Original German WWII M34 Square Dip Aluminum Fire Police Helmet with Double Decals – Feuerwehr Helmet Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very rear all aluminum construction M34 “Square Dip” Third Reich helmet, outfitted for German WWII Fire police (Feuerwehr) issue. Almost all of these that we have seen have a steel shell, however this shell aluminum, with an aluminum comb on top.  Features genuine double decals of of a NSDAP Party Shield on the right, and NSDAP Civic Police Eagle on the left. Comes with complete size 56 marked leather liner with all split pins, though the foam rubber padding under the leather is quite dry rotted, typical for early types of rubber. The chin strap is fully intact, with just a bit of splitting in the finish. The liner still retains the five leather “tabs” that would allow attachment of the rear skirt.

The exterior of this German helmet retains almost all of the original black paint, with some small chips and scratches, which show the aluminum material. The NSDAP Party Shield decal is about 95% complete, and the NSDAP Civic Police Eagle is about 80%, with some scratching removing small portions.  There is also a strong DRP / THALE stamp on the rear skirt under a “Lion” logo, indicating  production by the Eisenhüttenwerke, Thale factory. This is the same factory that developed the M-35 lineage of helmets. The logo is very crisp, due to the softer aluminum alloy. The top mounted aluminum comb is in great shape, with just a few small dents and scratches, and a bright finish.

Overall a great opportunity to get a truly excellent example of an All-Aluminum WWII Civic Police Fire helmet. Ready to display!

Prior to 1929 many fire-fighting units used leather helmets in various styles with most appearing similar to the leather spiked helmet (Pickelhaube) of World War I. These helmets bore a stamped metal crest on the front depicting the province or township to which the fire-fighting unit belonged.

In 1929 a light-weight plastic fiber (Vulkanfiber) helmet was prototyped for general use by all fire-fighting units. The first models were issued in 1932 and proved unworthy of further consideration. As a result a second prototype was explored using light-weight steel alloy known as “Edelstahl.” During this time leather fire-fighting helmets were slowly replaced with a combination of surplus World War I model steel helmets and privately manufactured versions in the “Austrian” pattern shell. These early helmets were generally painted black although some were left in their original field-gray World War I color.

In 1934 the light-weight steel alloy prototype helmet was approved for general use by all fire-fighting units. This helmet is designated the “M1934” by modern collectors because of the year of its introduction. Several different versions of the M1934 helmet exist with many variations resulting from subtle differences in the air vents or visors. The M1934 helmet was painted semi-gloss black inside and out with two insignia placed one on each side.

Fire Protection Police helmets were manufactured with and without an aluminum metal comb. In some cases the metal comb was also painted black. As a result of a large surplus, M1934 helmets without combs were issued in 1940 for general wear by all fire-fighting personnel. The helmets used typical civilian style liner systems and chinstraps. The liners were made so that they could accommodate a removable black leather neck shield.