Originally produced in a deep, near black paint job with the red/white/black German tricolor shield decal on the right side and an early pattern off-white/black Luftwaffe eagle decal on the left, the helmet has been sprayed with yellow-brown khaki paint, with the Luftwaffe eagle masked off and preserved while the tricolor was covered with the new paint; this was in line with regulations passed about 1940, which eliminated the tricolor from new helmets. Additionally, a net of chicken wire covers the crown of the helmet, with skirt uncovered and a set of five hooks securing it, a popular field upgrade. The interior shows the original paint, with "D121" and "NS66" stamped inside the skirt, a leather chinstrap with a faded "1937" maker's mark at the end, and leather webbing hand-signed "Obr. (illegible, possibly J). Hirsch". Obergefreiter (Senior Lance-Corporal) Hirsch has not been positively identified.