Collection Highlights
SUPPORT THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Help us present groundbreaking exhibitions and develop educational programs about our nation's history for more than 200,000 schoolchildren annually.
Museum Collections
Luce Center
Helmet: German w/swastika on side
Stamped, sheet steel construction German "stahlhelm" with projecting visor and a slightly flared skirt and rim finished with a rolled edge; ventilator hole mounts stamped onto either side of shell; brown leather suspension, or liner, with chin strap held in place with three steel rivets; matte gray-green color with decal, or Wehrmacht Adler, depicting a black shield bearing the frontal view of a silver-colored German eagle with down-swept wings, clutching a swastika in its talons (known as the Reichsadler) on proper left side of the helmet. Marked "A.A.R / -15-" in black ink on interior proper right of leather lining; "AAR / -15-" in black ink on interior proper left of leather lining.
German helmets, such as this example said to have been worn by a German soldier during the Belgian occupation, were often brought back to the United States as souvenirs after the war. Additional items included weapons, uniforms, field equipment, ID papers or photos, documents and propaganda leaflets, insignia and medals. The objects were either shipped home or brought back by the soldiers who "captured" them.
