Question- M1935 Helmet...but liner & chin strap seem rather different

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

Hello all, I am new here, I collect US WWI & WWII gear but German items are new to me of this year. This is the first of 4 German helmets I have bought since this summer, I have 3 more on the way...but this helmet is unlike all the rest. It's black painted, it's chin strap is not like any of the ones I own, the liner has just one band and there are no breather holes in the leather liner. The helmets ID numbers are hidden under the thick layers of paint but the rivets are plain to see (making it a M1935). The liner band is stamped but to get a shot I'd have to untie the liner and I'd rather leave it intact.
All the info I have on it from the seller is that it's been like this since he bought it 30 years ago (the seller is a stand-up fellow who does not alter his items).

I did not pay a lot for it but I was just curious if anyone knows of the sort of liner or chinstrap was ever used- it may be foreign alterations after the war but German helmets are not my specialty...yet.

Any intel would be great- thanks!

[crazy horse]

I'm no expert at all, but it looks like if it had an SS decal someone scraped it off, or as they say de - nazified it, but someone who knows needs to answer this one.
marty

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

Someone may have tried to go decal hunting but I'd think the decal would have resided under the rivet hole, perhaps it was a decal that was removed...sadly that crime would have happened 30 years ago and I have no witness ha! Thanks for the feedback.

[crazy horse]

Someone may have tried to go decal hunting but I'd think the decal would have resided under the rivet hole, perhaps it was a decal that was removed...sadly that crime would have happened 30 years ago and I have no witness ha! Thanks for the feedback.

true I looked at it in a hurry & the decal would have been under the vent, my mistake. also it kind of looks like some kind of camo paint job underneath?

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

I know, underneath the helmet, which looks to be painted black at least 1 time, there is a green paint rubbed over the areas where the thick black paint has chipped off, thus giving it a camo look.

My gut tells me this was at one time a black helmet....something happened and someone had in it's past repainted the entire helmet black again. There are examples of shiny painted M1935's prewar but most were reconditioned for later war-time needs.

It's the liner & chinstrap that I have questions on- which is certainly old but very unlike the other liner rigs I own. I am not sure that these are even German issue.

Like I said my knowledge is not up to speed as my other areas of collecting but by my constant research and the experience of members here I hope to be much more well informed as I enter the warmer collecting season here stateside.

[WOODSNAKE]

I'm far from being an expert but i'd say its a post war repaint with a Finnish liner and chinstrap re-issued for there civil and or defense forces.
Regards
Phill

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

Ok, that seems to go with my gut feeling that is not German issue...who would ever want it painted black for military field use is beyond me.
I might have to untie the string on the suspension to get a shot of the liner stamp- there's some writing there.

I appreciate all the intel!

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

One older image with chinstrap up front

[DougB]

Not sure whose nationality the strap and liner are but they are not German WW2 issue. The paint is postwar and appears lacquered. Someone was sanding or stripping the outer layer of paint. The left vent lug looks strange, almost stamped like an M40, possible postwar replaced? Maybe just the photo? A closeup of this would be nice. Honestly if your looking at getting into German helmets a nice unmessed one would be a better start to get a feel of what a proper unmessed helmet is like. Cheers, Doug

[1stCTHeavyArtillery]

Not sure whose nationality the strap and liner are but they are not German WW2 issue. The paint is postwar and appears lacquered. Someone was sanding or stripping the outer layer of paint. The left vent lug looks strange, almost stamped like an M40, possible postwar replaced? Maybe just the photo? A closeup of this would be nice. Honestly if your looking at getting into German helmets a nice unmessed one would be a better start to get a feel of what a proper unmessed helmet is like. Cheers, Doug

Thank you Doug.

This was my first German helmet ever that I had bought this summer.
My second is a correct original M1935 with single national color decal. It has 3 bullet strikes, one nearly breaking but totally punching through the helmet- it cracked through both liner bands.
Second was just a M1940 shell horribly over-painted but my friend bought it for a project helmet.
Third is a aged but complete M1940 vet bring-back Luftwaffe helmet, it has a thinly green-painted camo over-paint still showing the Luftwaffe decal. It looks like the vet who was a Red Ball Express driver may have hit the prior owner.
Forth is a SS decal relic with what looks like a 50 cal strike going through the helmet- a personal favorite of mine, the vet personally "got" this helmet if you get my meaning. He sold me the same owners gasmask- pretty decent.

Those are not museum pretty helmets but they all have a story to tell, all were on the battlefield.

I have my first museum quality piece shipping- it is my Fallschirmjäger single decal helmet- should have it within a week.

I also will pick my second Fallschirmjäger helmet this Jan 6th, condition unknown but there is a decal on it.

I have a few original helmets in my collection that I can and do compare to, but the 1st German helmet I bought (pictured in this post) was the odd-ball. I could find out no intel on the strap or liner rig so I asked you fine folks here for some help.

Thanks all for the help thus far.
-Steve