History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. The Heer and Kriegsmarine uniforms were based upon the designs utilized by their predecessor organizations, the Deutsches Heer and the Kaiserliche Marine. Conversely, the Luftwaffe uniforms were based upon the uniforms worn in the sports and para-military organizations that were the forerunners of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe uniforms were specifically designed to deviate from the designs of the other Wehrmacht service branches. It was also necessary that the uniforms differentiate between military and civilian pilots.

The tropical pith helmet was worn by Luftwaffe personnel serving in hot, tropical theatres of war, such as North Africa and the Mediterranean. It was not meant to serve as protection against projectiles, but to shield the wearer from the heat and the sun.

The Luftwaffe pith helmets were manufactured with varying cloth covers, including tan/khaki, olive green, and blue. The tan/khaki cloth colour was the most prevalent covering, and the blue cloth colour was the rarest covering. The helmet rims are covered in a thin strip of leather, and the interior of these pith helmets is lined in red-coloured cloth.

The insignia featured on these helmets include a decal of the national tricolour shield and a decal of a left facing Luftwaffe pattern national emblem eagle. The shield is located on the right side of the helmet, and the eagle is located on the left side of the helmet.

This pith helmet is also known as a Tropical Sun Helmet.