Decal Description

Helmets worn by the Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) underwent significant change over the course of a few short years.  Initially the insignia took the form of a thin white swastika and a tilted black and white Prussian shield.  The Prussian shield was initially used by only those police units organized by Hermann Göring while he was in control of the Prussian state.  This insignia was later also used by other Protection Police as they began to be centralized under Prussian authority within the larger German Reich.  When the national colors of Germany were authorized in 1934, the Prussian shield was replaced with a tilted black, white and red shield.  The swastika was then updated and made thicker.  Again in 1934 the national tricolored shield was modified to be larger and more robust.  This was the same decal insignia also introduced for standard wear on all Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) helmets.  In 1936 the insignia was once again changed to a standard police eagle shield and the National Socialist Party decal.  Initially the eagle decal had no border, but later many police units adopted the decal with border.  The decal with border was intended for use only on Firemen's helmets, but the silver border around the shield's edge proved helpful in making the insignia more visible when placed on black painted helmets.  During these many transitions, it was common for some police units to make application mistakes when placing insignia on their helmets.  As a result, an occasional helmet or two can be found where the swastika and national shield is on the opposite side of that stated in regulations.  In addition, sometimes police helmets can be found with the national decal placed vertical rather than at an angle.  During these transitions it was also common for many of the earlier model World War I helmets to be modified to take metal insignia instead of decals.  In most cases, all of the insignia was produced in the form of decal transfers.  A handful of helmets can be found with the insignia hand painted or stenciled onto the helmet.  However it appears that decals were the most commonly used form of insignia.

Date	Left Side	Right Side
1933 until 23 April 1934 (Prussian shield with thin swastika)
23 April 1934 until 10 July 1934 (Tricolored shield and thick swastika)
July 1934 until 23 July 1936 (Revised shield and thick swastika)
28 July 1936 (without silver border)
28 July 1936 (for fireman's helmets adopted later for police helmets)

Schupo Main

Helmet Types

Helmet Insignia

Helmet Photos

Period Photos

Wasserschutzpolizei