Original Item: Only One Available. This is something we haven’t seen before! This is a very nice genuine steel construction early pattern Luftschutz “Gladiator” style helmet, which was later outfitted for German WWII civic police issue. It features black paint and an NSDAP swas decal on the right side. Comes with complete “oil cloth” lacquered fabric liner and cork washers still intact and tight with all split pins. The liner is in very good shape, though the top tie has been replaced with twine. The chin strap is complete and in very good condition.
Most Luftschutz “Gladiator” helmets are made from multiple pieces of steel, with a prominent “bead” around the top of the skirt. The early examples however were stamped from a single piece of steel, with no bead above the skirt. The back is also a bit more flared than the later version, with less of an ear cutout. These are not encountered often at all. It has the standard two 7 hole vents on each side of a Civic Issue Helmet.
The exterior of this German helmet retains almost all of the original black paint, with some small chips and scratches, as well as age crazing. The NSDAP decal is about 90% complete, with some small chips and scrape, and some dirt overall. This was previously part of a collection, and there are some labels attached to the inside of the skirt.
Overall a great opportunity to get a truly excellent example of a WWII Early Pattern Luftschutz Helmet converted for Civic Police use. Ready to display!