Auction items .. Good, Bad or Indifferent ?

[ze-pole]

Hello,
MK2 Helmet with polisheagle are RARE on the Internet... But this one... I have a good feeling... What do you think ?

POLISH ARMY MKII HELMET WITH POLISH EAGLE TOP RAR ITEM!!! | eBay

I would say it is probably good...
ZP

[Gary J]

There "might" be a problem with the helmet ....
Notice the two holes punched through the rim near to the chin strap mounts ....
This was the standard way of grading a helmet whose carbon steel was not up to military field issue.

..Strange though to see the holes punched through on both sides !!!

Also, the style of eagle, to me is more the style I'd expect to see on a 1st Corp example.

Gary J.

[ze-pole]

Hello,
This eagle would be indeed for 1rst Polish Corps in my opinion.
For the holes you mention near the chin strap... well... my own MK2 with polish eagle, found in normandy (in Les Champeaux), has also not two, but one holes on each side...

Have a look, the picture is not really good, but we can see the hole, the small black ; the same hole on the other side but under the chin strap... exactly the same place as the helmet proposed on eBay...



ZP

[prosty zolnierz]

I have a couple of these down graded helmets that I presume were supplied for Home use. stops the brick dust from going into Grannie's eyes. would the British government provide "shoddy" goods to its Allies ? Heaven forbid !

[A.J. Zawadzki]

These Mk.II helmets with holes in the brim are covered here. I’ve excerpted the primary text in the event the web link is ever broken:

MK.11 NO.2 HELMET

MK.11 NO.2 HELMETS

British civil defence mk.11 number.2 helmets of which there are four submarks. these where used by civil defence as they where made from inferior metal or been rejected at manufacture for front line use, Although 700, 000 were issued to the Home Guard Because of a shortage of front line helmets, all the Home Guard ones were painted khaki. The way to tell the difference between the marks are holes drilled into the brim adjacent to the chinstrap securing lugs. The mk.11 number.2A has one hole and is made of mangonese steel the same as the military ones but have been rejected for front line use. The mk.11 number.2B has two holes and has a mild steel strip see the spotters helmet. Mk.11 number.2C with three holes is made of mild steel plate, The mk.11 number.2D has four holes and it is made of mild steel. There is also a version of the mk.11 which was known to have been fitted with a lining made from sections of rubber and a crudely made chinstrap which was riveted directly to the helmet body, Its thought they where only issued to factory civil defence units.

Regards,
Tony

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . For the holes you mention near the chin strap... well... my own MK2 with polish eagle, found in normandy (in Les Champeaux), has also not two, but one holes on each side... we can see the hole, the small black ; the same hole on the other side but under the chin strap... exactly the same place as the helmet proposed on eBay... ZP

ZP, if I am seeing the hole in your helmet correctly then it is in a different spot to the ones on the helmet in question (pics posted below).

The holes in the non-combat grade helmets are typically located on the brim ‘below’ the chinstrap securing lugs, nearer to the rim. Your helmet’s holes are ‘behind’ the chinstrap securing lugs, so I would think these are intended for something else rather than a marker of grade.

I know that some South African made helmets had holes in this area allowing soldiers to attach sun veils to protect from sunburn. There were also supposedly holes drilled to allow attachment of mosquito nets. Could yours be one of these that ended up in the European theater of the war?

Regards,
Tony

[ze-pole]

Hello,
Thank you to you two for your informations.
Best regards.
ZP

[ze-pole]

Hello,
A good Podhale Battalion from 1st Pol arm div breast badge ; rare on Internet :

RARE POLISH POLAND REGIMENTAL ORDER MEDAL BADGE BREAST STAR CROSS WW1 WW2 | eBay

ZP

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Yeah, that’s a good looking genuine example, and appears to be in top condition. As you say, rarely seen badge.

It was listed for sale and then suddenly closed, only to be relisted again.

The last genuine example of these that I’m aware of sold last autumn for about $1100 US, so it’ll be interesting to see where this one ends up.

Cheers,
Tony

[dorava]

the last one that sold on ebay a little over a year ago
sold for $670