German WW2 Paratrooper Helmet

Product Description: Very nice example of a German WW2 Paratrooper Helmet. This is an earlier produced German WW2 Paratrooper Helmet with a smoother factory feldgrau paint, as opposed to the later types with a rougher textured feldgrau paint. Approximately 95% of the original factory paint is remaining, with some scattered areas of wear from light use. The single ET produced 2nd pattern Luftwaffe decal has very light patina over it and rates approximately 99%. It is extremely difficult to locate any German WW2 Paratrooper Helmet on the market with even a partial decal, this one is nearly all there! This helmet features the much more desirable early spanner bolts, which hold the liner system in place. The bolts have never been removed and show no evidence of tampering on both the exterior, as well as the interior of the helmet. All four of the inner and outer nuts which hold the liner system, as well as the chinstrap, are intact with no evidence of tampering or removal of any kind. This is a completely untouched and unmolested liner system, which is rare itself to find, as most have been tampered with in some fashion. The liner’s interior neoprene pads are all intact and have not degraded, some are still pliable while others are have begun to harden. The liner’s leather shows evidence of daily wear with typical sweat marks. The leather is without any damage and is ink stamped for the helmet’s specification, which are now illegible, as well as a more uncommon Berlin marker. The leather chinstrap system is intact with no major damage. There is a small possible period repair where the rear strap meets the side strap near the buckle area. This repair does not detract from the fact that the chinstrap assembly is completely intact without any cuts or breaks, as most liner systems are found with. The shell’s interior skirt is marked with ET68 for the maker and size of the helmet, as well as the lot number 5050 on the rear skirt. This is an extremely desirable and complete example of a German WW2 Paratrooper Helmet that rarely comes to the market!

Historical Description: The airborne troops (Fallschirmjäger) of Germany’s Army and Air Force were equipped with a variety of specialized equipment to aid them with their special mission. Among this equipment was a distinctive helmet, which was designed to protect the wearer when exiting and airplane and upon landing, as well as in combat. The first of these Fallschirmjäger helmets was issued in 1936. Few of these first pattern helmets were manufactured, and they are extremely rare today, with extremely few examples known. In 1937, a slightly altered version entered mass production, and in 1938, a new pattern was introduced that would remain in production until the end of the war. All of the Fallschirmjäger helmets were made by a single manufacturer, Eisenhüttenwerke Thale. Most original helmets are marked “ET” for this manufacturer, while late war pieces bear the factory’s three-letter code, “ckl.” Both early and later pattern Luftwaffe decals can be found on these helmets, and late war helmets were issued without decals, as with the other military helmet models. Some of these helmets were adorned with camouflage paint or were otherwise camouflaged with netting, wire or cloth helmet covers. Fallschirmjäger helmets are much less common than standard Heer and Luftwaffe helmets, and are extremely sought-after today.

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