IJN/SNLF shipboard overpaint combat helmet

[NARVIK]

Here is something you don't see every day. A Japanese navy helmet that began its life as a sailor's helmet, only to later be pressed into a land combat role. As the damage on the helmet shows, it didn't go too well for its owner.

The Kanji indicates that this helmet was part of an artillery unit. One can imagine that the sailor received training in naval artillery and moved to a land role. Or perhaps it was a coastal artillery helmet? This has been owned by a couple of very serious collectors before I obtained it. I know that the straps are original, but not to this helmet. You can see a bullet ding in the rim. I just wish I knew what battle it was in!

You can see the shipboard blue under the green paint. I have seen a few helmets with this green color, but they are uncommon. Shipboard Japanese helmets are even rarer than their German counterparts.