M45 Helmets

[hawk82]

Hawk, it should be more a matter of knowing for yourself what is original, and less of people telling you what is original.

Yes, I have in the past fabricated models B, B/II, and C using DDR helmets, and you have no doubt seen the repro B/II on WAF.

But if you would bother to closely compare the repro B/II with the B/II posted on this forum, you would see that the two are not identical helmets.

The M56 DDR helmet is a copy of the B/II, but not an exact copy. The B/II has slightly steeper angles, higher dome, wider base, a factory finished edge, and a more narrow visor. One does not arrive at this helmet by simply cutting down a DDR M56. They are two different helmets made by different stamping dies.

Hawk, if you don't like my B/II, thats fine. But don't try to tell me it was made from a cut down DDR helmet, because that is clearly not the case.

I don't tell YOU what it is, because YOU know it.

But the rest of the world should form his own opinion.

It's not a big problem to bend a burnt-out and cutted DDR helmet in the vise so that it is shorter and wider. Thus arises precisely this acute form.

[Brian]

I
It's not a big problem to bend a burnt-out and cutted DDR helmet in the vise so that it is shorter and wider. Thus arises precisely this acute form.

That easy, huh? Have you ever worked steel before? It is not very easy to work at all. It certainly is not at all like bending some plastic DDR parade helmet with your hands.

Have you looked at the Bundesarchiv photos in L. Baer? Are those cut down DDR helmets also?

The B/II posted is a close match with the one in Baer p.397.

[Brian]

And oh, BTW: these helmets are hardened steel, much more difficult to work with. Even drilling a hole is a production.

Changing the shape could involve cutting pie shaped sections of the helmet out, and then bending, welding and grinding; a major effort even with non-hardened steel.

[hawk82]

And oh, BTW: these helmets are hardened steel, much more difficult to work with. Even drilling a hole is a production.

Changing the shape could involve cutting pie shaped sections of the helmet out, and then bending, welding and grinding; a major effort even with non-hardened steel.

Yes, I've worked with steel.
It's not longer hardened when heated with a welding torch.

YOUR helmet is a cutted and bent NVA, it doesn't match the Baer photo at all with that top.

And YOUR story is bullshit as most of your selfmade helmets and liners.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Gentlemen, please keep this civil.

Cheers, Ade.

[GasMasksUK]

Calm down guys, there no point fighting over the internet because you cant actually prove anything with by getting pissed off with each other, make your points, present your evidence and leave it at that. Whoever has the fakes, who cares, its just another scumbag to add to the list.

Thanks

Danny

[HJ-Collector]

these guys have brought waf over with them as this looks to whare it started.

[bikerboyzx6r]

2 big differences from the one hear and the original below.
The Button on the fromnt of the lid is standard M42 size whilst the B/II should have a smaller one.
The cut-out on the original seems shallower not like the one here or on the M56 NVA.
My personal opinion is that its a copy B/II

Cheers
Dan

[Brian]

My helmet collecting interests lie in very latewar and unusual pieces, a niche that most collectors do not feel comfortable with.

The comfort in collecting standard helmets lies in knowing that your helmets look like everyone elses, and that eveyone else approves of them.

I enjoy posting helmets for discussion and research, but ususally not for approval. If I don't convince everyone, thats fine. I don't actually need everyone's approval to know that my helmets are likely originals.

My collecting career spans over 3 decades, and why I am certainly not immune to error, I believe I have developed an eye for unusual original pieces.

I do enjoy discussing, but not arguing. There is no point in that. You don't have to agree with me, and I don't have to agree with you.

No back to helmets; my experience tells me that the first helmet is an untouched, factory produced example, while the one below is one I have altered.

The Baer photo negatives may have been stretched during copy, which may account for the elongated appearance and flatter top. But I do believe that this helmet is the same type as shown in the Baer photos.

[hawk82]

1. Cut the helmet along this line - the visor gets shorter
2. Heat the helmet and press in this area - the helmet gets wider, the top goes up
3. Add new rivet holes and close the old ones, give it a new paint - what do you have?


Brian, why do you never post the daylight pictures?
-Let me answer: Because the real repro paint doesn´t fool anyone.