Description
Product Description: This Droop Tail Luftwaffe Helmet is a choice piece, super clean and completely untouched. This is a very early Quist produced M35 helmet. Nearly all of the factory applied prewar medium powder blue smooth Luftwaffe paint remains on the exterior, with areas of light scuffing. The desirable, early droop tail snake leg Luftwaffe decal rates approximately 90 percent intact, with some surface wear. The red white and black national tricolor shield decal on the opposite side is approximately 85 percent intact. Inside, this hard to find early helmet retains the original liner system. The liner band is the correct early prewar single banded aluminum type, and is dated 1937. The leather liner is completely intact, and shows only mild period wear. The leather remains bright with virtually no age darkening. The original drawstring is present. The factory installed liner retaining split pins are untouched and remain tight. This helmet is marked inside the skirt with “Q68” indicating manufacture by Quist in a large and desirable size 68. The liner leather is size marked “61” which is a very large size that is almost never seen. The skirt is also stamped with the early lot number “183.” This Droop Tail Luftwaffe Helmet is a top shelf example with great eye appeal and a lot going for it. The condition rates as excellent plus.
Historical Description: When the German Army first marched into war in 1914, it went to the front lines wearing the traditional “Picklehaube” helmets. The war soon developed to necessitate the need for an improved headgear to protect the wearer. The German Army developed the M16 helmet in 1915 and began issuing it in mass quantity to its fighting troops in 1916. The M16 underwent changes to bring about the next model, the M18. Both the M16 and M18 saw use by the German Army during WW1, as well as the interwar years by the Reichswehr and Freikorps. In 1931, a new liner system was developed. The M16 and M18 helmets were in mass supply right up to the time the Nazi Party took control of the German government. During Adolf Hitler’s rearming of the German military in the early 1930’s, the M16 and M18 helmets saw extensive refitting with the newer liner system, fresh paint, and the addition of a centralized decal system for the newly formed Wehrmacht’s respective branches. Decals were generally placed on each side of the helmet, one side being the branch and the other the national colors shield or party shield. In 1935, the M35 helmet was introduced. This new design was lighter and more streamlined than the older style helmets and is what the world now recognizes as the iconic helmet of the German Military. M35 helmets can most easily be identified from the separate rivet ventholes and rolled edges. With the outbreak of war, some changes were made to bring in a new model, the M40. The changes made to this new model was the use of a more matte field grey finish and the vent holes were now integral to the helmets shell. In 1940, the national colors decals and party shields were ordered to be removed. It should be noted that many M35 helmets were brought up to date by repainting them with the matte field grey finish and/or other modifications if necessary. These refitted helmets are what collectors now term “reissue helmets”. The next model helmet to evolve was the M42. The model M42 has the same features of the M40 with the exception of the edges of the helmet not being rolled and remain flared. This was to speed up production and lower cost as the war dragged on and the German economy began changing to a total war economy. In 1943 all decals were ordered to be removed from combat helmets.
With nearly 30 years of expertise handling, collecting, and studying some of the finest and scarcest military collectibles, Empires Past offers the best prices for your collectibles.
We purchase German, American, and Japanese Military Artifacts.
FROM SINGLE ITEMS TO ENTIRE COLLECTIONS…
WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING!!!
