Original Dutch WWII M34 Motorcycle & Dispatch Rider Helmet with Helmet Plate & Original Paint Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition original Model 34 Dutch WWII helmet. The helmet is of steel construction with original inlaid copper shield, which depicts the Dutch Republic Lion or the Coat of Arms of Netherlands. It still has the original green paint on the exterior, so it was not repainted during the German occupation or post war, something that is rare to see.

This is a rare Motorcycle & Dispatch Rider helmet, so it has a large leather skirt to surround the head, complete with ear flaps which can be secured open or closed. This is the example we have had of this rare variant. It also still has the standard chin strap, currently fastened behind the helmet

Overall condition is very nice, with no major dents, just a lot of wear to the exterior paint from service. The interior liner also shows wear, with some mothing and damage to the wool components. Size seems to be about a 7 1/4 – 7 3/8 (58-59cm).

Ready to display!

The history of the Netherlands from 1939 to 1945 covers the events in the Netherlands that took place under the German occupation that started on May 10, 1940 with the Battle of the Netherlands. The Netherlands hoped to stay neutral when World War II broke out in 1939 but this hope was ended when NSDAP Germany invaded in May 1940. On May 15, 1940, one day after the Bombing of Rotterdam the Dutch forces capitulated. Subsequently the Dutch government and the royal family went into exile in London.

The occupying forces were supported by a minority of the Dutch. Active resistance was carried out by a small minority which grew in the course of the four-and-a-half years of the occupation. The Germans deported the majority of the country’s Jews to prison camps, with the assistance of the Dutch police and civil service: the Netherlands had one of the highest levels of collaboration with the NSDAPs during the Shoah. 75% of the country’s Jewish population were exterminated, a much higher percentage than countries like Belgium and France.

Most of the south of the country was liberated in the second half of 1944. The rest, especially the west of the country, suffered from the Hunger Winter. On May 5, 1945, the whole country was liberated by the Allied Forces.