Why do you collect WW2 German helmets?

[Doppelgänger]

The helmet I'm looking for, is not a relic. It might have an original decal, that would be really amazingly cool.

It has to have its original liner intact, that is a must. And a chinstrap would be nice, although I see that you can pick one up here and there.

I'm not very interested in Luftwaffwe, I like ground troop stuff so a Heer decal. I would probably tolerate an SS decal...

I don't want a small helmet, it has to fit me, if I want to put it on, I wear a size 7" hat.

I'm quite partial to the M42 shape, in fact that is the helmet I want.

I'm not aware of any militaria shows in my immediate vicinity. Guns shows, which I've been to many and have never found the helmet I speak of, although I have never been that interested.

In fact, I'm not that into helmets. I've got a fair amount of WWII and Vietnam US stuff and I've never had a helmet, even though they aren't that big a deal to find.

I like British stuff, and never got a helmet.

The German helmet is, of course, much more iconic than either one of those.

As far as being safe buying from collectors... I've bought lots of stuff from collectors over the years, daggers, hats, etc., who swear its good... only to have the next guy claim it's a fake, because "the Germans wouldn't have done this, or done that", etc, etc, ad nauseum. Been there done that. Got sick of it. That's why I've always stuck to collecting firearms, and I've never lost a dime on one. Wish I could say the same for the other stuff...

Reminds me of something that happened to me once at a large well known US gun show. I sold a perfectly good SA dagger to a dealer friend of mine, because I'd found a Police stamped Mauser HSc, original holster and extra mag that I wanted. I went and bought the pistol, and within an hour some jackass (I know this guy as well, small world...) tells the guy I sold the dagger to that it's no good, because of this and that.

I go back by my friends table to show him the Mauser and he says, "Man, I'm sorry to do this... but I'm going to have to ask you to take the dagger back." Putting me in quite a predicament as I had just spend his money and I wasn't taking the gun back ;-( I got pretty fed-up with this kind of stuff after a while and just stuck to firearms.

At one point I got tired of the stuff, which has happened to me many times over the years... and I liquidated $20,000 of WWII pistols and rifles in just a couple weeks, so I could buy a 50's vintage Harley Panhead I'd fallen in love with. That was how I ended up with that Fallschirmjager helmet I mentioned earlier. A serious collector friend of mine was begging me to take it in trade on a Luger. This other stuff, the edged weapons, medals, hats, etc... you take a bath on if you need to liquidate in a hurry and I'm not made of money so I have to keep that in mind.

Speaking of money and back to the helmet, I'm just a working guy trying to get by. I like to have this stuff, but I won't be spending two weeks pay on one... That would be quite ridiculous, regardless of whether I can afford it. I guess I don't want one that bad.

[Alexander]

The M40 helmet is, to me, a design classic. An icon of the machine warfare era of the 20th century. As a kid we were based in West Germany, most of the US Army kasernes were former Third Reich installations, so the German military past was around me from an early age. I took a keen interest in European history, especially with regards to WWII and the years after, still reading about that period nowadays. The old M1s were always around when I grew up, we used them as toys playing soldiers. The British helmets were cheap tin c**p, never liked them. The German helmets were in a totally different league, their shape a shorthand for the 'bad guys'.

Years later, as an adult, I bought one and just love the construction; that combination of cold metal and warm brown leather. They sit more comfortably on your head than the M1s, provide better protection than the Tommy helmets. They look the part, an icon of a failured social / military experiment. There is, to me, something spine tingling about them, as the British politician Ann Widdecombe would say, "there's something about the night in them".

Not sure about the comment regarding the Luftwaffe. They did fight on the ground, especially towards the later stages of the war. I have two Lufties, one Heer.

Attachment 462554

My three M40s and M17.

Attachment 462555

I perfer the M40s as they were produced during the titantic struggle of WWII. Not too keen on the M42s with their flared, unfinished rims. Due to the demands they left the factories, as I see it, unfinished. Wouldn't stop me buying one, however!

[Doppelgänger]

Maybe an M40 wouldn't be so bad... Very very nice helmets you have there. I especially like the 1st on the left on top, and bottom left as well.

If you have one too many, don't be afraid to share ;-)

[Alexander]

Thanks for the comments. The top left helmet is my first one; a EF68 green Heer. The decal lacquer residue is still visible, sadly not the decal itself. The bottom left is a Q66 Lufty, it has been painted over but the decal is partly visible.

Attachment 463077
Quist 66cm Luftwaffe M40

Attachment 463078
EF68 large size Heer M40

[Logictox]

As Siri would respond to this question.

"Does the question interest you?"

Frankly I can't think of a better response to the question.

Seriously though I do it just because I enjoy the history. I don't own any of these things, if anything they own me. I've made myself the caretaker of the items I poses and it's my job to pass them on in the same condition I received them. Most of them have outlived all of their original owners and they will certainly outlive me.

[SSamir]

I collect German helmets because I love the quality that was put into them. I love the shape, the lines, the way they were "carved" out, an attractive and the intimidating look they posses, I love history, but sometimes I look at my collection and ask myself "What the f**k am I doing, LMAO! But in all seriousness, its a hobby I enjoy. When people do ask me why I collect them, I ask "why do people collect stamps, coins, comic books, signed baseballs, photographs, etc??, same reason why I collect WW2 German helmets!".

[Wagriff]

Personally, whenever anyone used to ask me "Why do you collect German helmets?", my automatic response was always "Why? Have you got one for sale?"

[NARVIK]

To impress the ladies, of course!

[geelong]

i think for me its the shape and decals but always been into ww2 era items but just the german equitment has that tone to it. that makes me lean to it more. the first war movie i watched as boy was bridge at remagen. after this i wanted to no who were these germans . and i had britons soilders. i always liked my german ones more. so i think moveing to helmets was the next step. and haveing a real piece of history in your hands makes it intesting too. but hunt for these items can be fun to. This it a photo of me trying to be a german soilder 24years ago at the time i thought the helmet on my head was german but soon lenrt it was spanish

[Wagriff]

have you ever shot a mauser? just curious, when I bought mine, I looked at a 30-06, & thought humm, the 8mm is just a little shorter, then I was thinking my right shoulder is all torn up, this is going to kill me, but after I put one in the chamber I stood there and squeezed one off the gun never moved, no recoil at all, I love my m-1 carbine & my ak -47. but the k98 is so well made & it impressed me, I hardly let anyone know I have it , crap now i want to pop a few rounds out of it tomorrow, well later today.

regards Marty

One great thing about the Mauser action was also, as it turned out, a bad thing for it as well in the long run. That was how Strong the action was. After the war, thousands of them got converted into hunting calibers and sporterized.

I remember that I was annoyed at how many of the old Berdan primered military surplus shells would be duds, so I went out and bought a set of RCBS reloading dies for my Rockchucker press and a primer removing tool and began to reload the shells with modern primers,powders and good Speer boat tail heads. Man, oh Man, could you jack up the loads on those old Mausers and Never have to worry once about them blowing the bolt up in your face. The military loads were Puny compared to the upper end of safety loads you could do them with! They were made to shoot all day-not so These loads! They Did, however, also tend to Kick just a wee bit!(Sometimes I wondered if they were 7mm Magnum loads, by the feel of them!)Steel buttplates do Not make good recoil absorbers! Veryyyy versatile guns,those 98K's! Built to typical over done German specs!