West German USAEURO tanker helmet

[austromunga]

Hi all
Here's my latest addition to the collection
Its a West German made M38 WW II U.S.A. type tanker helmet ..known by collectors as the USAEURO as these were made in West Germany for the U.S. tankers stationed in Germany during the early part of the cold war, to supplement a short fall in available home grown CVC helmets!! There were two types, a fibre type and an aluminium dome type (like this example) and are pretty much identical to the American made ones on sight... however..... they have some very different features on closer inspection..... most obvious being the vented Pepper pot holes in the dome itself (as opposed to the large vent holes on the U.S. made) NOTE... I believe the fibre type may have had the large holes like the U.S. ones!!???
The liner is maker marked MAURY AND Co OFFENBACH/M with the size stamp 55, and this example is pretty much mint!! some helmets that were adopted for use had mounts added to the earflaps for a boom type microphone (this has no mounts but given the condition, it may have never been issued, and therefore never modified)
the earphones were held in place by a unique to the West German made helmets, elasticated cross bands with popper fasteners.. the thick leather band around the rim is also of a wider section than a U.S. made one and incorporates large rivets to hold it in place (the U.S. ones don't have any visible rivets!!)
so there you have it... I'm very happy with this helmet and very pleased to add it to the collection ..and also the condition!!!! ... with it only having only a few very minor scuffs and bruises to the dome!!! ... the adjustment ties inside the leather headband have never been used!!!!

hope you like it as much as I do!!!
Ps
modelled by Caesar ... due to the small size!!!

[earlymb]

I have the cork version but it's too dark now to make decent pictures, I'll do some tomorrow.

The aluminium helmets were also used by the Dutch army in the 1950's & '60's although I don't know if these were made in Germany. I think the Belgians and Israeli's used them too.

The pic shows a Dutch army Sherman Dozer and its crew, 1960.

[earlymb]

My helmet, and for comparison my M38 tanker too.

[austromunga]

Nice period pic!!! and an even nicer pair of helmets!! to the untrained eye there is very little to tell the original WW II American from the West German made examples.. even less so with the fibre type!!!and as your comparison shows...also your Fibre one has a top line of stitching along the rim band of leather (as the U.S. original) ... the aluminium dome type has the rivets instead!!

ps your display head looks to have had a little accident!! owch!!!

[earlymb]

The display head was modeled on Eric Roberts ;-) But it's probably why I got it for free.

I don't know the maker of my example; it's only marked with the size (59). The M38 is a Sears Saddlery size 7 3/8, a scarce maker in a rare large size.

Quite a lot of younger & inexperienced collectors got fooled by the post-war helmets, thinking they were WW2-era. But by now they have become a bit scarce on their own right and you don't see them as much anymore.

[oradour]

Nice tanker helmets lads !
Made in West Germany but never bought or issued by the Bundeswehr, if any are seen in period images of BW personal wearing, they would of been "borrowed" from other NATO forces probably during large scale exercises.....many a U.S. woodland/British DPM cammo helmet covers came this way !
Prost ! Steve.

[austromunga]

Hi all!!

Just a quick update on the USAEURO tanker helmet..
I managed to finally get my hands on a pair of M1944 Polaroid dust goggles (boxed too!!!!)
so added them to the display!!