Heer M42 Winter Camo opinions please, possible purchase

[Rescue190]

I am looking at making a offer on this helmet and would appreciate some additional opinions please. Looks good to me but I have limited experience, especially with camo.

This is the statement from the seller.
A very nice m42 refurb. Shell is an SE size 64 helmet/56 liner band and liner. Liner band mid war 1943. Very cool winter camo job and nice decal. Faint name on leather liner with additional name on rear skirt inside. Leather liner is complete, leather is dry. Chinstrap is complete.
This one came from Czechoslovakia in the 1990's.

All opinions are appreciated. Thank you for looking.
John

[Gunny Hartmann]

The wear on the camo looks artificial to me.

[Jan]

This same helmet is also being discussed here!

Heer m42

Best,

Jan

[Neil Hever]

Yeah, I am not liking the horizontal scratching on the white camo. Why is this posted in two places as noted above? NH

[Rescue190]

Yeah, I am not liking the horizontal scratching on the white camo. Why is this posted in two places as noted above? NH

I did not see it posted prior to my possible interest in the helmet. Not interested in it any longer. The ask price was $1300 or items in trade. The helmet is listed in the Gunboards WTS section.

Thank you all for the help. Much appreciated.
John

[chuck303]

Guys thanks for the input on this helmet, I think the camo looks just fine. This is a helmet that has been through a World War and it will have bumps and scratches on it. It actually came out of an old building that was due to be torn down. It looks as if something had been leaking all over the helmet and there is rusty water stains on it. I know this helmet had sat for a very long time after the war. Honestly it doesn't look much different than other winter camo jobs did I see listed online. And the more I mess with it or move it around the finish can wear off just like described in the other posting, it is very fragile. I believe the finish had been put on with a brush you can see brush Strokes in it. I'm not sure what would make someone think that the camo is no good because there are vertical or horizontal scratches on it sounds a little ridiculous as it is a helmet.. A piece of field gear used in a brutal war. If it had a few vertical or horizontal rub marks or scratches would not bother me... Nor indicate its a bad helmet.... If i was to assume every scrarched up helmet was bad then most if not all helmets we own would be deemed 'not good'

[chuck303]

Whitewash was a removable coating. Basically just slaked lime and a binder and water. It was usually applied thick and evenly over equipment, vehicles, artillery, aircraft etc. and as the winter and weather wore on it would degrade, dilute and wear and blend really nicely to the surroundings. once snow was gone, warm water and a brush would remove the remainder as would warm rains etc..it was extensively used on the Russian front and more limited in the winter of '44/'45 in western Europe.


Here is another camo lid. Looks like the soldier had wiped or brushed the whitewash on with a rag or brush. The whitewash has been rubbed off.

This stuff is crusty, flakes off, rubs off.

Honestly I would be more concerned if it was a helmet that did not have the correct whitewash on it. Most of the time while looking through auctions online as well as other websites I am looking at a lot of winter camouflage helmets that do not appear correct. Most are painted with glossy white paint with a shine to it other times it just looks like white house paint... And i think thats where the dishonest people that make bad helmets do not realize what whitewash actually was or is and have never examined it hands on in person.
Most 'winter helmets i see do not exhibit real decals, hardware and the correct lime based wash. But rather just white paint...

[AndyM35]

For me the wear marks look more like typical tool marks i.e. repetitive marks and scratches. If you look at the area around the decal there is a large area untouched with scratch marks stopping just prior so as to leave the decal exposed. Yet on the other side the brush marks continue unabated. This seems deliberate. Why no scratches passing through the decal area and below?

Also, white wash is fairly simply to make with items purchased at the hardware store so just because it has a whitewash does not necessary mean that it’s genuine. Real white wash camos are extremely rare in part because the wash was often removed as the seasons changed.

Camo helmets are always very subjective and some won’t collect them as they are often require a huge leap of faith particularly without some form of direct vet provenance so it comes down to the collectors gut feeling. This is not one that appears genuine to me based on what I see but others will have different views.
Andy

[chuck303]

Andy i see what you mean. Maybe the decal was cleaned off?

[AndyM35]

Chuck, some soldiers covered the decal while others delicately painted around it. Having said that you would still expect to see marks or scratches continuing below it. I still think the decal and the rest of the shell look good.

What you really want is consensus from a group of advanced TR helmet collectors who may have owned or handled not just snow camo but all types.

For $15 annually you could join German Helmet Walhalla and post photos for appraisal.
Forums - German Helmet Walhalla

Andy