Original German WWII M34 Square Dip Fire Protection Police Helmet with Double Decals & Comb – Feuerwehr Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition complete M34 “Square Dip” Third Reich helmet, outfitted for German WWII Fire Police (Feuerwehr) issue. This example has the standard steel shell, with a plated steel comb on top. Features genuine double decals of of a NSDAP Party Shield on the right, and NSDAP Civic Police Eagle on the left. The exterior of this German helmet retains almost all of the original black paint, with just a few scuffs and chips from service. Both decals are retained well, with the shield at about 95%, and the Police Eagle at 90%, with some flaking and scratches on both. The enamel top coat has yellowed beautifully, with some great checking due to age.

The top mounted aluminum comb is in very good condition, and looks to have been coated with clear lacquer long ago to keep it from oxidizing, which now has yellowed like the decals and looks great. There are some small dents and scratches, but no major damage. The black underpadding is still retained, but shows some wear and near the rear. The inside over the right ear is marked with a partial [Th]ale-Stah[l] marking, indicating production by Eisenhüttenwerk of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. 

The interior still retains a complete leather liner size stamped 57, with an intact leather top pad and all 5 tabs for the attachment of a neck guard still present. The leather has a lovely light brown color, and the top securing tie is still present, and there is little sign of use or wear. The leather is still supple, and the double buckled leather chin strap is fully intact, really a rarity. All four of the hollow liner attachment rivets are present, retaining most of their original paint. The main discrepancy regarding condition is that the fiber liner band originally had red rubber foam padding, which unfortunately has crumbled mostly to dust over the years, as that specific type of rubber always does.

Overall a great opportunity to pick up a lovely condition 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.