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STANDARD CRASH HELMET 

 

German Luftstreitkräfte, Döberitz 1917 issued standard hard shell crash helmet

 

For a short introduction click here.

 

This specimen retains its original leather neck flap, and more importantly, the side flaps, including the semicircular ear pockets.

Inside the neck flap it is stamped “Flg Bekl. Döberitz 1917”.

One of the fingers of the adjustable leather liner is marked “Bermsgrün im Erzgeb.” Unfortunately we have no further information about the link between this helmet and the small village Bermsgrün (60km southwest of Dresden).

During almost 100 years of existence this helmet has anyway been “taken care of” by several previous owners, including possibly the N.S.K.K. (“Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps”, i.e. National Socialist Motorcycle Corps).

There are some traces of previous repairs and the roughly applied glossy field grey color (applied over red and white undercoats) is certainly not original.

 

The display is completed by a pair of French “L’Express” goggles. These fur padded goggles with replaceable curved glass lenses were among the many privately purchased eye protectors for military aviators. They can be folded for stowage and are embossed “L’Express” Brevet 433.606 Made in France. The outer frames feature a hinged flap which can be opened in order to remove the lenses.