Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice, genuine steel construction Czech issue Vz.29 Steel helmet, which was outfitted for German WW2 DRB Bahnschutzpolizei (Railway protection police) issue. After Czechoslovakia was annexed by NSDAP Germany in March 1939, many of their production facilities were adapted for war production, while others continued to manufacture the same items, except now they went to Germany. The Vz.29 helmet was a Civic issue helmet that had been first introduced in 1929, and went through numerous variations leading up to WWII. Some had rolled edges, some had flat edges, and there were variety of liners used.

This example is one of the later types, without any comb on top and with two 7 hole "salt shaker" style vents, as seen on German M34 Civic helmet types. It looks to have either been stripped and repainted, panzergrau (armor gray) dark blue gray, or was originally produced in that color for Germany. It has been fitted on the left side with a single Bahnschutzpolizei decal, a black shield with a silver border, and the "Winged Wheel" logo of the DRB in the middle. Under this on the decal is unit number 5, which we have not seen before, but are a known variation. The shell definitely looks to have seen a good amount of use during the WWII p4eriod, showing overall wear, finish loss, and oxidation where the finish is eroded.

The interior of the helmet is fitted with a Czech 6 tab liner, similar to those used on the Vz.30 military helmet. It looks to be made from faux leather or possibly vinyl, and is actually still quite supple, though definitely a bit dirty. The original chinstrap is unfortunately completely missing.

A very nice example of a very rare Czech Vz.29 Railroad Police reissued helmet that comes ready to display!

The Deutsche Reichsbahn, also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regional railways of the individual states of the German Empire. The Deutsche Reichsbahn has been described as "the largest enterprise in the capitalist world in the years between 1920 and 1932", nevertheless its importance "arises primarily from the fact that the Reichsbahn was at the center of events in a period of great turmoil in German history".

Deutsche Reichsbahn (1937 to 1945)
With the Act for the New Regulation of the Conditions of the Reichsbank and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (Gesetz zur Neuregelung der Verhältnisse der Reichsbank und der Deutschen Reichsbahn) of 10 February 1937 the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft was placed under Reich sovereignty and was given the name Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRB).

World War II and military use
The Reichsbahn had an important logistic role in supporting the rapid movement of the troops of the Wehrmacht for most of the important Pre-WWII and early war campaigns.

In all the occupied lands the Reichsbahn endeavored to incorporate the captured railways (rolling stock and infrastructure) into their system. Even towards the end of the war the Reichsbahn continued to move military formations. For example, in the last great offensive, the Battle of the Bulge (from 16 December 1944), tank formations were transported from Hungary to the Ardennes.

The DRB was instrumental to the entire functioning of the Third Reich, as the primary method for transportation of materiel and people. This unfortunately extended to uses for prisoners and Shoah victims as well.