Among the lesser known units of the Waffen SS is the 500th and 600th Waffen SS Fallschirmjäger Battalions, the only known SS Fallschirmjäger units of World War 2. The 500th SS Fg was founded in late 1943 in Czechoslovakia supposedly under direct orders of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler with a strength of roughly 1000 personnel, with roughly 50% of those personnel being from disciplinary units, the other 50% being volunteers from various Waffen SS units. The 500th would go on to participate in the attempted capture or assassination of Yugoslavian Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito during Operation Rösselsprung in May of 1944, an operation that would result in nearly 80% casualties for the unit and failure to capture Marshal Josip Broz Tito. Fighting in that region as a result of the attempt to assasinate or capture Marshal Tito would continue until the 500th was relieved by the 7th SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs Division Prinz Eugen. Following these significant losses the 500th would be reorganized as “fire brigade” on the Lithuanian front assisting the 3rd Panzer Army under Panzerkorps Großdeutschland till late October of 1944 when the now 90 survivors of the former 1000+ strong battalion would be regrouped into the 600th Waffen SS Fallschirmjäger.

The 600th SS Fg would be formed with the official designation Die SS-Jagdverbände SS-Fallschirmjäger-Batallion 600 in Late October of 1944. During this time due to the growing shortage of manpower in the German Waffen SS the 600th’s Unterstrumführer and Kompaniechef would actively begin to attempt to recruit replacements for the losses suffered by the 500th from Wermacht and Luftwaffe units throughout Germany. As a result the 600th SS Fg quickly became a unit comprised of disciplinary soldiers, Wermacht, Luftwaffe, and Waffen SS personnel, a key factor in a potential authenticity of this M38 helmet. Shortly after the reorganization and in preparation for Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, or Operation Watch on the Rhine, Germany’s offensive operation in the Ardennes now known as the Battle of the Bulge, the 600th SS Fg was put under the command structure of famed SS officer Otto Skorzeny’s Jagdverbände commando organization. The 600th would go on to dedicate two companies to “Unternehmen Greif” or Operation Grief in which German forces would attempt to infiltrate US force’s throughout the Ardennes region dressed and equipped as US military personnel and units. Skorenzy’s forces would make multiple attempts by the end of the Battle of the Bulge to directly assault the town of Malmedy as a standard unit to no success and heavy losses, the 600th’s two companies among those assaulting forces.

Following the 600th’s actions during Operation Grief they would be reassigned to the eastern front, specifically the Schwedt Bridgehead while still attached to Otto Skorzeny’s Kampfgruppe, during the month they served in this region they would consistently repel Soviet forces despite taking consistent losses. Following their withdrawal they would be provided replacements returning the unit to a strength of 800 men and gradually be assigned to Kampfgruppe Solar at the Zehden Bridgehead. The 600th SS Fg would defend this bridgehead as part of Kampfgruppe Solar till the 600th’s commander Hauptsturmführer Siegfried Milius ordered their retreat on the 28th of March 1945. As the line collapsed many men of the 600th and Kampfgruppe Solar would attempt to flee the frontline by swimming the Oder River, many of which would drown in the process.

After the heavy losses suffered during the defense of the Zehden Bridgehead the 600th SS Fg regrouped once again this time in Oderberg and would promptly be returned to the frontlines in an attempted counterattack on Soviet forces near the city of Bernau. Following a series of fighting retreats and rearguard actions the 600th Waffen SS Fg, now severely weakened with immense casualties, would make their final stand in the towns of Eberswalde, Prenzleu and Neu-Ruppin north of Berlin where they would be surrounded. Of the surrounded forces 180 men of the 600th would break encirclement and flee east to the advancing US and British lines and surrender to US forces at Hagenow, Germany where they would be interred as POWs. It is also reported that a small group of 600th SS Fg personnel attempted to break encirclement and flee south to assist in the defense of Berlin. No records exist that are known stating what happened to this small detachment.

Today the Die SS-Jagdverbände SS-Fallschirmjäger-Batallion 600 is a little-known unit that served in some of the most notable final moments of many well-known Waffen SS groups and late war battles of World War 2. Like many late war SS units the records of the 600th are spotty at best, with very little information having survived and unit rosters often being incomplete, replacements not being well detailed, and in some cases even the battles they were in simply having been lost to time and the mass destruction of documents during the collapse of the Third Reich. Much like the records of the two Waffen SS Fallschirmjäger units, very little equipment has ever been properly attributed to them with many blatantly fake or reproduction items often being misidentified as authentic. As of today we are unaware of any survivors from the unit who are still alive, and while there are books and records from some of the survivors, they often lack the detail to help individuals or experts authenticate equipment associated with their units.

This specific item is a M38 Fallschirmjäger helmet that appears to have a two-tone factory sprayed camo. The helmet and liner both appear to be authentic however unlike most M38s this M38 features no decal and no-remnant of a decal meaning it was either never applied, or it was removed in a very thorough fashion. This is consistent with statements by Sigfried Milinus and historical photos that stated the 600th and 500th both were banned from the usage of the Sig Rune decal due to their role as a penal unit and that no helmets had the SS rune decal on the outside. Many fakes exist that show the Sig Rune on the outside, from what information exists it appears that any M38 with the SS decal present on the exterior is most likely a reproduction or forgery and not authentic. The liner features the standard stampings detailing sizing and manufacturer, albeit with some significant wear, as well as a small SS Stamp and the numbers 600. The SS Stamp is often seen on uniform and various equipment components issued to the SS from the Reichszeugmeisterei or RZM office in Munich which was the National Material Control Office for Nazi Germany. These stamps are usually seen in conjunction with the RZM acceptance stamp, however they are also seen as an indicator of SS stock, indicating that this helmet may have been taken from existing Wermacht or Luftwaffe stock, accepted by the SS, and then shipped to the 600th SS Fg. The liner also contains the Rank, Name and Company assignment of the owner. In this case Oblt. (Oberleutant, or First Lieutenant) Obereck or Oberech(t?) attached to the 3rd Kp. Due to wear it is difficult to say with certainty the name of the Oblt. As previously mentioned many replacements for the 600th were pulled from Wermacht and Luftwaffe units, our suspicion is that this is one such case.

This M38 also features what appears to be a rather bizarre example of battle damage, with what seems to be a round having impacted the liner, traveled up the helmet, bulging the outer shell, traveled around the top of the helmet and out the opposite side of the liner, which may account for why the helmet was taken as a trophy to begin with.

We are currently in the process of attempting to authenticate this and identify the owner in German military records, German SS rosters, US PoW records, or Red Cross KIA notifications. We do not consider this an authenticated piece at this time and will gladly accept any additional input as we proceed

Nathan – 4/04/2025