The Sun and German Helmets

[geelong]

you see some images of soldiers whearing sun hats and other whearing helmets.
but looking at some north africa images i see them wearing cloth more.
and i would think helmets would protect you from the sun. but would not stop the sweat from running down your face.but would be a little better in combat.
but cloth hat would be so much better, lighter and would not heat up as bad. well i rap somthing around my haed under my hard hat at work ,on stinken hot days. to stop the sweat going in my eyes at work.

[Spitace41]

I too would imagine this is why cloth caps were popular. As a side note, if you read Philip Caputo's memoir of his time in Vietnam he talks about how on patrol a soldier who had had his helmet on all day collapsed and almost died as the blood in his head was literally boiling from being under the lid all day. Although this is not a ww2 example, I imagine the effects of the sun on helmet wearers during the war were no less severe.

[radidas]

I had an Austrian helmet, which has tan/brownish paint ,and an reissued M35 in dark green. Both of them were equally hot, but It would be interesting to try out a dark feldgrau helmet or some thick tan camos, and compare them

More to the point - when are we gonna get to see the pictures!?

Chris

[Sir Payne]

More to the point - when are we gonna get to see the pictures!?

Chris

Here is the Austrian. Just my opinion, but I don't think there is a more attractive factory paint than the Austrian WW1 Tan-brown, although this one is not the nicest example of it.
The paint feels thinly applied, so that may be why the shell gets hot quickly. The M35 also has a thin coat of green paint.

[relicz]

It's a big honking hunk of metal, it is going to get hot in the sun no matter what as well as cold in the winter. Makes you think why the Japanese liked cloth covers for both warm and cold climates. Many nations used cloth covers. Covers were used for more than just camouflage.

[radidas]

Two nice looking original pots there, thanks for showing them.

I have yet to get myself an Austrian WW1 helmet but I have to agree with you about the colour, it has a very nice tone that isn't seen elsewhere.

Is the M35 an ex-double decal? I can see the remains of the heer decal but is there any trace of the national shield on the other side?

Chris.

[timothy]

Good point reading this thread, maybe that is why a few original Afrika Korp helments I have seen have the paint burnt and flaked some where on the helmet. Indication they were worn and not in a depot I am not saying all of them do.