Decal on the wrong side?

[earlymb]

First, let me say I have no knowledge at all about German helmets or their decals.

I came across this photo and first assumed it was simply mirrored, till I noticed that the sleeve eagle actually is at correct place and the runes themselves point the right way. Was it common practice to put a rune decal on the left side of the helmet? I never noticed it before.

[Jan]

Certainly rare but they did make them. Could be for a so called "Reverse" Double Decal for Foreign Volunteers!

See here for instance

https://therupturedduck.com/collecti...ign-volunteers

Best,

Jan

[helmet2id]

Certainly rare but they did make them. Could be for a so called "Reverse" Double Decal for Foreign Volunteers!

See here for instance

https://therupturedduck.com/collecti...ign-volunteers

Best,

Jan

It could also be a double runic helmet, also very rare. Here are 2 double runic examples. The first is an ET M40 with a Pocher Runic shield added on the left. The second is an EF M42, again, with a Pocher added to the left. The third, an M35 EF, was originally a double decal combat Police helmet, converted to a reverse decal SS by the placement of a Pocher runic shield over the Police adler decal. The added decal on these reverse decal or double runic SS helmets is almost always, if not always, a field applied Pocher runic shield. Jim G.

[earlymb]

Thanks for the clarification! Nice helmets too!

[HARRY THE MOLE]

There could be another reason too. It's obviously a posed photograph - perhaps for a magazine or something. If the photo had been taken from the right of the soldier the rifle would have obscured the soldier's face, although the runes would have been visible on the correct side of the helmet. Perhaps the shield was deliberately placed on the left of the helmet, purely for reasons of the photo-shoot?

Cheers,
Steve.

[Watchdog]

There could be another reason too. It's obviously a posed photograph - perhaps for a magazine or something. If the photo had been taken from the right of the soldier the rifle would have obscured the soldier's face, although the runes would have been visible on the correct side of the helmet. Perhaps the shield was deliberately placed on the left of the helmet, purely for reasons of the photo-shoot?

I think that might be an astute observation Steve and not as abstract as some might initially assume.

The image is clearly intended to represent a sniper vis the scope and non standard grip on the rifle, more like that of a machine gunner yet no concealment at all? Even if this was taken in a training "range" environment wouldn't snipers (beyond basic) always train in full field rig?
Back in the "dark days" LOL! I spent a lot of time staring at intel photoraphs of all sorts of nonsense and postulating about what the image actually showed. In this case notwithstanding the existence of reverse decal helmets I would maybe go a little further and say that I am not convinced that this was not added to the image afterwards. Does anyone else think it is just a little too much "high definition" against what one would expect to see on a worn helmet? Think of the censored white patches over formation signs we are used to seeing in allied photographs. We all know that the Germans in WWII were very handy with photography compared to their peers!

Regards

Mark

[earlymb]

I don't think the decal was added afterwards, there's a shiny patch on that side of the helmet that also partly goes over the decal. That would be hard to accomplish?

[Watchdog]

I don't think the decal was added afterwards, there's a shiny patch on that side of the helmet that also partly goes over the decal. That would be hard to accomplish?

Yep, I see what you mean but it wouldn't be evident on the white of the decal at this level of resolution.

In any I case I am not making an assertion, only a suggestion. The decal at least on my monitor looks very bright compared to the rest of the image. Hence the reference to censored allied photographs

Regards

Mark

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

There could be another reason too. It's obviously a posed photograph - perhaps for a magazine or something. If the photo had been taken from the right of the soldier the rifle would have obscured the soldier's face, although the runes would have been visible on the correct side of the helmet. Perhaps the shield was deliberately placed on the left of the helmet, purely for reasons of the photo-shoot?

Cheers,
Steve.

My thoughts exactly Steve, there are many known examples of reverse HEER decals used for film and photographs by the Reich's propaganda unit so why not an SS helmet as this is clearly a staged/posed image. Leon.

[CBH]

The image isn't reversed as the rifles bolt is on the correct side.