Description
Product Description: We are pleased to offer one of the rarest and most unique helmets of the German Wehrmacht’s elite units, the M38 German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet. This exact helmet is featured on pg. 222 in the well known collector reference by Ludwig Baer, “The History of the German Steel Helmet 1916-1945”. This book was published nearly 40 years ago in 1985. The book also shows on page 223, this exact style helmet being worn by a Fallschirmjager Instructor standing next to, at that time, world famous boxing legend “Max Schmelling”. Schmelling was a famous face for the German Fallschirmjager propaganda recruitment in the late 1930’s. He would see action in Crete before being wounded. At this time, the collecting community is aware of the existence of only one M38 German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet configuration, this example.
This Early M38 German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet delivers a striking exterior appearance. Nearly all of the early smooth apple green paint is intact, with minimal scuffing or marking to the exterior. The 2nd pattern Luftwaffe decal remains 95% intact with excellent details and a super crisp appearance. The national trio-color shield on the helmets opposite side remains an impressive 99% intact. Both decals display nearly all of their original period applied factory protective lacquer, which gives the decals their striking vivid appearance. All four early spanner bolts remain intact with almost all of their original apple green paint remaining. All four spanner bolts are completely untouched and unmolested. The very unique liner system featured in this helmet consists of the typical fallschirmjager leather liner dome, which remains intact showing evidence of daily light wear as evident from the sweat staining at the brow area. The leather is stamped in black ink with the liner and shell sizes “57” (liner size), and “68” (shell size), as well as the maker “Karl Heisler, Berlin”, and a Luftwaffe L.B.A.38 stamp. This liner system was given a special factory alteration to accommodate the German Fallschirmjager instructors, a leather neck guard system. This neck guard was likely instituted to protect and assist the instructors as they stood in or near the prop blasted door of a flying JU52 during training exercises. The leather guard is made of fine leather, with the exterior having the typical blue dyed leather just that of the standard fallshirmjager straps, and the interior lined with a fine green ribbed cotton fabric. The sides of the leather guard feature ear cutouts with additional flaps to help break the incoming wind allowing the instructor to hear better. The guard also features a built in chinstrap system consisting of three green paint snaps, and an adjustable leather buckle strap. There is no doubt that this special leather neck guard system was fitted to the helmets liner system during the time period by the factory. The leather guard is fitted between the liner and the aluminum band and remains securely sewn in place with heavy white string just like what is seen on the standard helmets to fasten the leather to the metal liner bands. The leather guard of this German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet remains fully intact, however with some wear overall. The female side of the three snaps have become disconnected from the chinstrap, but remain snapped to the male ends which are still intact on the other strap. The leather has one small tear to the leather on the wearers right side, and some loss to the blue dyed exterior facing. All of the correct early tan pads are present, as well as the correct early tan dome pad. The helmet is stamped “ET68”, as well as lot number “3997”. This rare and quite literally “one of a kind” M38 German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet is a prized collectible which would likely be the envy of many collectors.
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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M38 German Jumpmaster Paratrooper Helmet
