Original German WWII Double Decal NSDAP Civic Police M35 Steel Combat Helmet – marked ET62 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This fantastic double decal Police helmet is a great example of a prewar M35 helmet that was used in WWII. 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 its original early war dark 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, especially on the top, so the paint is probably in the 60-70% range. 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 and checking, while the shield is closer to 40%, as it was “sanitized” by having the Swas (Swas) scratched off.

The reverse, interior, neck guard apron is batch number stamped 3592, and above this it has a stamped manufacturer’s code and size, ET62. This indicates it was manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany in size 62. Size 62 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 5/8.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, with exterior paint retained very well. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, which has all 8 fingers intact. From what we can tell, the original inner liner band is missing, and leather from a smaller size liner was fit directly to the outer band. It is faintly marked 54, which explains why there is a large gap at the rear of about 1 1/2″ where the seam is split. The liner band is the correct early war aluminum, with square aluminum “bales”.

This was most likely a field repair, using the available and less used smaller surplus liners to put a helmet back into service in the later days of the war. Overall a very nice 100% genuine rare M35 Double Decal NSDAP Civic Police Combat helmet! 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.