Here is an example of a classic mid-war Waffen-SS foreign volunteer helmet. The helmet consists of an EF64 M42, heat lot #368. The factory issue of the helmet was as a standard Polizei, with bordered EF style police and party shields. You can note the EF peculiar party shield in the photos. The liner and strap are original to the helmet and the liner is the expected 1940 dated D.R.P contracted assembly. On top of the police shield is a classic CA Pocher runic shield. The helmet shows overall heavy service wear, with age wear to the leather. The chinstrap has become separated but is complete. As for why the ‘reversed decal’ effect, we don’t have to guess at this, because the multitude of photos and written accounts of the growth of the Waffen-SS in 1943, when Himmler declared by written order that the police and auxiallary forces (schutzmannschaften) would come under the SS, lay out the whole story. Specifically, in “SS Steel” I featured a chapter on foreign volunteer helmets, including pictures of the specific EF Police M42s that were shown worn by Ukranian and Hungarian troops in the period photos. In these photos you can see at least two likely EF shells, with their distinctive shape. Others look like CKL police helmets. This all happened with the sudden expansion of the SS by virtue of standardizing all these formerly police and ‘eastern peoples’ groups into the Waffen-SS as new regiments and divisions (Latvian number 1&2; Ukranian Galizien & Ukr. number 2; Prinz Eugen, etc., etc., the requirement to equip all these troops was enormous. Since many were already schutzmannschaften, wearing variant and standard versions of police uniforms and equipment, they took their current police helmets if they had them already (many from EF during late ’42 to mid ’43 issue period) and applied issue CA Pocher decals right over the police shield. Job done. We have noted that M34s, M35s and M40s with reverse decals can be differently classified from “foreign volunteer–” due to the early war period equipping of the SD / Einsatzgruppen (and in some localized cases, “Germania” during and after the ‘Westfeldzug’ in 1940 and a little later the Finns). But when you encounter an EF M42 converted police like this one, you can be pretty certain it was a specific foreign volunteer equipment need that was being met. This rare piece can be enjoyed by the Freiwillege aficionado! Sale includes my 100% lifetime guarantee of authenticity
Reserved (md) Outstanding Waffen-SS Foreign Volunteer Helmet
$7,250.00
This Waffen-SS foreign volunteer M42 double decal helmet shows the classic hallmark of a foreign volunteer from top to bottom. The foreign units, mostly stood up beginning 1943 in earnest, included some of the most famous: Latvians / Estonians, Ukranians, Hungarians, Belgians, Balkan troops, etc. Many of these formations had police membership prior to becoming full SS units, as schutzmannschaften. They were issued Polizei helmets. When they were formed into SS divisions, they placed the CA Pocher standard issue runic shield atop their police shield. This is universally shown in period photographs, including in my books, wherein reverse decal helmets are shown in use and explained. This example is a classic, and shows a lot of service use. The manufacture is EF, which many of these converted helmets happen to be. I have seen CKL occasionally, but mainly EF seems to dominate. Serious collectors should not pass up these helmets; they were mainstream SS…especially since the Waffen-SS by 1944/45 consisted of almost 2/3 foreign volunteers among their ranks. COA accompanies.
