SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION

H001365 TROPICAL PITH HELMET INSIGNIA. (Tropenhelm Abzeichen)

BACKGROUND: In late 1940, with the impending German entrance into the North African campaign, tropical uniforms, headgear and equipment were quickly developed and issued in time for DAK, Deutsches Afrika Korps, (German Africa Corps), personnel’s arrival in Tripoli in February 1941. One of the new headgear items introduced was the tropical pith helmet which was based on the design of the earlier Kriegsmarine, ({War} Navy), pith helmet. On its introduction the pith helmet was constructed of a formed cork base with a cotton twill covering until a second pattern pith helmet was introduced with a formed cork base with a felt covering. The second pattern pith helmet followed the same basic design as the first pattern but was modified to ease production time and material costs. Wear of the pith helmets was extended to personnel serving in southern areas of continental Europe but the helmets proved ineffective and unpopular and manufacture was discontinued sometime in 1942. On introduction the helmets were outfitted with a Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), style national eagle and national tri-color identification shields with the national eagle shield to be applied to the left side and the national tri-color shield to be applied to the right side of the pith helmet. Of Note: Originally the Kriegsmarine pith helmets, utilized a large national eagle applied to the front center which was altered to two, smaller, shields to be applied to either sides of the pith helmet. The Kriegsmarine pith helmet shield insignia differed from the army’s version in a couple of ways with the army version having an embossed, silver, eagle and raised outer edges while the Kriegsmarine version had a recessed, golden eagle and no raised lip to the outer edges.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The insignia consists of two, roughly, 43mm tall x 36mm wide, die stamped, alloy construction shield shaped bases with one featuring a Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), style national eagle and the national tri-colors to the other. The eagle shield features an embossed, high relief, nicely detailed, Wehrmacht style eagle with down swept wings, clutching a canted swastika in it’s talons, on a black finished, slightly pebbled background shield shape base with a raised lip to the outer edges. The national tri-color shield also has a slightly pebbled background shield shape base with a raised lip to the outer edges and an additional two, diagonally angled, fine raised lips separating the three national colors of black, matte silver, (white), and red. The reverse of both of the shields are mirror images of the obverses and both have all three attachment prongs intact.

GRADE ****1/4                             PRICE $119.00

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