Article about: I purchased this camo M42 some 25 years in a less well informed era, and before the advent of sites like this. Anyway, I paid £150 for it, but now realise that there are questions surroundi
I purchased this camo M42 some 25 years in a less well informed era, and before the advent of sites like this. Anyway, I paid £150 for it, but now realise that there are questions surrounding it's post-war history. Has it been restored, or maybe refurbished for post-war use ?
I've posted close-up pics of the camo finish previously, which generally got the thumbs down.
Now I'm wondering about the liner, which I'm pretty convinced is genuine, and in good, supple condition.
On the other hand the chin strap, whilst appearing to be of considerable age, and with much use, isn't standard; the leather return of the buckle being riveted, not stitched, and there being no makers stamp. Could this be a late war economy issue ?
The lot number is shown, but what I assume to be the manufacturer's stamp above it is undecipherable.
Could just be the color on my monitor but the liner looks to be Norwegian "red".
The inside of the shell has been sanded down and the exterior paint looks quite fresh (even after 25 years) probably due to little outside exposure to build up a patina.
Just my thoughts.
"Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated
My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them
"Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)
Thanks for the comments. You're definitely correct about the inside of the brim having been scoured to reveal the blue/grey paint under the camo. It's actually been done with fine iron wool, as in the right light you can still see minor residue from this where it's fallen into the felt of the liner.
Ref the liner, I'm pretty sure that it's not dyed Norwegian red.
Any observations on the chin strap ?
I suppose that what I'm wondering is if the chin strap is not wartime German, does it conform to a pattern which might point to a post-war user ?
Maybe it's just a LW M42 which somebody tried to tart up as a camo job, but if my memory serves me right camo helmets weren't particularly desirable back then.
Both above comments appreciated. Any further observations welcomed, especially regarding the provenance of the chin strap.
It's unlikely that I'll ever know the true history of this helmet, but any info pointing to whether it's just a deliberately 'pimped-up' LW M42, or a post war re-purposed LW M42 is useful.
Enigmatic M42
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