation inside the crown. There are no holes in the shell for attachment of a top comb. The tabs for the attachment of a neck cape are not broken away, and some of the cork spacers have broken away as well. There is a number painted under the brim, 15., and a small medical tape nametag, reading Horstmann.

The inner brim along the edge is stamped:

Thale
stahl

This indicates production by the Eisenhüttenwerke factory in Thale, Harz, Germany. All four original liner attachment split pins remain present. They secure an M31 style liner assembly consisting of a galvanized steel outer liner band and an inner liner band supporting the padded leather liner, with cork spacers that are now broken away.

The liner leather is now in very worn condition. Much of the leather has crazing and some cracking, and the surviving leather should be handled carefully. The original top tie is gone, and the chinstrap is broken away and gone.

The Ordnungspolizei, commonly abbreviated Orpo, was the centralized uniformed police organization of Germany from 1936 through the end of WWII. Its branches included municipal and rural police organizations as well as other uniformed public-security and emergency services. During the war, Ordnungspolizei formations served both within Germany and throughout occupied Europe in policing, security, rear-area, and occupation duties.

Police helmets of this type are particularly recognizable by their black finish and double-decal configuration. Surviving examples with both decals, identifiable factory markings, and much of the original liner assembly intact are increasingly desirable among collectors of German police and civil-service headgear.

The combination of the M34 Square Dip shell, Thale / stahl manufacturer stamp, surviving Police eagle and party shield decals, original satin-black finish, painted 15. number, possible named interior tape, four retained liner pins, and surviving M31-style liner assembly makes this a strong representative Ordnungspolizei helmet. The worn liner, missing chinstrap, broken cork spacers, and exterior finish loss clearly reflect age and service, while the surviving decals and shell markings remain the most important features of the piece.

The Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo, meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in NSDAP Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organization was absorbed into the NSDAP monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favor of the central N government ("Reich-ification", Verreichlichung, of the police). The Orpo was controlled, nominally by the Interior Ministry but its executive functions rested with the leadership of the SS until the end of World War II. Owing to their green uniforms, Orpo were also referred to as Grüne Polizei (green police). The force was first established as a centralized organization uniting the municipal, city, and rural uniformed police that had been organized on a state-by-state basis.

The Ordnungspolizei encompassed virtually all of NSDAP Germany's law-enforcement and emergency response organizations, including fire brigades, coast guard, and civil defense. In the prewar period, Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, and Kurt Daluege, chief of the Order Police, cooperated in transforming the police force of the Weimar Republic into militarized formations ready to serve the regime's aims of conquest and racial annihilation. Police troops were first formed into battalion-sized formations for the invasion of Poland, where they were deployed for security and policing purposes, also taking part in executions and mass deportations. During World War II, the force had the task of policing the civilian population of the occupied and colonized countries beginning in spring 1940.