Helmet Id Help? *pics*

Hey guys first post here, i need some help identifing a helment i came across. From what i have found by some google searching is that it is a 3pc german gladiator helment. It has a pair of vents on both sides each containing 7 holes to make one vent. On the inside of the rear lip it has
RL 2-38/28 stamped. There are also 3 "rivets" on the helment, one off center in the front an then two more in the back. (I think they're for holding the inner liner in place) It has obviously been through alot of abuse. But is there anyway to tell it the helment is real or a reproduction? An if it is real what would it of been used for/ Would it of seen any combat at all? Any help is appreciated..

Front.


Back.


Inside.



Also the liner thats in it now i dont think is correct. I think it came out of a hard hat/construction helment. But what do i know..

 

Lets see what we come up with. Perhaps a Bulgarian military helmet



see here: http://helmet.0catch.com/other.htm

 

What do you think of a German M38?

From link my gasmask collection All the way towards the bottom..


"German M38 (3 pieces) Gladiator helmet.Typical dark blue painted steel helmet, issued to the Luftschutzwarndienst. The Luftschutzdecal is about 75% intact. Not “entnazifiziert”. The liner has got some resemblance ot those issued on M16 steel helmets of WWI. This one is made by Paul Diener from Dresden (RL2-38/28)."

But how would i go about verifing its authenticity? The only thing that matches is the stampings..

Other links did suggest Bulgarian helments that were made in germany but i couldnt find much more..

 

Could try this: German-Helmets.com

 

Link does have some usefull info but doesnt give much in detail on my specific model.. Or atleast i cant find the info. Any one else wanna give it a shot.

 

Luftchutz helmet.... I belive that how it's spelled. And I belive it looks real. As for combat no idea

 

Luftschutz helmet indeed, these were also called Gladiator helmets and were used used by the home front, factory and sometimes Flak Units. They usually have a large eagle decal on the front. The inside is a modern repro.

 

I agree with the both of yall. The only thing im having a hard time figuring out is the rivets on the Luftschutz helmet Are backwards compared to mine. On that helmet there are two rivets in the front with one on the back. Well mine has one in the front more so towards the right side of the helmet if im wearing it. Then it also has another two around the rear of it..

 

Most of them will have two on the front (around 11 and 1 o'clock) and two on the back (around 5 and 7 o'clock) , but rivets were placed at different places. I suppose three rivets instread of four would save time and money for the makers, so if you have more rivets, ths could mean you have an earlier model. You would need to check more pictures

casque luftschutz - Google Images

 

probably bulgarian then,see link,ray..
BULGARIAN GERMAN Luftschutz GLADIATOR helmet 1-piece construction

 

Good show Ray, that makes sense

 

hopefully skipper,wait for reply...

 

Im dont think its the exact kind in the link posted by "Sniper1946" some reasons are because in the link it shows a one piece helment were mine im sure is a 2pc if not a 3. I am leaning towards either bulgarian used or german used somewere in the war. But it would of been used in the air raid units of that time from my searching. The main thing i cant seem to find out or atleast a picture of is a helment in the same configuration as mine. Mainly with only three rivets instead of four..

 

definately 3 rivet set up,this is it then....

NAZI LUFTSCHUTZ HELMET 3 PIECE GLADIATOR STYLE

 

From what i can make out in the photos, the helmet is of three piece construction. These were produced in the latter part of the war, and were less costly to produce, even though there were more steps involved in their production.

The rivet positions are very unusual, i've never seen that configuration before.

The liner is not the original one for the helmet, it does indeed look like a modern hard hat liner.

Two from my collection:

3 piece 3 rivet construction which has been repainted with the correct RAL colour and new decal added. (yes, i know it should have been left original, but when i got it it was in poor condition with lots of surface rust and no original paint remaining)


1 piece 3 rivet construction (untouched!)

 

Yes it is very similar to your 3 pc 3 rivet design. But my rivets are in totally different locations.

Here's a picture of the front of it.. Notice theres only one rivet visible.



Now around back you can see were the other two are..



Anybody seen any thing like this?

Or could it be possible the top of the helmet has came loose, an somebody unknowing put it back on in the wrong direction?

 

its the same helmet ,only difference being as in all engineering,someone placed it in the jig offset,hence holes being in wrong positions,no more no less,it happen! you got what appears to be! a reject helmet,under normal conditions it would have been scrapped and put back in the melting pot....

 

That was one of my thoughts!

Are there any signs of latter day brazing on the inside?

Can you show a heads down photo (looking down on to the crown of the helmet) so the positions of the rivets can be better determined.

Ray does have a point...it could be a reject shell, which would make it all the more desirable.