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 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 tropical pith helmets were outfitted with a Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), style national eagle and national tri-color identification shields.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Second pattern pith helmet constructed in a one piece, seamless, formed, olive-drab felt crown with a horizontal band stitched at the rear center and covered by a vertical strip of felt mounted on a formed cork base. The top center of the crown has a raised, removable, felt covered, circular alloy knob with three, small, semi-circular, cut-out ventilation holes. The helmet features an all around, horizontally extended visor which is somewhat shorter at the front and is constructed of one piece, seamless, formed, olive-drab felt and trimmed with stitched on greyish/green leather. The helmet has two, stamped alloy shields with a national eagle shield to the left side and a national tri-color shield to the right side. The national eagle shield features a high relief, embossed, silver washed, Wehrmacht style eagle with down-swept wings, clutching a canted swastika in it’s talons, on a slightly textured, black painted, background field. The national tri-color shield features three, diagonally angled, bars in the colors of red, silver/white and black on a slightly textured background field. The national eagle shield retains about 98% of its silver and all of its black finishes while the national tri-color shield retains about 99% of its red and black finishes. The bottom edge of the visor brim is lined in teal green cotton and the interior crown is lined in red felt. The interior crown liner has two, large, triangular and six, small, rectangular, ventilation cut-outs. The interior of the helmet has a wide, light tan leather sweatband and the sweatband and liner are both secured to the helmet by six, small, extended prongs with corresponding magnetic sheet metal cotter retaining pins. The sweatband is in overall excellent condition. The reverse of the sweatband is well marked with the black inkstamped size, "57" and the manufacturer’s initials and date, "APN 1942", indicating an unknown manufacturer in 1942. The interior crown has a gilt washed alloy grommet positioned under the exterior top crown knob. The helmet comes complete with a greyish/green leather chinstrap with a sliding, magnetic sheet metal, length adjustment buckle, a retaining clip and a quick release hook. Superb example.