Oddball M34 curved dip Feuerpoilzei helmet--can you guys help?

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Hello guys,


I just recently acquired this M34 curved dip Feuerpolizei helmet at a local estate sale. It has a steel shell with rolled rim and pepper shaker vents, tan leather liner with cork spacers and leather tabs for attaching neck skirt, tan leather pad with reddish-brown fiber frame inside crown, and black leather pebble grain chin strap with black painted steel adjuster buckles. No maker markings on inside of helmet, just a very small size marking 55 stamped on one of the liner tongues.

Shell is painted dull black inside and out, with odd double decals resembling the standard German tricolor type in size and construction, but are either red/white/very light green, or red/white/light blue which appears green due to aging of decals. Liner is somewhat different from others I've had or seen over the years, namely in that it has fewer tongues and is a very lightweight leather. The helmet must have been presented as some type of award or "gag gift", as it has a Spanish inscription in ink on the crown pad: JORGE/PARA LA LUCHA CONTRA LA SUBVERSION/CAP ROHMEL [or Rommel?]/19-AGO-1980 [George/For The Fight Against Subversion/19 August 1980].

I was unable to get any information on the original owner, other than he was a post-WW2 US Army veteran, and he and his wife took quite a few trips to Spain over the years. The helmet is definitely German [whether WW2 or post-war, I'm not sure], but it's those decals that are throwing me off. Possible city or state colors for local Feuer or Polizei forces?

Hope the photos come out ok, this is my first time posting. Thanks for any help.

Alan

[helmet2id]

Argentinian?

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I've checked all the flags and colors of all Spanish-speaking countries and none seem to match up [those that come close, such as Mexico, the colors are in a different order, i.e. green/white/red]. Closest colors I could find in this order [red/white/medium blue, if that's blue and not green] were from the flag of the German state of Hesse-Nassau [since 1945, Hessen].

Thanks Alan

[Tinhat]

Bolivia, unusual.



17 July 1980: Luis García Meza overthrows Lidia Gueiler Tejada

Steve

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Steve,

Looks like we have a winner. And I appreciate the additional information about the coup, which may have something to do with the inscription on the crown pad.

Thanks Alan

[baumholder]

Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. Using the information you guys provided, I did find a web site covering the post-war use of the Stahlhelm by several South American nations, and it mentioned that Bolivia purchased a quantity of surplus M34 Feuerpolizei helmets from Germany in the 1950s. Obviously this was one of them, and the inscription inside probably had something to do with the aftermath of the July 1980 coup [Bolivia has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of coups of any country in the world, at least since 1950--their number of total coups since independence from Spain is over 150!]

Thanks Alan