November 9, 20187 yr #1 Gents, This is an early postwar West Berlin Police Tschako. These are often confused with wartime German Police helmets as some have the postwar frontal police insignia changed to the eagle & swastika wartime badge to fool collectors. This Tschako is made of pressed fiber/leather in the same general style as those of the Weimar Republic and NS Zeit. The construction is about the same as those made after WWI. This particular Tschako was manufactured by Friedrich Becker & Co. who did not make Polizei Tschakos during the war. The West German Police first wore the standard WWII Polizei Tschakos with a green felt body without any insignia from 20 October 1945 to 16 March 1946. These were leftover wartime helmet stocks. From 16 March 1946 to 28 April 1947 a re-purposed cockade and then a star with a city/state insignia (Landesabzeichen) were added. From 28 April 1947 this star with a "Berlin Bear" insignia was worn. This particular Wappen front plate insignia was worn prior to 1951 so this helmet can be dated as an early (1947-1951) Berlin Polizei Tschako. The cockade on the front is the proper gold/red/white version for the postwar West Berlin Polizei Tschako.
Create an account or sign in to comment