Original German WWII M1934 KIA Shot Through Fire Police Helmet with Christmas 1944 Dated Aluminum Comb – Feuerwehr Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a genuine USGI bring back Trophy of War. The unique aspect of this helmet is a .45 caliber size bullet hole (Colt 1911, Thompson SMG, M3 Grease Gun) enters at the forward right side of the helmet, and exists on the left side, indicating that the German solider was Killed in Action. Close inspection of the paint, style and aging of the edges of the bullet path lead us to be confident that these entrance/exit holes are genuine to the WWII period. Additionally, the USGI that captured this helmet pained DEC. 25, 1944 on the aluminum comb.

As a collectible, this is a very nice example of an early manufacture “square dip” M1934 helmet with aluminum comb. It is complete with both decals. The leather liner, which shows age and wear, is complete along with the leather crown pad. One side of the the chinstrap is absent. Overall condition of the shell is very good condition. A very nice example of a difficult to find early variation of the German WW2 Feuerwehr Helmet.

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.