Bulgaria, Kingdom. A Royal Army Air Defence And Chemical Protection Model 1938 "Luftschutz" Steel Helmet, C.1942

(Protivovazdushna i Himimicheska Zashtita / Противовъздушна и Химимическа Защита). This helmet was produced in Germany for the Royal Bulgarian Army Air Defence and Chemical Protection of Bulgaria unit, the helmet in steel, magnetic, with a rolled edge, with its original field green paint, this design of which is often referred to as the "Gladiator" style. The crown has four honeycomb clusters of seven holes each, two pairs of clusters placed on either side of the helmet for ventilation. There is an Air Defence and Chemical Protection decal placed on the left side of the helmet, the decal composed of a shield in the national colours of red, white, green on the left, the other half of the shield in black and white on the right, a blue bar across the top of the shield bearing the Cyrillic letters "П-В-Х-З" (Противовъздушна и Химимическа Защита), the Bulgaria lion in yellow on a red shield insignia in the centre having been eliminated (whether intentionally or through extensive wear), the upper right corner of the decal overlaying one of the honeycomb clusters of ventilation holes. It has its original pressed card stock liner band, held in place by four dome-headed rivets, all four with their dual tabs remaining intact and securing the band in place, however, the band has experienced separation, as only the portions at the front and the back of the helmet remain intact, the two side portions having been lost to time. Most of the manufacturer's stamping on the underside of the neck guard is obscured but "39/28" remains legible, likely stamped in full "R.L.2 38/28" (Paul Diener, Dresden) as per other known examples. Just above the stamping are the owner's initials "K.A." in black handwritten text. The helmet measures 258 mm (w) x 305 mm (d) x 160 mm (h), exhibiting some wear and contact marks on the crown, along with extensive surface rust on the exterior, paint chipping evident on the heads of all four rivets, the interior with some surface wear present, the dome with the paint intact, the aforementioned pressed card stock liner band having experienced separation and wear. Fine.

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