A friend of my in the Netherlands has been looking for a BW early M1 (2 partwith separate liner) and a M60 (2 point chinstrap permanent liner with lateral rivets) to add to my collection.
He has just sent me the helmet below which is neither of the types I am after but an M62m (3 point chinstrap and liner fixed by a crown bolt). However, a couple of things make me wonder so I would appreciate input from members who concentrate on steel helmets.
1. Where the M62m has a single rivet through the shell at each strap bale this one has two at the side bale points. Only one in each case is holding the strap bale. The other (rearmost) is doing nothing at all. There is no sign whatsoever of this rivet having held anything and it appears to be simply a plug. The head is also slightly smaller and of a different profile. So, the size difference suggests it was not placed at the same time as the strap bale rivet or not during the same process at least. Plus there has to be a hole to put a rivet in so why bore a hole just to blank it with a rivet? Was the 2nd hole for something subsequently deleted.
2. The colour is thickly brushed over the original BW Olive Green but with some apparent care not to overlap the rim onto the inside of the shell. The paint seems to be of military grade and not at all like the modern aerosol acrylics used by the "airsofter" types and is of a shade quite different from the NATO sand shade with which I am familiar but identical to that I recall from Iraqi equipment during Op Granby / Op Desert Storm although I have seen a similar shade on some US equipment it still seems different to my eyes. I was a member of UK 7 Armd Bde at that time and I know the BW gave Log Sp and provided a lot of ammunition but I am pretty sure there were no BW pers in theatre.
So, is this a normal M62m with unexplained extra (pointless) rivets or something else?
By the way, I am still looking for the BW M1 (2 part) and the M60 (lateral liner rivets) if anyone knows where they are hidden!
Regards
Mark
Bookmarks