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Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
After you've been collecting for a while... can you share any conclusions based on specific facts? What am I talking about?
For example... one of the holy grails of helmets is a double decal SS M40, right?
If one were to aquire one, what are the chances it came from the Russian campaign? Or more likely to have been used earlier? How many soldiers would have had the same lid from 1940 to 1943? Just things like that...
Another example:
Keep in mind this is just an example with no truth.
"When you see a camo helmet with a sprayed on camo it most likely came from a Panzer or Panzergrenadier unit as they had common access to compressed air and spray guns."
"Dark brown camo paint was issued after 1944 as part of a 3 color camo pattern for vehicles so if you see this color on a helmet it tells you the helmet was likely camo'ed after 1944"
Again... these are both 100% made-up factlets just to make the thread clearer
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01-01-2011 02:31 AM
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Re: Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
Here's kind of a neat one that surprised me when I learned it:
Kriegsmarine helmets are much rarer than SS helmets. SS helmets cost so much simply because of the demand and the current trend of collectors to gravitate towards SS items.
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Re: Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
by
ObKrieger
Here's kind of a neat one that surprised me when I learned it:
Kriegsmarine helmets are much rarer than SS helmets. SS helmets cost so much simply because of the demand and the current trend of collectors to gravitate towards SS items.
great starting post!
Who used Kriegsmarine helmets? Were they used by Coastal Artillery soldiers? Or by actual sailors on-deck manning guns?
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Re: Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
by
FranzJon
For example... one of the holy grails of helmets is a double decal SS M40, right?
If one were to aquire one, what are the chances it came from the Russian campaign? Or more likely to have been used earlier? How many soldiers would have had the same lid from 1940 to 1943? Just things like that...
Another example:
Keep in mind this is just an example with no truth.
"When you see a camo helmet with a sprayed on camo it most likely came from a Panzer or Panzergrenadier unit as they had common access to compressed air and spray guns."
"Dark brown camo paint was issued after 1944 as part of a 3 color camo pattern for vehicles so if you see this color on a helmet it tells you the helmet was likely camo'ed after 1944"
Again... these are both 100% made-up factlets just to make the thread clearer
The holy grail of helmet collecting can be any helmet , it can depend on if you collect by maker , branch or decal type or just by looks.
If you don't collect SS (and I know collectors that don't) an M40 double decal SS isn't your holy grail.
But if there's a holy grail it must be an M42 double decal SS with reversed runes and camouflaged with the decals visible.
If a helmet is not completely named and doesn't have a feldpost number it's impossible to tell where it comes from. Same with camo's there are so many factors like patterns , colors , brush or sprayed that you just cannot say with certainty where it comes from and what unit may have painted it unless again there's a feldpost number or unit marking painted in the helmet. Of course if the helmet has vet provenance and he can still recall from what unit he took it ...
M35 helmets and even M16/M18 helmets were used up to the war's end so the model and configuration cannot tell you anything about the theatre it may have been in.
Here's an M42 SS which was picked up by a dentist who belonged to a field hospital located in Anzio , only a kampfgruppe of the 16th SS panzergrenadier division fought there so I'm fairly confident the helmet belongs that kampfgruppe.
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Re: Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
As Frank says the Holy Grail of helmets is whatever a collector of helmets wants it to be.
For me it is a black SS LAH Guard / Parade transitional helmet with hand rendered insignia.
Frank, I am not sure a reversed runes M42 SS camo would be THE holy grail but it would be one heck of a rare one. I do own an M42 Double Runic SS and an M42 Reversed Runic SS, neither are camo'd.
I think THE holy grail would be an SS DD FJ helmet. With an accompanying period photo.
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Re: Helmet trivia, facts, Helmet logic... conclusions?
I really have nothing to add to this thread other than it is very informative to a person like myself.
Please keep on sharing.
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