One for Opinions

**Geoff Ward** · 10-30-2016, 02:40 AM

Picked one up today and everything looks right to me.Just wanted to get some opinions from the guys who know.I am not up on the ink stamps so I thought I would appeal to the guys who love their tin! I hope I can learn a bit from the "Big Boys"

All comments welcome! Regards,Geoff

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-30-2016 02:40 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**MAP** · 10-30-2016, 03:09 AM

Very nice looking helmet from these pictures. Color is a bit too greenish but I think it is the overexposure of the photo. That said, and I will wait for those with more experience, there is a page in Ken N's book noting that some Ckl's (i.e. ET) helmets had an unusually light colored painted finish with a "green tone" vs the typical feldgrau.

Nice late war textured paint. Liner and string look fine. Devil is always in the details. Check you the split pins to see if they are bent or not.

Do you know the maker and lot #? Based on this acceptance stamp, I would say it is a Ckl. Most are smudged and difficult to read. Based on my reference material this should say Abgenommen Wehrmacht Beschaffungsamt, Bekleidungs und Austrustungs, Abnahmestelle V.

Regards,

Michael

**Geoff Ward** · 10-30-2016, 04:00 AM

Thank you Very Much Micheal! The overall color to me appears to be Gray... I might have thought this was a Luftwaffe helmet I dont see many helmets with ink stamps in them was this something that happened later in the war because it was easier than stamping it in the steel? Regards.Geoff

**MAP** · 10-30-2016, 04:21 AM

The stampings in the steel and the ink stamps are two totally different things.

You might know this already but the steel stampings will be a) the maker (ET {Ckl}, SE {Hkp}, NS, Q, or EF), b) the size and c) the lot/batch number (for the batch of steel used).

The ink stampings, are for the inspector acceptance. According the Ken N's book, it is not known where the inspectors were located (at the factory or separate locations). Not all helmets have them. But all models of German helmets were inspected and stamped (M35, M40 and M42). The shape, style and content of the ink stamps varied over time and also by maker.

So, you should look at the inside rear skirt of the helmet. You will see the lot number and more than likely the maker/size stamping in the steel (the maker/size stamping could however be stamped near the chinstrap bales).

**FALLSCHIRMJAGER** · 10-30-2016, 09:11 AM

A nice looking M42 Geoff, a very nice example of the increasingly hard to find un-messed with no decal helmet! Leon.

**Gunny Hartmann** · 10-30-2016, 11:47 AM

Looks honest to me!...

**helmet2id** · 10-30-2016, 06:23 PM

What do the apron stamps say? Is this a _vl helmet? What is the lot number? I have a _vl 64 helmet with a very high lot number with the same textured feldgrau exterior paint. Jim G.

**MAP** · 10-30-2016, 09:12 PM

Jim,

Possible! In Ken's book I think I saw this stamp on a qlv /blv as well.

Given the rarity I didn't comment on that

**Geoff Ward** · 10-30-2016, 11:42 PM

Thank you all for the very interesting information! I don't believe there was ever a chinstrap installed on this one.Here is a photo of the markings on the apron.Oddly enough this helmet came with a lot of Vietnam era militaria from a vet whose older brother was in the second World War.There was also some Imperial mixed in.
I still find it sad that some families have no care whatsoever about their family heritage.Anyhow I am sure I appreciate it much more!and people get to see it!

Regards,Geoff

**MAP** · 10-31-2016, 01:12 AM

CKL it is! Looks like a very lightly stamped "4" after the 6, so that would be size 64. But maybe it is a different number

Given the poorly struck lot number (not uncommon for late war), I'm not sure what it says. Maybe 7767? I don't think it is 2767 or Z767. In looking at the lot # codes database over at GHW, the lot #'s end at 6845. Codes in the 2600 and 2700 range typically had a single decal. And it does not appear that ET/Ckl used an alpha prefix so I don't think it is a "Z". You could try looking at the out side of the liner band to see what it is marked (maker, date, size). From the size stamp on the leather it may be a Schuberth Werkes. But I would recommend against as it looks tight to the helmet and you don't want to bend and kink it.

So...what does this mean? Not much. It's a "nice to know" not a "need to know" and in the end, you have a very very nice late war M42

Congrats!

Michael