Original Item: Only One Available. This is a nice genuine steel construction Late War M34 Third Reich helmet, outfitted for German WW2 civic police issue. Unlike the earlier “Square Dip” style helmets, this later war example has a sloped dip from the visor, like the military issue helmets. There are stress ripples in the shell, typical of the rushed later war production. Features genuine double decals of civic eagle and NSDAP swas shield. Comes with complete leather liner and cork washers still intact with all 3 of 4 original split pins still present.
The exterior of this German helmet retains most of the original black paint on the exterior, with some scratches and other light wear consistent with service use. There are no major dents present, just the usual wear from service. Both decals are retained at about 85%, with some nice age discoloration and wear, giving them a great patina. The interior has retained the black paint very well, though there is oxidation around the missing liner securing split pin, and a bit around the rim. There is a diamond-shaped maker mark on the underside of the rear skirt, but it is not one that we recognize.
The liner is in very good condition, and looks to be made from canvas, possibly impregnated with some type of binding agent to make it more stiff. It is faintly marked with size 56 on one of the fingers, and there is top tie, but it looks like it may be a wartime replacement. It still has the crown pad present, held in place by the pressed fiber liner supports. The liner still has the 5 tabs for securing a leather neck protector, as well as the chin strap, which is made from stiff plastic, something we have not seen before.
A very nice late war production 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.