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Irmfried Eberl’s M35 SS Helmet

Name: Irmfried Eberl's M35 SS Helmet
SKU: H-Eberl
Availability: InStock

$34,250.00

This Double decal SS helmet is of some historical significance; having been issued to an individual prominent within “Aktion Reinhard”; the system of gas vans, execution pits and Extermination camps, operating in eastern Poland from the summer of 1942. It is to be profiled in the upcoming book “Germany’s Combat helmets; a new look” by Ken Niewiarowicz.

The helmet is of 1938 vintage; being from the first major order from one of the military contractors; in this case, F.W. Quist. The helmet was delivered through SS procurement and was issued as a secondary helmet, painted black for parade use with a pair of C.A. Pocher SS decals applied over the black finish. The chinstrap was stamped with the SS V.A. marking and dated 1938. After 1940, Black parade helmets ceased being used and the helmet received a third painted finish (in it’s present day Feldgrau) along with a final set of C.A. Pocher decals. In damaged areas of the paint, the underlying black paint can be seen. Inside the dome, the earliest (factory applied) feldgrau finish can be seen. The outermost coat of feldgrau paint remains 95% intact on both the exterior and the inside skirt. The Runic shield remains in excellent condition with little surface wear, while the party shield has sustained several hits, particularly in the right half. The leather of the liner remains completely intact; showing only moderate wear and has darkened to a medium brown. The chinstrap is original to the helmet; being the SS V.A. marked one installed in 1938.

This helmet bears the names of three different wearers; each of them found on the personnel roles of the Auschwitz death camp. The most noteworthy among them being Dr Irmfried Eberl; former head of the T4 euthanasia program at Brandenburg, and a major figure in operation Reinhard. Eberl was the first commandant of the Treblinka Death camp in July of 1942 but was recalled after 5 weeks due to administrative incompetence regarding disposal of the 90,000 corpses accumulated during his short tenure. He was reassigned to the euthanasia program, and later assigned to the death camp at Auschwitz, where he provided human brains to professor Dr. Asperger (yes, him) for study. After leaving Auschwitz, he was assigned to an Army medical unit near the front lines. The most likely scenario for this helmet being named as it is, is that as Eberl was being transferred from the camp duty, this helmet was relegated to the property room of the SS T-stuba Auschwitz where it was later issued to as many as three other persons (a common practice found in the case of other “Camp helmets”). The helmet was taken by an American GI from the midwest; most likely from either Dachau or Natzweiler; places where the Auschwitz garrison was relocated after the evacuation of the camp in front of the advancing red army.

P.S. Eberl went home to Austria after the war and evaded capture until 1947. Shortly after his arrest, he hanged himself in his jail cell.

Availability: 1 in stock