Original Item: Only One Available. This is a nice, genuine steel construction M34 "Square Dip" Third Reich helmet, outfitted for German WW2 Ordnungspolizei civic police issue. Features genuine double decals of civic eagle and NSDAP swas shield. Comes with a complete leather liner and chin strap, and all four original attachment split pins are intact, along with their cork spacers.

The exterior of this German helmet retains much of the original semigloss black paint on the exterior, with some larger scratches on the crown area, which have exposed the red primer used on this shell. We usually only see this on very early issued helmets, after which they stopped using the red primer. There are also smaller scratches present, along with scuffs and the usual wear from service. Both decals are retained at about 85%, with some nice age related discoloration, particularly on the NSDAP shield. Both show light overall wear and some minor chipping. The interior has retained the black paint very well, with just a bit of wear. We checked the inside of the shell, and we were not able to see any maker stamps, which is not uncommon.

The leather liner is in good condition, with light wear and some deterioration along the front edge, but no tearing or other major damage. The top tie is present and fully intact, though it may be a replacement, as is the crown pad, which is in great shape. The liner seems to be about a 57-58cm in size, and the chinstrap is still fully intact, though a bit worn and delicate. Four of the five leather tabs for attachment of the neck shield are still present.

A very nice example that comes ready to display!

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.