M17/18 transitional droopy bill helmet ?

[Helmcollector]

This German helmet was the first helmet I ever bought for my collection and I must admit that I did not know enough of German helmets at that time to buy one. The seller could not give a lot of information and I had all reasons to believe that he had not much knowledge about German helmets. It took me a while to realise that I probably was fooled because I did not find anything at first sight on the internet about helmets with a stamp ‘DPR ang’ untill I found that these were ‘commercial’ helmets so in the beginning I thought it to be some kind of reproduction or prototype although I payed 850 euro for it ( no need for sprinkle to much salt in the wound by saying I have to learn before I buy

[Helmcollector]

My text was not ready
This German helmet was the first helmet I ever bought for my collection and I must admit that I did not know enough of German helmets at that time to buy one. The seller could not give a lot of information and I had all reasons to believe that he had not much knowledge about German helmets. It took me a while to realise that I probably was fooled because I did not find anything at first sight on the internet about helmets with a stamp ‘DPR ang’ untill I found that these were ‘commercial’ helmets so in the beginning I thought it to be some kind of reproduction or prototype although I payed 850 euro for it ( no need for sprinkle to much salt in the wound by saying I have to learn before I buy , that is something I already know by now).
With the help I found on the search function on this forum this must be a helmet produced in the 20ties and used by air defence and so on, but also by the SS, but no signs of decalls. I suppose this is a transitional helmet because there is a M31 liner in it or this has been put in postwar. The helmet seems to have something like a camouflage pattern because I see brushstrokes and maybe someone rubbed on it with sandpaper on the inside brim to look for a manufacturer and lotnumber which in this case you can not find.
Thanks for your input !

[Helmcollector]

No one ?

[AndyM35]

No one ?

Not really my area of study, but I will say it’s a very interesting helmet the type of which we don’t see too often, so don’t feel too bad about buying it. We all go through a learning period and in my opinion it never stops, which is one of the great things about this hobby. It’s a good pickup.

I think you’ve summarised quite well a lot of possible uses for this type of helmet during the interwar period. I’ve seen a variety of different configurations including field grey with DD in the same manner as some of the early transitional helmets that were re-purposed WW1 helmets. The black paint on the buckles is interesting as I’ve seen early SS helmets that have had the liner covered over so that the interior skirts could be spray painted black along with the outside of the shell. Looks like it may have some black on the exterior as well. In my opinion the green looks like some post war paint that someone has tried to remove at some point. I’d be interested to see some more images of the liner band and liner pins from the inside. The band looks like it may be an early thin ply aluminium band but also with a typical early aluminium squared buckle on the short end of the strap, so may be period?

Definitely would be interested in more photos the liner band and pins from the inside if you can get the camera down there.

[Helmcollector]

Thanks a lot. Hope this helps...There are no washers in the rivets.

[Helmcollector]

I had to pull the outer aluminium band to it's limits before I could see the manufacturer but all fell to his original place afterwards. It says 'DRP Schuberth-Werk Gmbh Braunswhweig year 1937 ?'

[AndyM35]

I had to pull the outer aluminium band to it's limits before I could see the manufacturer but all fell to his original place afterwards. It says 'DRP Schuberth-Werk Gmbh Braunswhweig year 1937 ?'

Thanks for the photos. It does appear to be an early aluminium liner band. Schuberth Werk were the first producers of M31 liners. These types of liner systems were put into early transitionals, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that this style of helmet might have been fitted with one. As I said previously, I’ve seen DD Heer examples of this type of helmet, however it does seem odd that there are no washers on it. That and the paint over the liner band lead me to suspect the liner has been added post war, but the components all do appear to be original.

As I said, it’s still quite a rarely seen style of helmet so definitely a good addition to your collection.

[Helmcollector]

Thank you very much, Andy (if this is your first name). It seems that I am not the only one who feels (felt) rather unconfortable about this type of helmets as you are the only one to post his opinion so far. I still am struggling with the name 'commercial helmet'. When I hear that name I think of an English zuckerman helmet that anyone could buy in a store, but probably that's not correct. Also the stamp 'D.R.P. ang' which stands for 'deutsches Reichspatent - angemeldet ) (patent of the German Reich - registered)' rises some questions. The German state had a patent on it and every manufacturer that produced it should have a licence to do so ? And the liners and helmets of that type that came later on (and did not have this stamp) are produced after the patent period had ended ?

[AndyM35]

To my mind, the term “commercial” is often used when describing helmets that were made between the wars such as lightweight parade, Political, civil and SS helmets. They were unlike the helmets that were made by any of the large factories that produced steel helmets for combat use. But I agree, it is a little confusing and I have not been able to come across a clear definition. I guess the terminology also helps to differentiate them from the WW1 combat helmets that were repurposed for the Freikorps, Reichswehr and other groups in the interwar period.