SS M35 COMBAT HELMET NAMED

Fine example of a M35 combat helmet, wether to comply with the regulations or to conceal his true wartime role, the owner, SS Hauptscharfuhrer Willi Hiller removed both the runic decal and party decal, the helmet was one item of several that came
from the same man. The helmet otherwise is in top condition 90% original factory green paint remaining, leather liner is in excellent lightly used condition and Hiller has written his name SS Hauptscharfuhrer Hiller, leather chin strap is supple and equally unused, maker marked and dated 1938.
What follows are the names of some of the perpetrators, all German officers and N.C.O's who participated in the crimes against Jews and Gypsies in the Chelmno area. The first commandant of Chelmno (Kulmhof) was SS Sturmbannführer - SS-Major Herbert Lange. He was followed in March of 1942 by SS-Hauptsturmführer - SS-Captain Hans Bothmann. Successively, Bothmann had two assistants, Otto Platte and Willi Hiller.

SS-Untersturmführer - SS-2nd Lieutenant Walter Filer, deputy to Bothmann
SS-Untersturmführer - SS-2nd Lieutenant Alois Häfele, the 'specialist' in charge of all activities.
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Albert Richter, division commander
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Wilhelm Lenz, Chief woods commando
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Johann Runge, Chief in charge of the crematoria
SS-Unterscharführer - SS-Sergeant Erich Kretschmer, deputy to Runge at the crematoria
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Erwin Burstinger, in charge of the fuel and all the gas vans
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Gustav Laabs, driver of the gas vans
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Herman Gilow, driver of the gas vans
SS-Unterscharführer - SS-Sergeant Walter Burmeister, in charge of the gold
SS-Rottenführer - SS-Corporal Wilhelm Gürlich, deputy to Burmeister, expert in gold
SS-Hauptscharführer - SS-Master Sergeant Schmidt, in charge of the dinning room


In January 1945, when Soviet troops were approaching, SSers started the execution of the remaining Jewish workers, some of whom attacked the Germans, killing two of them. The SS burned the building in which the Jewish workers were locked. There are only two known Jewish survivors of this camp, Mordechai Podchlebnik and Simon Srebnik. During 1962/63, twelve members of the SS who had served as guards in Chelmno stood trial in Bonn, Germany. For their war crimes they were sentenced to prison terms ranging form 1 to 20 years. Considering the enormity of the crimes they were accused of having committed these sentences are extremely light and certainly out of tune with reality.

Code: 2444