Article about: To me it looks like a repainted Norwegian, whether the original colour is underneath the black and awful TAN /GREEN I dont know, but i dont think the liner or chin strap are original to the
Good day Gents,, before give my sermon,, if this thread is in the wrong section, then I ask the moderator to move it to the appropriate section.
Ok before the helmet forum carves into this helmet,, i want to give a little background of when where I got it,, why it is the way it is and how i found out WHAT it is!!
I bought this back during the early to mid 70s from a now defunct company called "Unique Imports" I paid $25 for it and i was offered a choice of branch,, so i wanted the Allgemeine SS one,, well I got it and it looked like it was repainted and after some further study many years later in a Reference book by A. Hayes.. Uniforms and insignia of the SS. after checking out pg 117 in this reference,, that this helmet was not Allgemeine SS but according to the markings in 2 places on the inside rim of the helmet,, it tells me this is Waffen SS.
I am very sure this company who sold these helmets repainted them according to demand. Fallschirmjager helmets went for $35. Not all their stuff was authentic especially their medals and armbands etc. I have to say that this helmet is!
IMO I feel a Third Reich collection is never without a German helmet from some branch somewhere in the background of a den or a display. The German helmet it self is a widely recognized symbol that no other armed force has ever copied during that time period. It is recognizable to this day as a symbol of fear and crunching jack boots in the streets. Along with the swastika itself the German helmet ranks identifiable which gives an sign of Strength and a hint of machismo to any room it is displayed in.
Below are some photos of my M35 tell me your thoughts if its Waffen SS and in its repainted condition ,, what would it be worth? Regards larry
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
I just looked up the lot number in the lot number book by Brian Ice and the only thing that came up for that size and lot number was a double decal Luftwaffe. Do you know if this company painted over the original finish or did they stripped these lids down including paint? By the pics they appear to have stripped this one down to the bare metal. You can see the size and lot number clearly.
Sometimes the same lot number will be seen on helmets of different branches, so it's not always a definite ID for branch when a helmet has been repainted. There is a DD Luft in the GHW database a couple of lots away from this. This one was repainted after the war by the Norwegians, but there may still be original paint and decals under the tan, under the black. These old UI helmets are getting collectable in their own right though, they have a certain charm
My apologies gents I forgot to include the info on the decals,, they came with the helmet which were the water dipped type like you put on plastic models. I know nothing else about this helmet as what i had already stated. I am very sure this helmet was painted over as seen in the 1st photo. I can only guess maybe this company did! here is a link from the WAF that also commented ,,,,Unique Imports
So are you saying I have a painted over Luft helmet? Regards Larry
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
My apologies gents I forgot to include the info on the decals,, they came with the helmet which were the water dipped type like you put on plastic models. I know nothing else about this helmet as what i had already stated. I am very sure this helmet was painted over as seen in the 1st photo. I can only guess maybe this company did! here is a link from the WAF that also commented ,,,,Unique Imports
So are you saying I have a painted over Luft helmet? Regards Larry
No, i'm saying this is the only info I found in the lot number book. Its possible theres an undiscovered M35 SS out there with the same size and lot number, but I don't know for sure. The closest your going to get to answer on that is by asking Doug. He keeps his own personal size & lot number database on SS lids. He might be able to help you, good luck!
What i am saying is, without being a helmet expert, is that the brown chinstraps was common on LW helmets. So we have 2 "hints" on LW on this, but far from conclusive.
If I'm not mistaken, some Luftwaffes are known to have brown straps, but i'm not sure if this helmet in particular has the original strap, could possibly be a reproduction??
My database is in my laptop which is not with me at the moment (I am almost 100% iPad now!) but the lot number isn't ringing any bells. Impossible to say what it used to be now. Value, maybe $50-100 I don't know for sure.
My one and only M35,, Waffen SS ??
,, if this thread is in the wrong section, then I ask the moderator to move it to the appropriate section.
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by Larry C
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