Searching for photos (or books with photos) of Kriegsmarine white pith helmet in wear

[WWIIBuff]

White pith helmet

Hi Jos,

Thanks, I forgot you posted those on that thread.

John

[WWIIBuff]

White pith helmet in wear

There are some great photos posted here, but the one thing that is missing in all of them it evidence of the large eagle on the front being worn. I recently acquired this picture showing the white pith in wear with the eagle on the front. Strangly it is being worn by an army medic.

[WWIIBuff]

White pith and eagle

Closeup...

[Jos L C]

Strangly it is being worn by an army medic.

Great picture, but what's strange !?

Jos.

[WWIIBuff]

White pith with eagle

Well Jos it is a Kriegsmarine helmet and eagle, so I thought is was strange that it was being worn by a heer soldier. Also since it is usually either for a line officer if the eagle is gold, or am admin officer if the eagle is silver, the fact that a medic is wearing it seemed strange as well.

Honestly the more I look at the close-up shot, the more I wonder if that isn't just an army breast eagle that has been added to the front of the cap, it just looks so flat. But perhaps it is too large to be a breast eagle?

[Gerard/Relic Hunter]

Why are the large silver eagle white pith helmets KM Administration? I used to think so also, but am rethinking it. I picked up one today from the son of the vet who aquired it. It has a 1941 dated sweatband and looks like it could be army to me. It doesn't have the standard KM green ribbed liner. It has a red interior with a green bottom. Can anyone explain why they are KM and not army, maybe I forgot what I used to know? So many of the silver eagles show up on the white helmets, I am starting to think army and not km admin??

Gerard

[WWIIBuff]

Hello Gerard,

The little bit I know about these helmets is what I have learned on this forum. As far as I now know, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe both had white "parade" pith helmets with the large eagle on the front.

On the Kriegsmarine version my understanding is that the silver eagle was for administration, and gold for line officer, just like the breast eagles.

I have not seen an army version (other than the picture I posted here with the medic wearing one). I still have not found any photos of the Luftwaffe version in wear either.

Here is a page from the Assman catalog which shows the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine eagles, but no reference to an army version.