Original Item: Only One Available. This fantastic double decal Police helmet is a great example of pre-war (circa 1939-1940) M35 helmet that continued to be used when WWII broke out a year or so later. Polizei helmets like this were used by civil police as well as by paramilitary police forces who were deployed as combatants during the war. It retains it's original feldgrau gray green paint, and has the Double Decals of the NSDAP Civic Police!

This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains much of its original paint but does show wear and use, so the paint is probably in the 60-70% range. It is not quite as green as pre-war Apfel-grün (apple green), but definitely not as dark as the wartime Panzergrau (armored gray). It looks to have been made during the transitional period. The helmet features genuine double decals of the NSDAP civic eagle on the left side and the swas on a red shield on the right. The Civic eagle is retained at around 85%, with some small chips, while the shield is close to 95%. Both have a lovely yellowed color from the enamel top coat aging over the decades.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is lot number stamped D139 and the interior, left side, apron has the stamped manufacturer's code and size N.S.64, indicating that it was manufactured by Vereinigte Deutsche Nikelwerke, of Schwerte, Germany. Size 64 is a nice medium size that can accommodate liners from 56cm to 57cm or US 7 to 7 1/8. Size 64 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector. There is also a printed fabric name tag affixed to top of the interior, which reads Leske, Kurt, presumably the officer it was used by. Definitely a nice bit of research potential here!

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with exterior paint retained to a varying degree. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, which is in very good condition, showing moderate use. All 8 fingers are intact, with an original top tie string, and the leather is still supple, with just a bit of splitting over the edge. The later war issue galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left outer side with 64 n.A. / 56, indicating that the liner band is a size 56, intended for a 64 shell, and the leather itself is also stamped with a 56 marking. The right side has the maker information stamped, however it was faintly stamped and the date unclear. We assume this is due to it being a very early steel liner band, circa 1940:-

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
19??
Bln.- Ch'burg 5

This indicates production by the metal and leather working company Werner Zahn, based in Berlin - Charlottenburg. The chinstrap is intact, with the correct early war aluminum buckle and aluminum attachment studs. It does show wear however, and is somewhat delicate, with the leather having gotten stiff over the decades. It does not have any visible markings.

Overall a very nice 100% genuine rare M35 Double Decal NSDAP Civic Police Combat helmet, correct in every way! M35 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market. This is an item that will only continue to appreciate in value over time.

The first "modern" steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, ("Gaede" helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

In 1934 tests began on an improved Stahlhelm, whose design was a development of World War I models. The Eisenhüttenwerke company of Thale carried out prototype design and testing, with Dr. Friedrich Schwerd once again taking a hand.

The new helmet was pressed from sheets of molybdenum steel in several stages. The size of the flared visor and skirt was reduced, and the large projecting lugs for the obsolete armor shield were eliminated. The ventilator holes were retained, but were set in smaller hollow rivets mounted to the helmet's shell. The edges of the shell were rolled over, creating a smooth edge along the helmet. Finally, a completely new leather suspension, or liner, was incorporated that greatly improved the helmet's safety, adjustability, and comfort for each wearer. These improvements made the new M1935 helmet lighter, more compact, and more comfortable to wear than the previous designs.

The Army's Supreme Command officially accepted the new helmet on June 25, 1935 and it was intended to replace all other helmets in service.

More than 1 million M1935 helmets were manufactured in the first two years after its introduction, and millions more were produced until 1940 when the basic design and production methods were changed, replacing the multi-piece riveted vent with one stamped directly into the steel. Later, in 1942 the rolled steel rim was removed from the pattern to further expedite production.