Pictured is a World War II German model 1934 Police helmet. The helmet has double decals on either side. One decal is the German Eagle with swaztica in silver and black and wreath of silver and black surrounded in black with a silver colored border representing the German nation. The second decal is the Nazi party flag with swaztica on a white background surrounded by red with a black border this decal represents the Nazi party. The helmet is made of a medium grade steel not used in the combat helmets of the same type. Police helmets were painted black with a brown leather nine tongued liner and black leather chin strap. These helmets were worn by Police unit throughout Germany and the occuipied countries who were not involved in combat operations. The model 1934 helmet was made as a light weight alternative to the much heavier steel combat helmet. Many helmets are found in Antique Malls, Gun and Militaria shows and on line auctions. Experience is the best teacher to collecting these items but there are a few things to look for when deciding whether to buy and old helmet or not. Is it real or a reproduction? First of all if it is a German World War II helmet with a high price tag proceed with caution. Look carefully at the paint job inside and out, smell the helmet. If you smell paint put it down and walk away. No further descussion is needed. A helmet that is 60 plus years old should not smell like paint. If it has a decal check the edges of the decal with your finger. If you can feel the edge of the decal with your finger it is probably a reproduction decal to make the helmet more valuable. These decals were heated when originally placed on the helmet. Original decals are very thin and adhere to the roughness or smoothness of the helmet. If the decal appears thick and covers the texture of the steel then it is probably a fake. If the decal is painted do the smell check. You can also purchase a small battery powered black light to check the paint. If the paint refects or luminates in the black light the paint probably has a synthetic material in it which indicates it was made after World War II and therefore not original to the helmet. Smell the liner inside, if it smells musty like old leather that is a good thing. If it smells new then that’s what it is and not original to the helmet. Look for pry marks inside the helmet around the liner, mix matched or damaged rivets or screws. This might indicate someone as changed or replaced the liner. Maybe the helmet was brought back by a vet without the liner and the new owner wants to increase the value by adding a liner. You can not collect anything without good reference material. You can start with more inexpensive books and create your own library on whatever are your collecting interests . Books with a military interests in mind can be found on line and at some books store although usually very limited. Check used book stores for great deals on some of these books. On line www.idsabooks.com is a good start along with www.schifferbooks.com among others. After you have made your purchase use a damp soft cloth to wipe the inside and outside of the helmet down. Make sure not to get the helmet liner wet and insure the helmet dries and does not rust. A small amount of light oil can be used but it is best to keep this away from the decal which could damage it. Blackrock or other leather cleaner or preservative will work on the chin strap. If the helmet liner does not need these things do not use them. One of the biggest mistakes collectors make is trying to make the item better or newer looking than it is. Preserve and protect the item do not change it. If it has a little rust or wear and tear leave it alone. If you start changing or “improving” the item, the value starts going down fast. And it’s originality and desirablity as a collectable will suffer sometimes to the extreme. I have seen many expensive items reduced to 0 value by well meaning collectors. The retail value on the pictured German Police helmet is $350.00 to $450.00 When looking at these helmets or other collectables take your time and look over the item carefully. Do not be rushed into a purchase and beware of a person selling the item that knows nothing about it. By the same token beware of the good story that seems to accompany some items that people are selling. You will make mistakes it’s all part of that experience I mentioned earlier, get over them and move on. The rare find makes collecting a piece of our history all the more exciting and rewarding. Like my mother once said, “you could have worse hobbies” Thanks, Mom

During the First World War flight was in it’s infancy. Many people had only read about airplanes and the many new inventions relating to flight. New aviation inventions were develped by Germany, France Great Briton, Italy, Austria-Hungary Russia and the U.S. Airplanes at the begining of the war were used mainly for reconnaissance of the enemies supply lines and trench forifications. As the war progressed machine guns were added to airplanes as a defense against attack by other airplanes. These airplanes were made of wood frame with a stretched canvas cover. The pilot had a couple of instrument gauges for gas and altitude and not much else. The pilot’s position in the plane had no armor for his protection and no parachute. His seat was usually on top of the gas tank. The pilot usually worn leather pants, and coat with a scarf and a leather helmet padded with cork or other material to protect against the cold and a crash landing. The helmet shown here is a German World War One helmet made of cork and leather with dust goggles. The large ridge on the helmet’s crown and around the edge gives some added protection in the event of a crash landing. This helmet is valued at $1200 to $1600.00 and is considered rare by collectors. Many pilots were killed when their planes were shot down in flames and crashed having no way to escape from the burning plane. After the war many safety features like armor around the pilot’s seat and parachutes were developed and used due to the high loss of pilots during the First World War. It makes one wonder what made these young men volunteer for flight school and then enter into combat high over the trenches on a wing and a prayer.

The Italian Army wore the French Adrian helmet during World War I, eventually producing its own version known as the Model 1916. All that changed after Benito Mussolini came to power in 1925.

Mussolini introduced a new combat helmet in 1933 as part of his military modernization program. The new Model 1933 featured a deep, one-piece stamped nickel steel shell with an uncrimped rim, and provided good overall protection. Three rivets, which doubled as air vents, secured the metal liner band to the helmet. The liner was leather with eight full tongues, perforated for ventilation and tightened with a leather or cloth drawstring. The green leather chinstrap was secured with a steel buckle. The design was so successful that it remains in use today.

The Model 1933 helmet pictured here is chrome-plated. It was worn by Mussolini’s palace guard, which also carried chromed rifles and wore black uniforms.

This helmet gives new meaning to the term “chrome dome.”

I’ve been visiting Peter Oosterman’s site (www.m-1helmet.com) for a while because, in my opinion, it is the nicest looking militaria-related site on the web. When I heard he was publishing a book on M1 helmets, I was eager to purchase a copy. My expectations were high because the book cost $119.90 (including international postage), but it ended up being money well spent.

M1 Helmets is hard cover with nice binding, excellent quality paper, and top-notch printing. The layout and photography are exceptional. It is written in French and English and easy to follow with 319 pages.

The first half of the book provides details and history about the M1 helmet shell, liner, and components without being text heavy. The second half is called “museum” and features amazing examples of M1 headgear. Most of the helmets are well researched with excellent provenance. I value this book because it is a go to reference that consolidates details that have been discussed and published elsewhere. The museum portion of the book is a wonderful bonus in that you have multiple-view images of helmets most of us will never own in our collections. These are cream of the crop M1 helmets including camos, unit marks, and airborne configurations.

Overall the book is excellent, but I was disappointed the author only discussed fixed bale helmets and left out swivel bales. He also did not weigh in on the ongoing front seam / rear seam debate regarding when the changeover took place, etc. The author did an excellent job verifying contract dates for many other helmet features that I assumed he would have insight to provide for this. Hopefully, his book will be successful enough to merit a follow up that includes these missing subjects and more.

M1 Helmet of the WW2 US GI is available for purchase at www.m-1helmet.com.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.