Late War Helmets

[timothy]

I think it is another weird maker Austrian flat rim model helmet that stamp in it is listed in Ludwig Baer german helmet book on the fire and police helmets I have seen it before as a wartime stamp. That one must be later war without any decal just a guess IMO timothy

[M38]

Thanks for the thoughts Brian. I honestly don't know about civilian groups and equipment. I know that firefighters etc were paramilitary when it came to bombing raids but were they the ones that responded to a simple house fire? And civilian construction workers building a new office building were not OT or RAD? Most likely you are right and I know you have extensive experience with these unusual specimens, I just wanted to throw out the possibility it was not military.

Thanks!
Terry

[Brian]

Terry, that is an interesting possibility you have proposed. I would think that a piece of purely civilian headgear would not have much of a resemblance to the para military types, the coal miner's helmet being an example.

[Brian]

This interesting example of a square-dip helmet does not show signs of helmet factory production, but yet it was patterned after a para military model. The liner/strap/band was made from canvas, also not helmet factory usage. Also note that the typical para-military style airvents are missing.

[M38]

Pretty unusual rivets too Brian. And what are the gray things on the front?

You really come up with some head scratcher stuff!

Cheers,
Terry

[Brian]

The rivets were installed backwards, with the heads on the inside. The washers were then installed before peening the rivets on the outside.
Those white/gray spots indicate where something was glued to the front of the helmet, a paper label of some sort.

[Brian]

It is about a 56cm liner size.

[Brian]

A gladiator 'knock-off' with synthetic leather liner, tie string, and rubberized chinstrap. About 56cm liner size.

[DougB]

Are some of these possibly postwar civic use helmets? They strike me as so odd and thrown together that a post war, pre-re-industrialization seems more fitting.

Say 1945-1950.

[Brian]

That odd, thrown-together look I believe is indicative of the Reich's late war struggle to produce.
After hostilities ended, there were helmets everywhere but with no one to wear them. The numbers were so great that companies resorted to converting many to farm and kitchen implements.
There were so many good quality helmets available post war that there would have been no reason to produce junk like this.

It just doesn't make any sense. My two cents, anyway.