Good evening folks,
I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me regarding a helmet I picked-up recently from a friend.
As you can see it's a Polizei DD M-35 with a camo scheme of burnt reds, browns, and a tinge of green. I have poured over this with a printer's loop and all the wear to the paint and transition to the patina looks very consistent. I see no any areas where there is camo covering what should be patina where chips to the original (factory layer) paint has occured so I'm pretty comfortable with it.
The liner band is dated 1935 (earliest one I've seen) and is marked on the underside to some school (can't make out first part) in Hildesheim. The band appears to have never been out as the pins are still flat inside and there is no distressing to the raw edge of the band in the area of the pins where you usually see bright scraped metal from whatever tool people use to flatten the pins out.
It has a soldier's name in it "Rilke" with the SS rank of Hauptscharfuhrer. The interesting thing is that I looked at the master SS soldier index at the National Archives and there are 2 Rilkes listed. After looking at both records I was able to rule out one immediately (I think he entered the Waffen-SS in late '44). The other record shows Ernst Rilke entering the Waffen-SS in Feb 1940 as a Sturmmann. On the first page his unit is listed as "Sachgebiet S2b2". At the top of the 2nd page is stamped POLIZEI with a checkmark next to it. There are a number of entries in the record indicating Chemnitz?? His last promotion in the record is shown as SS-Unterscharfuhrer in Nov '43.
So here's where I need some help as I'm not very familiar with the Polizei and its relation to the Waffen-SS (except basic info on the 4th SS Poliziei).
First - any problems with the helmet??
2nd - What the heck is Sachgebiet S2b2. I've looked all over mil dictionaries and the Internet and the best I can come up with is material (sach) & territory (gebiet)??????
3rd - Would it be beyond possibility for a guy to blow through 3 ranks in 1 1/2 years to go from Untersch to Hauptsch. (with an RK I could believe it, but he doesn't rate one).
Last question - what do you think this guy would have most likely worn; the uniform of the Waffen-SS (with an SS rank I assume so), the uniform configuration as worn by members of the 4th SS Polizei (combat tunic with Ordnungpolizei tabs), or the Schutzpolizei uniform???
Your help in this would be SINCERELY APPRECIATED
Best regards!!
Bob
I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me regarding a helmet I picked-up recently from a friend.
As you can see it's a Polizei DD M-35 with a camo scheme of burnt reds, browns, and a tinge of green. I have poured over this with a printer's loop and all the wear to the paint and transition to the patina looks very consistent. I see no any areas where there is camo covering what should be patina where chips to the original (factory layer) paint has occured so I'm pretty comfortable with it.
The liner band is dated 1935 (earliest one I've seen) and is marked on the underside to some school (can't make out first part) in Hildesheim. The band appears to have never been out as the pins are still flat inside and there is no distressing to the raw edge of the band in the area of the pins where you usually see bright scraped metal from whatever tool people use to flatten the pins out.
It has a soldier's name in it "Rilke" with the SS rank of Hauptscharfuhrer. The interesting thing is that I looked at the master SS soldier index at the National Archives and there are 2 Rilkes listed. After looking at both records I was able to rule out one immediately (I think he entered the Waffen-SS in late '44). The other record shows Ernst Rilke entering the Waffen-SS in Feb 1940 as a Sturmmann. On the first page his unit is listed as "Sachgebiet S2b2". At the top of the 2nd page is stamped POLIZEI with a checkmark next to it. There are a number of entries in the record indicating Chemnitz?? His last promotion in the record is shown as SS-Unterscharfuhrer in Nov '43.
So here's where I need some help as I'm not very familiar with the Polizei and its relation to the Waffen-SS (except basic info on the 4th SS Poliziei).
First - any problems with the helmet??
2nd - What the heck is Sachgebiet S2b2. I've looked all over mil dictionaries and the Internet and the best I can come up with is material (sach) & territory (gebiet)??????
3rd - Would it be beyond possibility for a guy to blow through 3 ranks in 1 1/2 years to go from Untersch to Hauptsch. (with an RK I could believe it, but he doesn't rate one).
Last question - what do you think this guy would have most likely worn; the uniform of the Waffen-SS (with an SS rank I assume so), the uniform configuration as worn by members of the 4th SS Polizei (combat tunic with Ordnungpolizei tabs), or the Schutzpolizei uniform???
Your help in this would be SINCERELY APPRECIATED
Best regards!!
Bob
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