Enjoy this SS Pith Helmet...BILL
Enjoy this SS Pith Helmet...BILL
"As long as there are brave men and warriors the halls of Valhalla will never be silent or empty"
In memory of my father William T. Grist December 26, 1920--September 10, 2009..
901st. Ordnance H.A.M. North Africa, Italy, Southern France....ETO
Also in memory of my mother Jane Kidd Grist Feb. 22, 1920-- September 27, 2009... WWll War bride May 1942...
pith helmet looks great, I think the emblems were added ?
What else would they have used such a set of emblems on - besides a pith helmet? (Assuming the emblems are original)
Well reason has it that it is probably original - unless SS piths were marked SS, and yours is not. I dunno - never had an SS pith - just a Heer.
Bill-
Nice helmet. I have owned one set of the S S pith helmet insignia. They were among a cigar box full of veteran aquired items that I bought directly many years ago. These badges have been reproduced. However, there is a big difference between the fakes and the ones found on your helmet.
in my opinion, this is a fine unaltered piece.
Bob
BOB
LIFE'S LOSERS NEVER LEARN FROM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS.
You said it was fairly inexpensive, If you don't mind my asking, how much is it worth?
Hi Bill
I remember this one well. Wanted to bring this sunhelmet back up again. Some time ago in another land i questioned the validity of the shields being original to this helmet. But learned then that the holes for the shields were pre-punched before the application on tropenhelms. (though some senior collectors still doubted) This helmet is a prime example of this.
Sorry i ever doubted You Bill and your splendid helmet.
kind regards
Tim
Obviously an original Heer 1st pattern tropenhelm, with what look to be original SS shields and they look to have been insitu for a very long time, IMO. All looks good to me.
Jerry
Hi Jerry
Good to see you here. Notice the holes diameter compared to the prongs. The holes are much wider than the prongs that these shields would make upon entry, which is what led me to the false assumption that they had been added at a later date. But with further research, found that the holes were punched with an awl like tool. ( a wartime photo surfaced showing the workers using an awl to punch the holes in the tropenhelms before the shields were applied.)
Saved alot of shields from losing their prongs this way....
Again really nice helmet
Tim
Hi Tim and welcome to war relics. I agree that the holes were probably often preformed and I have also seen that pic of the holes being punched with the awl type tool- on the WAF, was it? None of my collection have holes that look as obviously 'punched' as the example in this thread, though I think even using an awl type tool, the holes might be no bigger than the pins and they probably were pre punched.
Glad to see you here Tim,
Jerry
Similar Threads
Bookmarks