Tropical Luftwaffe Pith Helmet

Product Description: The Tropical Luftwaffe Pith Helmet is a tough piece of headgear to find. This is a very nice, all original example. The exterior is covered with tan cotton canvas. It has appealing character, with light patina and slight sun fading from honest wartime wear. The Luftwaffe eagle and national tricolor emblems are made of aluminum, and are tightly affixed to the helmet, with no indication of having been replaced. The tricolor retains all of the original red and black paint. The brown leather edging is complete and undamaged. Inside, this Tropical Luftwaffe Pith Helmet shows evidence of daily wear in a hot environment. The underside of the brim is lined with green canvas, with the interior of the dome being lined with red tropical lining fabric. The sweatband shows expected discoloration and toning from wear. The brown leather sweatband is complete and intact, and has been over the brim of the pith helmet for a long time. There is no maker mark. These Luftwaffe pith helmets are quite a bit more scarce than the often-seen Heer versions. This handsome piece displays great and remains in excellent condition.

Historical Description: The pith helmet is one of the most iconic aspects of the tropical uniform worn by German personnel in WWII. Besides being worn by Rommel’s Afrikakorps, pith helmets were also worn in all; areas on the Southern Front where tropical uniforms were issued, including Italy and the Mediterranean, and southern Russia. Pith helmets were part of the uniform issued by the German Army, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and the Waffen-SS. The chief visible difference among the pith helmets used by these various organizations, were the metal badges affixed to each side. These were made in the style of the branch decals used on the steel helmet. Early pith helmets were made with a twill fabric outer covering. Later, second pattern examples were covered with felt. As German troops withdrew from Afrika, many pith helmets sat unissued in warehouses, where they were recovered by Allied forces at the end of the war; at one time, later pattern examples were relatively common. With the passage of time, complete original examples, especially in nice condition, have become much harder to find.

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