Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 453:
Description
WWII German Model 1935 (M35) Double Decal Luftwaffe Stahlhelm, Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke (Schwerte), maker code NS62, lot/batch number E477, circa 1938-1940. This lot presents an original combat-worn Luftwaffe M35 helmet retaining both of its factory-applied decals: the 1st/2nd pattern flying eagle clutching a swastika on the wearer’s left, and the black-white-red national tricolor shield on the right. No separate published biography or unit provenance has been located for this shell; its story rests in the surviving factory markings and the documented history of the pattern itself. The wearer’s left interior skirt is clearly stamped NS62, identifying the manufacturer as Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke of Schwerte and the shell size as 62, while the rear interior skirt carries the separate lot/batch stamp E477. The M35 helmet was officially adopted on 25 June 1935, refining the earlier M16/M18 silhouette with a more compact drawn shell, a smoothly rolled edge, and separately inserted ventilation bushings in place of the crimped lugs of the Great War pattern. Luftwaffe examples of this early period left the factory in a smooth blue-gray finish and were issued with dual decals as standard. That practice changed abruptly in March 1940, when directives ordered the tricolor shield removed or its application discontinued altogether, the intent being to reduce a soldier’s visibility and identifiability in the field. Helmets that escaped this order and still carry both decals, however worn, are consequently scarcer on the collector market today and are prized as an early-war snapshot frozen before the regulation took hold. The shell survives with a significant portion of its original factory blue-gray paint, overlaid with honest surface scuffs, scratches, and moderate reddish oxidation consistent with genuine field use. The Luftwaffe eagle decal shows heavy craquelure and wear with roughly 60-70% of the design still legible, while the national tricolor shield on the opposite side shows scraping and oxidation with approximately 50-60% remaining, its lower red field still vivid. Both vent bushings are present, with associated rust staining around the fittings. The interior retains its original aluminum liner band and an intact leather liner with working drawstring, the leather displaying age hardening, heavy perspiration staining, and minor cracking consistent with period use. The leather chinstrap remains intact and attached, stiffened with age and showing surface crazing, complete with its roller buckle. Condition throughout is fair to good and thoroughly battle-worn, with paint loss, decal wear, and oxidation consistent with genuine age and active service rather than artificial distressing; the liner and chinstrap remain fully functional despite their hardened, aged state. A genuinely combat-worn double-decal Luftwaffe M35 with clear, legible maker and batch markings, offered as a scarce survivor from before the March 1940 order stripped away the tricolor shield that still clings, faded but unmistakable, to this shell today.
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