Decals used on helmets worn by the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH) went through various stages of evolution beginning in 1933.  The first helmets worn were simply black painted World War I models void of any insignia.  Sometime in 1933 a stenciled or hand painted swastika was introduced for wear on the left side of the helmet.  This insignia was short lived as it was soon followed by standardized insignia consisting of the National tricolored shield and an early form of the double runic shield introduced in February 1934.  This early runic shield was black with a white details and is believed to have been applied using a stencil¹.  By 1934 National tricolored decal insignia had just begun to be introduced (by the German Army) and many helmets were simply given a hand painted shield of this type.  Many of these tricolored shields were painted to match the scalloped runic shield.  As a result, period photographs often show National tricolored shields with and without a scalloped edge. Sometime during 1935 the early runic shield was replaced by a what has become known as the "1st pattern" runic shield.  This runic shield was silver with black highlights and a thin black border.  In most instances, this insignia was also painted onto the sides of helmets until August 1935 when a decal version was introduced.  The National Socialist Party decal was introduced at the same time that the 1st pattern runic shield was produced as a matching decal transfer.

Dates	Left Side	Right Side
Circa Late 1933 (painted form)		No Insignia
Introduced on 23 February 1934 (painted form)
Circa 1935 (painted form)
Introduced on 12 August 1935 (decal form)

Overview

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This Information Track provides historical facts pertaining to steel helmets worn by the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler from 1933-1945.  Individual links related to this subject are outlined below.

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