Article about: Hello Forum, This helmet popped up, and it is especially interesting for me as it was found in my small hometown in an attic. The Decals are obviously fake and sadly the finder decided to ta
This helmet popped up, and it is especially interesting for me as it was found in my small hometown in an attic.
The Decals are obviously fake and sadly the finder decided to take the split pins out and remove the liner... The paint, which first looked like an awfull post war repaint, at second glance could be an Shipgrey Kriegsmarine color. There is also a Norwegian city and number (possibly costal position) scratched in the skirt of the helmet.
What do you think?
Bought the helmet. I´m gonna provide more pictures once i get it.
It comes directly from the Veterans family, and i have the names of two possible owners, the Great Grandpa of the Seller and his brother in law. The great-grandpa fought in Russia and returned, the father in law fought in Norway and was killed in fighting there. The sellers grandpa always told him to never sell it, but he stated that hes only moving it arround the house anyways, so why keep it. Well, its certainly in good hands with me!
First thing i´m gonna do is remove the awfull fake decals, they are only stickers, so that is certainly no problem.
A general question: Was it a practice to send equipment back to the owners family? For example, could it be possible that the helmet of the killed one in Norway somehow got back to the family?
an interesting helmet, especially the inscription "Aarsland". As far as I know, the equipment used by the fallen soldiers was not automatically returned to the families.
What confuses me is that the helmet is supposed to come straight from the veteran's family. If the helmet was always in the family and nothing was done with it but moving it back and forth, how did the fake decals get on the helmet? Somebody must have messed around with this helmet. So I have doubts about the story. The helmet is nonetheless an interesting piece.
The family name 'Aarsland' is a Norwegian name. 99% of the people with this name live in Norway. A few in Danmark and few in the USA. I could't find any in Germany. Maybe, if the helmet comes from the direct family of the veteran, the owner was a Norwegian volunteer. Something to look into I suppose.
I suppose someone from the family put them on there, maybe the grandpa, or someone else. The Story of that guy was pretty believable and he was definitly not a collector. If the story is not true, he didnt know. The style of these Fake Decals is also far from the Repros nowadays, maybe 90-80s?
Regardless of that, i´m now convinced the paint is Original, and Aarsland probably relates to a Costal Artilery/Bunker position. I´ve found a few similar painted Helmets which all came from Norway too. Supposedly Ship grey was not only used to Paint ships, but also Equipment, Bunker doors etc. near the Coast.
Aarsland could be possibly the germany spelling of the Place Åsland in Norway, close to Oslo. I will try look furter into that.
I have read a lot of these Shipgrey Gas Mask cannisters come from Norway. If post war or wartime painted is debated. But i could very well imagine that it was wartime overpainted, possibly also at a Coastal position. I just imagine if you fight in grey bunkers a bright green helmet or cannister... is not the best camouflage, in these situation grey definitly fits better. Basically an Urban Camo?
Possible Kriegsmarine M42?
.
Bookmarks