U.S. Army 6850th ISD Nuremberg Prison Guard's M-1 Helmet

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This M-1 helmet was worn by soldiers in the 6850th Internal Security Detachment that helped guard prisoners during the Nuremberg Major War Criminal proceedings. It is painted dark olive drab and features the 6850th distinctive insignia on both sides of the helmet's shell and liner.

The 6850th Internal Security Detachment at Nuremberg

With the looming trial of the major Nazi war criminals at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, the U.S. Army called upon the 6850th Internal Security Detachment (ISD) to provide security for the 22 able-bodied indicted prisoners.¹ Under the direction of Colonel Burton C. Andrus, commandant of Nuremberg Prison, the 6850th helped in administrative tasks and brought in testifying witnesses from "all parts of Germany" for the trial.² Certain parts of the 6850th, for example the Medical Liaison Unit, conducted mental examinations of the prisoners. A letter written to the Commanding Officer of the 6850th regarding the mental stability of prisoner Dr. Robert Ley, head of the German labor front, on October 26, 1945, details a six week examination of Ley's psyche following his suicide a day earlier. After the incident the 6850th announced the death and conducted brief interviews of the remaining prisoners.³ Admiral Karl Dönitz, commander of the German Navy, "expressed his surprise that anybody was able to accomplish self destruction under the prevalent measures of security…" undertaken by the 6850th ISD.⁴

6850th ISD Nuremberg District Distinctive Insignia

The distinctive insignia of the 6850th Internal Security Detachment is known as the “Nuremberg District” and was designed specifically for the unit’s prison guard duty during the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal. It combines two fields of blue and red into a single shield. The top field of blue includes a white key, which signifies the 6850th’s security duty, and golden scales of justice while the bottom red field portrays a black Third Reich eagle national emblem. Notice how the eagle is split into four parts signifying the occupied zones of France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and United States. With all parts combined, the insignia represents the victorious Allied scales of justice weighing down on the Nazi led Third Reich and bringing an end to the atrocities of World War II.¹

Country: United States	War Period: World War II
Garment Type: Infantry Helmet	Year Made: 1941 — 1988
Manufacturer: McCord Radiator and Manufacturing Company
Identification: USH-204-0809

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¹ William J. Houriham, Ph.D., “U.S. Army Chaplain Ministry to German War Criminals at Nuremberg, 1945-1946,” The Army Chaplaincy (Winter – Spring, 2000).

² Lt. Colonel A.M. S. Neave, “Final Report on the Evidence of Witnesses for the Defense of Organizations Alleged to be Criminal, Heard Before a Commission Appointed by the Tribunal Pursuant to Paragraph 4 of the Order of the 13th of March, 1946” (August 1946).

³ Major D.M. Kelley to Commanding Officer, 6850th Internal Security Detachment, International Military Tribunal, APO 403, U.S. Army, “Mental Examination of Prisoner,” 26 October 1945.

⁴ Lt. Colonel Rene H. Juchli (Medical Corps) to Major General Donovan, Office, U.S. Chief of Counsel, APO 403, U.S. Army, “Observations and impressions of the Prison Population concerning the incident of Dr. Robert Ley’s Death,” 2 November 1945.