German Army Double Decal M-35 Steel Helmet
![German Heer M-42 Two Color Camouflage Helmet named to "J. Fritsch"](/system/photos/000/004/133/tabbed/German_Heer_M-42_Two_Color_Camouflage_Helmet_named_to_"J._Fritsch".jpg?1252685038)
This German Model 1935 steel helmet was issued to a member of the Heer (Army) sometime between 1935 and the beginning of World War II (1939-1945). It features the pre-war smooth green paint finish used prior to March 21, 1940. The helmet is adorned with two decals: a German national tricolor shield on the right side and a Heer eagle national emblem on the left.1 These decals were applied according to a 1934 order, which called for Ducolux lacquer to be painted on over the decal.2 Over time this lacquer has changed the decals' colors. The white stripe in the national shield has yellowed slightly and the silver eagle emblem has become a light gold. This is a common occurrence with this decal and lacquer combination.3
Third Reich National Tricolor
The black, white, and red national tricolors had its foundation with the North German Confederation in 1871. The German Empire continued to use the tricolor into the First World War. After the war, the newly established Weimar Republic voted to change the national colors to black, red, and gold. Many in Germany rejected this change claiming it was merely a concession to the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. Once the Nazis established power in 1933, they reintroduced the imperial black, white, and red tricolors “to establish a link with Germany’s great past and, especially in the early years of the Nazi movement, to win over nationalist groups who considered the Black-Red-Gold nothing but a thorn in their side.”1 The tricolors and Nazi party flag flew side by side until the Nazi swastika was named the sole flag of the German Third Reich after 1935. Hitler did not completely remove the black, white, and red tricolors, though. The color scheme remained prominent in Nazi insignia. The tricolor shield was ordered removed from wear on helmets in 1940, but period photographs show that some soldiers continued to wear it.2
| Germany | Interwar Period |
| Infantry Helmet | 1935 — 1940 |
| Eisen- und Hüttenwerke A.G., Thale | |
| HRH-135-1209 | |
