Luftwaffe Pith Helmet

[Adravor]

Hello Forum,

i got this nice, 1942 dated, salty Luftwaffe Pith Helmet for pretty cheap. Sadly missing its insignia, but something else i can look out for i suppose. Haven’t seen the Manufacturer Maury and Co anywhere else - except a few Post war Tanker Helmets, is it an uncommon one?

The helmet has 2 times writing inside, typical Owner Initials and the curious inscription of „Mombasa“ - a British controlled Town the Germans never came close to… any idea what it could actually refer to? Maybe a company or group name? The writing certainly is old.

[Jerry B]

I assume it was used post war there, probably loads for sale cheap at wars end. I also never heard of the makers on wartime tropenhelm, though it looks all period correct.

[Adravor]

Not sure about the Post-War use, i can still see the Imprint of the Luftwaffe-Eagles Wings, if it was used Post-War i assume the imprint would have gone away. But definitly period correct imo.

[ErWeSa]

Maury & Co was, according to the Offenbach addressbook of 1937/38, a "Lederwaren und Treibriemenfabrik, Feuerwehr- und Heeresausrüstungen" at Luisenstraße 16 - so a factory for leather goods and driving belts and a distributor for firefighters- and army equipment. Who knows who owned this pith helmet after the war and what is was used for and who and why wrote "Mombasa" on it.

[Bob Lyons]

I agree, who knows what adventures your pith helmet had post-war, but certainly a good one.

Here is one that I found locally some years back, with the sweatband replaced at some stage, but with its
insignia intact, again, what stories it could possibly tell. The leather sweat band was probably replaced by
a collector after the war, but that is how I picked it up, but if a correct band came along, I would probably
replace it with the correct type...

Bob

[JohnB1945]

Adravor,

Nice Tropenhelm you have there. Agree with the others that it was originally a Luftwaffe item.
The holes on the side tell the story.