One of the more storied variants of the stahlhelm, the Fallschirmjaeger helmet was the result of German experiments with airborne soldiers, where the broad neck protection of the standard stahlhelm put notable stress on the necks of paratroopers when the wind caught it during a jump. Along with the jump smock, these helmets would become one of the signature pieces of Fallschirmjaeger gear. This style of camo finish is associated with the paratroopers assigned to Africa, particularly the soldiers of the Ramcke Brigade and the Folgore Division. Led and named for Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, the Brigade (aka Fallschirmjaeger-Brigade Afrika, Luftwaffen-Jäger-Brigade 1) was originally intended for use in Operation Hercules, an Italian-led invasion of Malta that never went off, which was to be spearheaded by men from the Italian 185th Airborne Division Folgore (aka 1st Divisione Paracadutisti) and the Ramcke Brigade. Ramcke, a World War I sailor and marine, Weimar-era staff officer and World War II paratrooper, was one of the minds behind the action at Crete, the first mass deployment of paratroopers in warfare. Deploying to Africa, Folgore Division and Ramcke Brigade both distinguished themselves in combat , in particular the Second Battle of El Alamein. Holding the southern edge of Rommel's line, the Italians were rushed by multiple Commonwealth units; while Rommel regarded the Italian fighting man as a fine warrior, the British held them in contempt due to their reputation for poor leadership and equipment, intending to steamroll through and break out into Rommel's rear. Folgore's performance justified every ounce of Rommel's confidence, holding their section of the line even when reduced to fighting British armor with hand-thrown petrol bombs. As the rest of the line began falling back, Folgore and Ramcke unexpectedly found themselves performing an isolated rear-guard action; out of 9,000 total men, 306 Folgore and 600 Ramcke paratroopers successfully returned to Axis lines. Folgore fought to the final bullet, and reportedly refused the British the pleasure of raised hands or a white flag when they finally surrendered, at the end of an action described by Britain's own BBC as mounting a defense "beyond every limit of human possibility". Both units were effectively destroyed in Africa, though survivors from Ramcke became cadre for other paratrooper units and Folgore became the namesake of two successor units. Originally finished in a standard issue apple green, the helmet exterior was covered with hand-applied yellow paint with added sand for texture, in order to better blend in, in a style deeply associated with the paratroopers at El Alamein.The interior shows the original smooth deep green paint, with "ET71" stamped on the left side and "4461" at the rear, a four-point chin harness, and brown leather webbing with first style cream sponge pads around the brim and black rubber padding inside the crown, and the webbing marked with the maker's information of Karl Heisler of Berlin, Kopfweite #59, Stahlhaube #71, and a small "E Stempfle" hand signature. Stempfle has not yet been identified. This helmet can bee seen on page 97 of "German Paratroops in North Africa" by John Hodgin, where it's similarity to known Ramcke helmets is noted. Provenance: Russ Hamilton Collection.

Very good overall. The helmet shows a number of exterior scuffs and dings, exposing the aged brown steel beneath the paint, and the webbing shows evidence of active wear and use, with staining and scuffing of the leather, tearing of the chinstrap, an old repair (possibly field-executed) on the left rear strap, and a small section absent from the back of the webbing just behind the size markings. Overall a very good African pattern Nazi Paratrooper helmet, of a style associated with one of the pivotal actions of the Africa campaign.