Original German WWII Luftwaffe M35 Double Decal Droop Tail Eagle Steel Helmet with Flak Regt. Marking – Q64 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an incredible all original example of a Model 1935 German WW2 “double decal” helmet, with an early “Droop-Tail” Luftwaffe Eagle decal on the left side, and a “National Colors” decal on the right. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains around 90% of the original Luftwaffe gray-blue paint and is in good condition overall, with just a few small dents, and no major damage. It also has a Luftwaffe Flak Artillery Regiment dome stamp inside the helmet!

The Luftwaffe decal is probably around 80%, one of the better droop-tails that we have seen. with overall age and checking. The National Colors decal fared a bit worse, with probably 70% remaining, mainly from some areas having been scratched off with the underlying paint. All three liner retaining pins are intact, with some of their original Luftwaffe blue paint.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped, 5169 and the interior, left side, apron has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, Q64 indicating that indicating it was manufactured by Quist in Esslingen, Germany in size 64. Size 64 is a nice medium size that can accommodate liners from 56cm to 57cm or US 7 to 7 1/8. Size 66 shells are harder to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

This helmet has regiment markings ink stamped on the inside, which appear to read:

L / Flak – Regt. 68

This would be for Luftwaffe Flak Regiment 68. There is also a 1/B marking, for either the battalion or possibly the battery it was issued to.

The helmet still has its correct good condition M31 liner, with all 8 fingers intact and flexible. The leather is a bit stiff due to age, but does not show major wear, and the original top tie string is intact. The liner band is the correct early war aluminum, correct for a helmet of this vintage, and is marked 64 / 56, indicating that it is a size 56 for a size 64 shell. It also has the full maker marking on the right side:

BERL. KOFFERFABRIK
INH. MAX DENSOW
1936

The Max Densow firm only made these very early pre-war examples, and had stopped production of helmet liners by the start of the war. This makes this a very rare and highly desirable liner. The chinstrap is intact, and still soft, though it appears to have been replaced during the helmet’s service life, as it has galvanized steel buckles, and is dated 1941.

Overall a very nice totally correct 100% genuine very early double decal Luftwaffe helmet, marked to a Flak Regiment! Ready to display!

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.

The Luftwaffe pattern national eagle was originally introduced for wear by Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), personnel of the DLV, Deutscher Luftsportsverband, (German Air Sports Association), the clandestine, civilian, forerunner of the Luftwaffe on August 18TH 1934, and adopted for wear by the Luftwaffe on March 1ST 1935 along with the national tri-color shield for wear on the helmet.

The first pattern national eagle was utilized until a modified second pattern eagle was introduced in late 1936 or early 1937. Regulations of June 12TH 1940 discontinued the use of the national tri-color decal and further regulations of August 28TH 1943 abolished the national eagle decal and dictated that it was also to be removed from all helmets although the directives were not completely adhered to.