M1937 Army paratroop helmet This volunteer in the Army’s experimental Fallschirm lnfanterie Kompanie wears the M1937 paratroop helmet developed by the firm of Eisenhuttenwerke at Thale. The second helmet to be produced, this model featured chinstraps with four sets of metal clips that secured to the helmet’s liner band ring. The oblong slots in the sides of the helmet were used to attach the chinstrap when the helmet was not being worn during a parachute jump. Members of the Fallschirm lnfanterie Kompanie were issued M1937 helmets bearing Army insignia. These helmets were subsequently recalled from service and replaced with the more widely known M1938. Not a single M1937 with Army insignia is known to have survived World War II. M1938 medical orderly’s helmet This Luftwaffe medical orderly wears the M1938 paratroop helmet thickly camouflage-painted and marked for use during the invasion of Crete in May 1941. The coarse mixture of sand and paint was a frequent addition to paratroop helmets worn in all theatres of operations. After the very heavy losses suffered on Crete, a wider variety of camouflage techniques and equipment were developed for German paratroopers. Markings such as these were later dropped to avoid drawing the undue attention of the enemy. Second model paratroop helmet cover This Luftwaffe paratrooper wears the second model, camouflage-printed helmet cover; like the first type in plain green, it attached to the sides of the helmet by means of small metal hooks. The splinter pattern camouflage cloth was printed in brown and green. The cloth band sewn around the midline provided loops for the insertion of foliage camouflage. Most examples were factory-produced, although many were made up in the field by unit tailors. Original examples are very scarce today.