Polish Exile helmet Eagles

**Thomas the Tank Engine** · 08-11-2010, 11:33 AM

by IvanPutski

Tom, Can you see the first eagle in yellow under parts of the eagle later painted in orange?

Hello,
Repainted parts are: a pelta, legs, partially wings and breast, however, in certain points the underneath paint is steel visible. Other parts remain in original yellow.

Regards,
Tom

**Carfin LEWYS** · 11-14-2010, 04:56 PM

Hi,

Some pics of my French Adrian helmet with white polish eagle (France 1940).
Regards.
Carfin.

**Marcin** · 01-15-2011, 10:41 AM

I got two helmets in my collection. Mk II came from italy, I bought it from guy which saved it in ´70 from scrap metal guys. I found name of previous owner - he is lying in Bologna cementary. Eagle is typical for 2nd Corps. No liner.

Dispatch rider came from enagland. Has to be in action because is repainted. Previous owner bought it on ´60 for less than £5 - I paid much more

but I´m still happy with it!

**IvanPutski** · 05-13-2011, 03:32 PM

[QUOTE=Marcin;224379]I got two helmets in my collection. Mk II came from italy, I bought it from guy which saved it in ´70 from scrap metal guys. I found name of previous owner - he is lying in Bologna cementary. Eagle is typical for 2nd Corps. No liner.

Nice example Marcin. Sometimes people question the presence of an eagle in yellow paint on 2 Corps helmets, saying that only white eagles were used. However, this is a good illustration of the use of yellow paint on a helmet from the Italian Campaign. I will post a few other examples when time permits.

**IvanPutski** · 05-13-2011, 03:38 PM

by Marcin

Dispatch rider came from enagland. Has to be in action because is repainted. Previous owner bought it on ´60 for less than £5 - I paid much more

but I´m still happy with it!

Yes, and also a nice example of a "non-standard" eagle stencil pattern, which as I have said before, are not uncommon and can be found in many different forms.

**Marcin** · 05-13-2011, 07:50 PM

Ivan,
Thank´s for nice words. Polish genuine helmets are almost impossible to find. I`m glad to have this two.
Yellow eagles - well, I think that most of the eagles in 2nd Corps were yellow. Ofcourse is hard to say because of black-white pictures. I never had problem with it bacuse there are so many patterns and colors, shades. We can´t forget - it was war, they used all what they could use

Waiting for another nice helmets!

**IvanPutski** · 05-14-2011, 01:50 AM

My experience has been that you tend to see more white eagles on helmets of 2 Corps than yellow ones. And in my own collection, that has proven to be the case. But yellow eagles are not uncommon at all on 2 Corps helmets, and of course, they may even make up the majority of examples (just not in my own experience).

But I have had more than one spirited discussion with other collectors on the topic, where they maintain that 1 Corps is yellow and 2 Corps is white . So I would like to try to lay that misconception to rest.

**IvanPutski** · 05-14-2011, 02:19 AM

Here's an example of a yellow eagle on a helmet of the Italian Campaign. This one sold on eBay a year or two ago but it's a nice example and it has been shown elsewhere on this forum.

**IvanPutski** · 05-14-2011, 02:28 AM

Here's another. This is a South African manufactured piece and as you can see the desert paint job shows through where the Italian Campaign green color has worn off.

**Marcin** · 05-14-2011, 08:55 AM

Ivan,
I agree that are white and yellow eagles. One thing is more sure that 2nd Corps ones are not so nice in shape as 1st Corps. I mean, they are one piece stencil without any details like mine.
We will never know if was more yellow one´s or white. We can only base on helmets which are survived.