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 nice 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 is aluminum. We can see that at one point it did have the aluminum comb mounted on top, but it was later removed, leaving the three holes for the attachment points open. It features genuine double decals of a NSDAP Party Shield on the right, and NSDAP Civic Police Eagle on the left.

The exterior of this German helmet retains most of the original black paint, with some chips and scratches on the top and around the edge, which show the aluminum material. The NSDAP Party Shield and the NSDAP Civic Police Eagle decals are both retained at about 80%, with some chipping and scratches from service. Both have had the enamel layer yellow over the years, giving them a lovely aged look. The rear inside of the helmet shows a clear maker mark, which reads:

B
BXF
VORSCHRIFTSMASSIG
LT. GESETZ 3.5.34

“BXF” is a known maker of WWII era civic helmets, and the markings indicate that the helmet was made per the regulations of May 5, 1934, when the M34 pattern was introduced.

Comes with complete leather liner with all four split pin rivets intact, which also have the rectangular cork spacers still present. The foam rubber padding around the fiber band has degraded, as usual. There is the top pad present as well, which is often missing, and three of the five leather tabs for attachment of a neck shield are present. Condition is good, showing some wear from service, and the original top tie string is still present. The chinstrap is present, but in delicate condition, already torn completely through by one of the buckles.

Overall a very nice service used example of an All-Aluminum WWII Civic Police Fire helmet. Ready to display!

More on the Fire Protection Police:

On June 17TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany including the Feuerschutzpolizei, (Fire Protection Police). As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted on June 25TH 1936 to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country. The Police were divided into eight assorted branches of service with each branch being assigned a specific identifying, Truppenfarbe, (branch of service color), with the Feuerschutzpolizei being allocated carmine truppenfarbe. The Feuerschutzpolizei were further distinguished from the other police branches of service with blue uniforms and headgear instead of the typical police green uniforms.

Types of Helmets Used:
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.