luftwaffe helmet...questions

[Paul D]

Yet the helmet survived. The owner told me it was a vet bring-back from his Uncle (But aren't they all vet bring-backs).

This one it seems was probably the real vet bring back deal !!

[helmet2id]

Pablo, Contact the seller and get whatever information you can about the vet, his division, regiment and company if possible, then you can maybe get some information about him, or at least the Morning Reports for his company, from St. Louis or the National archives. Even his name will make some information available. It would be great to put some history with the piece. Jim G.

[ObKrieger]

Hi Mo, without researching it further and off the top of my head, could be either 4th, 9th or 79th US Inf Div's?

Cheers, Ade.

Yea, those three are the ones that stick out too but there were many units involved as far as I know. Cherbourg produced few casualties but it took some time to take, if I remember correctly.

Pablo, as Jim has said, try to get as much info as you can out of the guy you bought it from. Don't relent! If you don't get something then the history will be lost when you pass the helmet on.

[Pablo]

The Reserve Flak Abteilung 152 was in October 1940 in Luftgau VII set up with three heavy and two light batteries and used in Luftgau VII. 1940 / 1941 it was then used in Brest at the headquarters of the anti-aircraft regiment 100. In October 1941 was in St. Helier on the Channel Island of Jersey.

In July 1942 the department in mixed anti-aircraft section 152 (v) renamed. In late 1942 a sixth Extended battery.

In January 1943 the unit moved to Cherbourg, where the staff of the Flak-Regiment 30 at the 13th Flak-Division was subordinate.

In 1944 the unit was expanded to eight heavy and two light batteries. It was destroyed in July 1944 in Cherbourg.

Hello Ade,
Thanks again for the interesting info. So far I have had no luck getting info on the vet who brought it back, but will keep at it. With the info you have supplied from the post #, how would you suggest I research the helmet owner, L. Hickel? Could I obtain rosters from these regiments? Thanks.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Pablo, sadly I doubt that this kind of unit roster info is available. Certainly not online. Archival research in Germany would be the only answer.

Only next of kin can apply for individual personal files from the German Archives.

Cheers, Ade.

[Adrian Stevenson]

One thing you can do is research if he survived the war care of the German War Graves site.

Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. | Arbeit für den Frieden

I never have much luck using this though.

Cheers, Ade.

[Pablo]

One thing you can do is research if he survived the war care of the German War Graves site.

Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. | Arbeit für den Frieden

I never have much luck using this though.


Cheers, Ade.

Thanks Ade. Do you think the owners name is L.L. Hicke instead of L. HickeL? If so, I found Laszlo Hicke (died 02.01.1945) and Laura (female?) Hicke (died 10.28.1944) on the Gravesites link. No luck with Hickel. I guess that is where my brief online research ends.

[Pablo]

The vet who brought this helmet back is named "Raymond Franklin Newbauer". He passed away a few months ago. I found his obit (Raymond Newbauer Obituary: View Obituary for Raymond Newbauer by Beams Funeral Home, Fremont, IN) which said he was a US Army WW2 vet and was born on Nov 16, 1925 Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Andrian.....can you use your powers of research to find out some of his military background, e.g. was he at Cherbourg? Thanks.

[ObKrieger]

Thanks Ade. Do you think the owners name is L.L. Hicke instead of L. HickeL? If so, I found Laszlo Hicke (died 02.01.1945) and Laura (female?) Hicke (died 10.28.1944) on the Gravesites link. No luck with Hickel. I guess that is where my brief online research ends.

Being at Cherbourg, he was more than likely captured as a prisoner of war, in which case he would have probably survived.

Good job finding out who the vet was, but have you tried talking to any surviving family?

[Pablo]

Being at Cherbourg, he was more than likely captured as a prisoner of war, in which case he would have probably survived.

Good job finding out who the vet was, but have you tried talking to any surviving family?

I spoke to the grandson (the person I bought the helmet from), but he knows little about grandpa's exploits. He did say he would get more info from his uncle. Too bad the vet recently passed away (that has been happening more frequently lately), I would have liked the opportunity to interview him.