Description
Shell Size: 68
SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” Hitler’s Personal Body Guard Unit Beautifully made to looks original with slight aging. Your friends you invite over will think it is the real McCoy. The base paint used in this restoration is a flat or matte black just was used at the time. The SS and Swastika Party Shield decals were always applied using a a face up water transfer medium and then a natural lacquer resin applied to seal in the decal and edges often leaving a small brown glue edge around each decal as was done in this restoration to make the decals appear as close to the originals as possible.
In this particular helmet great care was given to making sure that the decal looks the part and has been aged and discoloured to accurately match the outside paint. The SS decal is not your typical paper repro but is made from a silver foil alloy just like the originals were and so has some slight reflectivity and then further aged to simulate the natural discoloration process.
The origins of the infamous Protection Squads (Schutzstaffeln or SS) can be traced back to the early days of the Storm Troopers (Sturmabteilung-SA). In January 1931 Ernst Rohm established a number of Staff Guards (Stabswachen) to protect key leaders of the SA and the National Socialist Party. In order to protect himself, Rohm established his own Staff Guard (Stabswache der Obersten SA-Fohrung). In addition he provided a Staff Guard for Hermann Goring (Stabswache Goring) as well as for Adolf Hitler (Standarte Adolf Hitler). Hitler’s primary goal was to establish a regiment of dedicated men that would protect him in the event his leadership was challenged by other National Socialist Party members including Rohm of the brown shirted SA. After Rohm was murdered and the SA purged, Hitler disbanded all of the Staff Guards except for his own which was renamed “SA-Standarte Adolf Hitler.” This elite guard unit later became the “SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler” (LAH) in September 1933. The LAH independently fielded combat troops during the campaign against Poland. Elements later joined the SS-Special Purpose Troops (SS-Verfogung-struppe-SS-VT) prior to the invasion of Russia in 1941. However during the years 1935-40 Hitler’s personal guard were distinguished from other SS units by being the only one using all black painted helmets and black uniforms denoting their special protective role in serving the Fuhrer.
For more information about the M1935 Helmet check out our blog.
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