Original German WWII M38 Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Paratrooper Helmet with Chinstrap & Partial Liner – ckl68 Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. We just purchased this from a private collector, and it is really nice! This is a genuine German WWII M38 Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger (Paratrooper) helmet featuring a large size 68 shell, a complete chinstrap, and a partial liner. This is definitely a later war version of the helmet, indicated by the simple slotted retaining nuts, which originally utilized a split spanner. It was brought back after the war, and most likely kept in storage until now.

The exterior shell retains a good deal of the original Feldgrau (field gray) lightly textured combat finish. There is some light wear and water staining, however it has a patina that simply cannot be duplicated. This is the real deal!

The rear of the skirt is faintly stamped with ckl68, which is quite hard to see, but is totally correct. We even measured the outside of the helmet, and came up with 69cm, correct for a 68 shell. All paratrooper helmets were produced by Eisenhuttenwerke AG of Thale Harz, Germany. They had used the abbreviation “ET” until about 1942, after which they moved to the three letter code “ckl”. This example is a shell size 68 and was produced some time in 1942 – 1945. Size 68 paratrooper helmet shells are VERY desirable, as they are hard to find in this larger size.

The installed liner still retains the liner band and all of the rubber foam padding, which is still somewhat soft. However, the doeskin leather inner liner unfortunately degraded quite a bit post war, and half is totally missing, with the rest in delicate condition. The installed chinstrap has faired better, though it does have some cracks and other wear. The buckle is functional, with an intact slider.

German Paratrooper helmets are highly desirable, and they are rare on the market in any condition. This is one of the nicer examples that we have seen, with a nice shell and partly intact liner. This would be a great way to fill that hole in your German helmet collection. Ready to display!