Questions about chinstraps and name labeling in (German) helmets

[Alter Musketier]

Dear all,

I have two questions I think about for some time and have no real idea, however they are banal maybe:

Do reasons exist that German helmets are often without chinstraps today?

IMO there are comparatively few German helmets today with name labelings of the soldiers to which the helmets belonged. (When I think about my times of services at the Bundeswehr about 30 years ago we were well adviced to label the liners with our names.) In times of the Wehrmacht perhaps it was forbidden or not necessary (one way the soldiers learned the stamped lot numbers of their helmets by heart)?

With best wishes
alter musketier

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

Hi, I guess that chinstraps go "missing" on helmets because over the years they snap or deteriorate more easily than the other leather components, they are after all quite thin. As for naming on helmets, I personally have found that although a helmet may not have a full name or unit mark, at least 80% of the helmets I have owned have had a distinctive mark of some kind. Some are initialled or have purpose made "scratches" on the inner skirt. A lot of helmets are also marked using pencil on the liner which can be hard to see, especially after a lot of wear. Leon. Leon.

[reneblacky]

another reason maybe that these helmets have past through a few custodians over time, they are easy to remove/replace

[Danmark]

I mostly agree with Leon but some straps are reasonably sturdy. Helmets are however quite heavy and straps can break from hanging the helmet up over time. Additionally after surrender, removing the strap may have been akin to rendering the helmet unusable. Then isofar as relics go, the liners are a bit more protected from the elements so that may be another reason why chinstraps are thin on the ground.

.... or I could be completely wrong! !

[4md]

I have a M42 that is named but is written in pencil it is very hard to read and is only visuable when you hold it in the right light.
I think a lot of names probably rubbed off over time or are hard to read, then again about half of my helmets have no sign of any markings...
heres a couple of photos of names in my helmets, both of which i didnt discover until after i purchased and examined them

regards Paul

[lebus12]

And you have people selling the chintraps without the helmets! It's fool!

[Glenn66]

I always have some suspiscion about sellers who always seem to have chinstraps but no helmets.

[DougB]

Straps broke, are replaced by collectors, parted out, etc. Not unusual to see mint unissued M42's without straps. Helmets also had named writen in liners, on the skirts and some M35's or transitionals have name and unit tags sewn in them.

[Alter Musketier]

Dear all,

Thank you very much for your thoughts. (I have just to open my eyes more )

With best wishes
alter musketier
P.S.:

And you have people selling the chintraps without the helmets! It's fool!

unbelievable