German Helmet – Related Documents German Helmet

This World War II-era German helmet was deposited on May 17, 2007 , by Barry S. Brode of the University of North Dakota Television Center (Acc.#2007-2890). Mr. Brode inherited the helmet from his father, Jack Brode, who acquired it while serving with the U.S. Army Military Police in Italy shortly after the end of the Second World War. The helmet represents the distinctive German Stahlhelm style, with a “coal scuttle” shape that incorporates a front visor as well as a protruding slanted rim (“skirt”) that extends around the sides and rear of the head. The helmet's rolled edges and stamped ventilator holes suggest that it is a model M1940, with the designation “ET62” (stamped on the inside of the rim, about where the wearer's left ear would be) possibly denoting a sub-variant. The significance of the number “939” (engraved on the inside of the back rim) is unknown. On the left-hand side, it bears a single white Luftwaffe Adler (“Air Force Eagle”) decal, indicating that the wearer was a member of the German air force. The helmet appears to have been painted field gray at the time of manufacture, but later repainted dark green to provide better camouflage. The fact that it was acquired in Italy suggests that it originally belonged to a member of one of the Luftwaffe ground units that fought there, such as the Herman Goering Panzer Division, the Luftwaffe Field Division, or anti-aircraft artillery attached to the German army. *NOTE: Some of the Luftwaffe 's Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) also fought in Italy, but could not have been the source of the helmet since they wore a unique variant of the Stahlhelm that lacked the distinctive visor and rim.