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Abstract: In many historical photos and video data, it can be seen that there were several patterns on the German helmets during World War II. So, what kinds of patterns are there on the German helmets and why are there helmets? But there is nothing on the light board?
In many historical photos and video materials, you can see that there were several patterns on German helmets during World War II. So, what kinds of patterns and why are there on German helmets? But there is no light board on the helmet?
First, let’s talk about the helmets of the German Army. The left and right sides are the Wehrmacht eagle emblem and the black, white and red flag shield emblem.
Eagle is a highly respected totem in many countries and nations in Europe and America. During the Holy Roman Empire, the Germans began to become the main body of the Western Roman Empire, and they naturally followed the eagle totem of ancient Rome. In 1806, Napoleon forced the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire to be renamed the Emperor of Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire was destroyed. In 1870, Prussia defeated France and unified Germany. William I became Emperor of the German Empire. The national emblem of the German Empire still uses the eagle logo of the Kingdom of Prussia. This single-headed black eagle pattern has been used until after World War I. . In 1933, the Nazi Party came to power and established the German Third Reich. Hitler changed the Prussian eagle's original two wings vertically downward to two wings spread out, and simplified it to make the outline more distinct.
In 1935, the eagle with its wings spread and the swastika in the oak wreath at its feet officially became the national emblem of Nazi Germany. Therefore, this style of eagle is also called the imperial eagle.
Hitler highly respected eagles, even his own mountain villa in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria named "Eagle's Nest". At the same time, the eagle's logo is also consistent with Like the swastika, it became the iconic symbol of the Nazis. It should be noted that the eagle head of the imperial eagle is to the left, while the eagle on the Nazi party emblem has the eagle head to the right. Therefore, the eagle with the eagle head to the right is called the Nazi eagle, which is distinguished from the imperial eagle. . Many people have not noticed this subtle difference, and even confuse the Nazi eagle with the imperial eagle.
The eagle emblem on the left side of the German army helmet is still a Prussian eagle with two wings vertically downward, rather than an imperial eagle with two wings spread, because the German army has always been owned by the Prussian noble regiment. Control, so it is natural to use this Prussian eagle to represent the Wehrmacht. The eagle on the German national emblem today also evolved from the Prussian eagle. The black eagle with red claws and red beak, wings spread out but vertically downward is called the "Federal Eagle". Now the two-winged eagle, whether it is an imperial eagle with the eagle head facing to the left, or a Nazi eagle with the eagle head facing to the right, is considered to be a Nazi symbol and is forbidden.
As for the black, white and red tricolor twill coat of arms on the right side of the helmet, it represents the national flag, which is the white in the middle on the red background officially used in September 1935 The black swastika flag in the circle was originally the flag of the Nazi Party designed by Hitler, and thus became the flag of Nazi Germany. Hitler, who has studied fine art, still knows how to use color. The three colors of black, white and red are indeed very visually impactful. These three colors are also the colors of the national flag of the Kingdom of Prussia in the nineteenth century. They are a combination of black and white representing Prussia and red and white representing Hanseatic. However, after World War I, the flag of the Weimar Republic before Nazi Germany was a black, red and yellow tricolor from top to bottom. Today's German flag still uses the black, red and yellow tricolor of the Weimar Republic.
Therefore, the eagle emblem and flag-colored shield on the left and right sides of the German army helmet represent the Wehrmacht and nationality respectively. Therefore, the M35 helmet purchased by the National Government from Germany in the 1930s also had a blue sky and white sun emblem on the left as a nationality symbol. And it is only on the left side of the helmet. Now some anti-Japanese film and television dramas take it for granted that the M35 helmet of the German Machine Division has blue sky and white sun emblems on both sides, which is obviously inconsistent with historical facts.
German Navy also has helmets. Like the army, the left side is the Wehrmacht eagle emblem, and the right side is the black and white red tricolor twill shield emblem.
There is also an eagle emblem on the German Air Force helmet, but it is not the Prussian eagle with drooping wings of the army, but the imperial eagle with its wings spread out to the left, but if you look closely, it is somewhat different from the regular imperial eagle. . The spread of the two wings of the eagle is not a rigid and straight spread, but a more dynamic flapping and fighting shape, which is particularly vivid and powerful. Therefore, this eagle, which is unique to the Air Force, is called the "Air Force Eagle."
This is because the Luftwaffe was founded by Goering, the second figure of the Nazi Party. It is not influenced by the Prussian regiment like the Army, so the adoption is more inclined to the Empire The eagle’s air force eagle, not the Prussian eagle. The right side of the Air Force helmet is the same as the Army’s nationality flag in black, white and red. The background color of the helmet is not the army's field gray, but blue-gray, because the air force's military color is blue-gray.
Paratroopers belonging to the Air Force, equipped with paratrooper helmets are different from the helmets of other German troops, mainly for the consideration of lightness, the most prominent external features of the German helmets are also reduced, but the patterns on the helmets It is still the same as other air force helmets, with an air force eagle on the left and a black and white and red twill shield emblem on the right.
In addition to the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany also have the Waffen-SS. As the name suggests, the SS is not an army of the country, but is completely loyal to the Nazi Party and Hitler's armed forces. Therefore, the pattern on the SS helmet is completely different from that of the National Defense Force. On the left and right sides of the helmet are the emblem of the Nazi Party and the two lightning signs of the SS.
On the left side of the Nazi Party emblem, it goes without saying that the SS was originally an armed force directly controlled by the Nazi Party. The two lightning bolts on the right are the signs of the SS. The Waffen-SS (Waffen-SS), also called the Waffen-SS, was developed from the SS. The German "Schutzstaffel" for the SS is composed of the German words "Schutz" and "Staffel" It is combined with the abbreviation SS, so the SS and SS logos are two lightning bolts that evolved from SS. The two lightning signs on the SS helmet are on a shield-shaped base plate, and there are two versions of black lightning on white and black lightning on yellow. Black lightning on white background is low visibility, and it is usually matched with training clothes, while black lightning on yellow background is much more eye-catching, so the target is too obvious on the battlefield, and it is usually only worn with black dress on major occasions.
The SS helmet has two background colors, one is the same field gray as the army, and the logo on the right uses black lightning on a white background, which is worn It is necessary for training uniforms and worn during training operations. The other is pure black. The logo on the right uses black lightning on a yellow background. It is matched with a black dress for important occasions, such as celebrations and military parades.
Of course, the SS has a skull and crossbones, and the SS cap badge is a skull pattern. Why the scary skull logo is used? On the one hand, it means that the SS is ready to use its own life to defend the head of state; on the other hand, it is also a deterrence and warning to the enemy and fears the opponent.
After 1944, the SS began to adopt camouflage uniforms, and at the same time, the helmets were allotted with camouflage steel helmet covers. In this way, the background colors and patterns of the helmets were camouflaged. The helmet was concealed, and nothing was seen. The use of camouflage steel helmet covers is mainly for more effective camouflage during combat. Not only does the camouflage itself have a camouflage effect, but the fabric steel helmet covers can completely eliminate the metal reflection of the steel helmet and have a strong camouflage concealment effect.
Picture 21: SS soldiers wearing camouflage helmets, pay attention to the two lightning signs on the right side of the collar, the left chest is the infantry assault badge, only participated in at least three infantry assaultsIt can only be obtained by hand or hand-to-hand combat, indicating that he is a veteran who has experienced the test of cruel war. There is an edelweiss armband on the left arm, indicating that it is the mountain troop
. In some historical photos, there are some German helmets without any patterns on both sides, and there are no plain steel helmets. Why is this? The reason for
is also very simple. This kind of bare steel helmet must have appeared in the late war. As the war came to an end, the shortcomings of the lack of resources in Germany gradually revealed. In the production of all weapons, military uniforms, and equipment, the raw materials were compressed as much as possible, and the production process was simplified as much as possible. It fell on the steel helmet. It doesn't matter, it is naturally simplified.
(The picture in this article comes from the Internet)
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