M40 Troppenhelm

Second Pattern

With the dispatch of the new Deutsches Afrikakorps to North Africa in 1941, it had been deceided that the wool uniforms used on the European battlefields up to this point were not suitable for the Saharan conditions, leading to the adoption of a new tropical dress for the troops being sent over the Mediterranean.

Included with this new uniform was the M40 Troppenhelm, a version of the pith helmet made popular during the colonial era of the late 19th century. The new helmet featured a canvas cover and prominent shields in the same design as the decals on the steel helmets worn in Europe. The new pith helmet proved quite popular with the men of the Afrikakorps, but offered essentially no protection from anything other than the sun, leading to the introduction of steel helmets to replace them in service. Despite this, the pith helmet remained popular due to its superior comfort, and thus could even be seen later during the war serving in Italy and the southern USSR.

A second pattern of the helmet, with a cheaper felt covering and lighter construction, entered service in 1943, and likely did not see service in Africa before the collapse of the Axis forces there, but remained in use across the Mediterranean theater for the duration of the war. The example seen today is a second pattern helmet with army (Heer) shields, although Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and Waffen SS troops were issued these helmets as well with their respective shield designs. The troppenhelm remains an icon of the infamous German Afrikacorps, despite its later use as well, and seemed a fitting point to mark 80 years since the DAK was deployed in early 1941.

German officers wear troppenhelms in a village in Africa - German Federal Archives