These helmets are not for sale. They are part of my collection. This is a sort of cyber “show and tell”. I will be periodically updating this page; removing some and adding some.

When you are done looking at the WW2 helmets, you might want to check out the WW1 helmets on this separate page:

Black SS parade helmet 1935-36 period

This is a typical example of the type of helmet worn by the SS during the period 1935-36. This is before the advent of the verfungungstruppe and before feldgrau SS helmets would have been used. In the early years, the SS units were not accounted for in the military supply chain. All uniforms and equiptment were obtained through civilian contractors. Helmets were obtain from a variety of sources; most common among them were those produced by commercial companies, which were generally light-weight in nature. It was also very common that the procurement offices of the SS looked beyond Germany’s borders to Austria where used or surplus military models could be purchased. This is an example of an Austrian military helmet obtained and modified on contract for the SS.

M35 Double decal SS helmet (1938)

Worn by SS Ostuf Edmund Baumgartner; Commandant of the SS strafflager at Dachau

As far as M35 SS helmets go; I believe this one ranks in the top 5 in the world. (I have only seen one or two others in this shape). It was issued to SS Ostuf Edmund Baumgartner after his graduation from Bad Tolz in 1938. He later became camp Kommandant of the SS strafflager at Dachau. Baumgartner had legal problems into the 1970s as a result of his SS service. He died in 1998.

M35 Double decal SS helmet (1939)

A textbook example of an ET SS helmet of 1939 vintage.

M40 Single decal SS helmet (1941)

Here is a near mint example of an M40 SS helmet. It is an ET 64 with 1941 dated components.

An M35 Schutzpolizei helmet by SE (1936)

An M35 helmet produced By SE at the Lauter plant south of Chemnitz in Saxony. This is a brilliant example in near mint condition. All the components are dated 1936.

An M35 Schutzpolizei helmet by NS (1938)

1938 was the year of the largest police contract to NS and they made some pretty nice helmets. Usually they are found with chinstraps made by the leather contractor R. Larsen. (The R. Larsen firm of Berlin is known to have produced a variety of leather goods for the police organizations) This particular helmet was brought home by Lt. Col Preston Utterback who commanded the 43rd reconnaissance squadron (same fellow who brought home the rifle which is at the bottom of this page). It was somewhere in western Germany when Utterback’s adjutant showed him a very nice police helmet which he took from a stock in a nearby building. The Lt. Colonel sent him back to get another one for him. He kept it in pretty nice shape.

An M40 Schutzpolizei helmet by SE (1940)

SE police helmets of their 1940 contract used a special smooth texture paint of a particular shade of feldgrau which they did not use before or after.

M40 Double decal Police helmet, Q66 (1941)

I love this one. It’s not one of those late war Quist police helmets. This one has a side marked shell and a 1941 Werner Zahn aluminum framed liner. I believe that the schutzpolizei were the first to order chinstraps made from pigskin and the earliest of these that I have seen were made by Johann Henks & Sohne in 1940. That’s what this helmet has. Why did they have them made in Pigskin? I think it’s too early in the war for it to have been an ersatz material. So were they simply cheaper? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

M35 Double decal army helmet, Q64 (circa 1938)

Here is an all matching 1939 Double decal army by Quist

An EF66 M40 single decal army helmet (1940-41)

This helmet has one of my favorite decals. A variant Huber Jordan & Koerner which is only found on EF helmets and only for a short time in 1940-41

An SE66 M40 single decal army helmet (1940-41)

This is an early production M40 army helmet made by SE. Note the air-vents which resemble the ET style. (SE shared the distinctive air-vent style with ET from the beginning of production in 1936.)

An SE66 M40 single decal army helmet (1942)

This example was produced after the SE factory modified their dies in late 1941/early 1942. Note that the air-vents take on a sort of “volcano” appearance. This helmet was produced before the change of the maker code from SE to Hkp which occurred sometime in late 42/early 43. The air-vents retained this particular shape even after the switch to M42 shell production during the summer of 1943.

An M42 single decal army helmet ET66 (1942)

A Ckl M42 Single decal army helmet (1943)

The quintessential German combat helmet. I think if I could only have a single German helmet, it would be one of these.

M35m Double decal “Drooptail” Luftwaffe helmet (1939)

Every collector has that one item to which he is particularly attached. This is one of those on my shelf to which I always seem to be drawn. It has those certain elements of honesty balance (with regards to the matching condition of the components). There is also that wave of nostalgia which it brings with it. I remember that morning in the fall of 1993 when I saw it on the table of a local militaria show. Mike Waskul was the seller. In answer to my question regarding price, he told me “That’s an expensive one”; he’d priced it at $250 which was cheap even by the price levels of the time. I took the helmet back to my own table and it has been a love affair ever since (with the helmet; not with Mike).

M35m Double decal Luftwaffe helmet (1939)

Everybody likes a nice Quist every now and then. Quist M35s vary widely in their paint colors. I personally tend to prefer this lighter Grey-ish shade.

M35m Double decal Luftwaffe helmet (1940)

This is a late produced SE66 helmet of 1940 vintage. The color is a light shade of blue/gray typically used by the SE plant. Note the undated acceptance stamp used by the acceptance office at Lauter.

An M40 single decal Luftwaffe helmet (1942)

This is a Quist M40 Luftwaffe helmet. Quist seems to have been the major supplier of Luftwaffe helmets during the war years as the majority of examples found today are Quist products.

M38 Single decal paratrooper helmet (1941)

M42 single decal helmet with chicken-wire

A half-basket wire cage applied with three baling wire strands at points around the helmet rim.

.

M42 helmet with camouflage net

The one-and-only type of camouflage net issued by the Germans during the war years. Made from brown dyed natural Jute fibers; it attaches to the helmet shell by a circumferential drawstring held by two accompanying wire hooks which are anchored to the liner frame

M40 AfrikaKorps Tropical camouflage helmet

This helmet was painted over in a tan color with texture added. The inside skirt is painted as well. the soldier wrote his name and feldpost number. The number indicates the unit address of the 1-3 batteries of artillery regiment 999 of the leicht Afrika division 999 which fought in Tunisia; surrendering at Bizerte in May 1943

M35 3-color “Normandy” camouflage helmet

This one is a real work of art. Three colors applied over the exterior of an M35 helmet. The soldier was careful to leave the decal uncovered by the camouflage.

An M40 Luftwaffe helmet with three-color camouflage

This is a stunning Q66 single decal Luftwaffe helmet which was over-painted in spray with a full coat of tan paint inside and out. Green and brown were added to the exterior; covering the Luftwaffe eagle; the outline of which shows through pretty well. The helmet is named to a Stabswachmeister which is a rank used by the Luftwaffe in the case of Artillery and Anti-aircraft artillery of the Göring units, the Fallschirmjäger, and the field divisions

M40 Single decal Luftwaffe helmet with 3-color spray camouflage

This helmet; as is usual, had a tan base coat applied before green and brown sections were added over the top. The inside skirt has been paint as well.

M40 Single decal Luftwaffe helmet with 3-color spray camouflage

This helmet is a single decal army which had a coat of rough feldgrau paint applied over the exterior and then later had a tan base coat applied before green and brown sections were added over the top.

M42 Single-decal army helmet with snow camouflage

This is an M42 single decal army helmet painted over in white. You can see the outline of the decal. It’s an ET64 which was produced in early 1943.

M18 helmet refurbished during 1935-36 period

The most typical “transition helmet” of the early yers of the Wehrmacht; this is a WW1 vintage M18 helmet which was brush-painted over in M35 spec feldgrau paint. Heer decals were applied and an M31 liner was installed. The chinstrap is an M27 which was widely used until the M31 chinstraps became available after 1936.

K98 ZF.39 “Turret” sniper rifle

This is not a helmet but you might find it entertaining anyway. It is an all matching BYF43 low turret sniper rifle captured by Lt. Col Preston Utterback; commanding officer of the 43rd reconnaissance squadron. The rifle was taken from the German sniper in a close-combat action on the outskirts of Buschdorf Germany in November 1944

Below a couple of photos of Utterback visiting Hitler’s Berghof during the summer of ’45

Below you will find my two panzer mannequins. I like panzer things as well.

Be sure to click on this link check out my other website dedicated to other kinds of Militaria

Contact information:

To order or to ask questions:

E-mail address: wii1944@aol.com

Mailing address:

Ken Niewiarowicz
P.O.Box 582
Lapeer, MI 48446

Gallery