Heer winter brush applied paint camo on EF M42

[DougB]

Here is another one I shot this morning, as my gear was set to photograph white I figured I better do this one before cleaning up the lighting etc.

This one is a Heer M42 single decal winter camo EF64 lot 1961 with a liner frame that I cannot make out the date but the strap is a 41 date stamped strap. If you look closely you can see a small piece of decal sticking out underneath a paint chip.

The paint is nicely crazed with heavy brush strokes and popped air bubbles along with where you can see hair from the paint brush that stuck in the paint that later fell out. It shows natural yellowing and patination, with a fantastic liner hastily replaced before it was camoed. I say hastily as it is missing the rear washer and the right pin is all scrunched up and jammed in, with lots of oxidization and dust/debris between the liner frame, pins and shell. Probably field replaced then camoed with white paint and later "liberated".

I would encourage members to study this helmet as it has the qualities you must look for in a real winter camo and I consider myself very lucky to have acquired this helmet earlier this year at SOS.

Enjoy!

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[helmet2id]

One looker - especially with the crazing over the bird - another great winter white lid. Nice one Doug. Jim G.

[Woolgar]

Wow

Nick

[Nordland/Danmark]

Beauty lid you got there

[davejb]

Alright Doug, one was good enough, now two, you are definately tempting the green eyed monster here. i really think that you shouldnt place such a heavy burden on yourself by owning this one as well, its just not healthy, let me shoulder that burden from you, i will take it on loan and promise to look after it as if it was my own. I will even pay the shipping.

[DougB]

Thanks for the compliments gents. Dave when I saw this one at SOS I definitely felt as if I won the lottery. It was at the top of my list of helmets I went there to look for and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it early on day 1. This is one of the most difficult camo helmet schemes to find and maybe the most difficult to ascertain authenticity when you do. As well many have just winter camo remnants, whereas this one is as complete as you will ever find so I consider myself very lucky to have been at the right place at the right time when this one was presented for sale.

[davejb]

Hi Doug, yes i can see how you are really stoked about this one, i would be as well, the one thing that always intrigues me about a whitewashed helmet is what will be the condition underneath, although none would ever remove the camo , if they are in their right minds, but it does make me wonder that the original colour hasnt seen the light of day since the war, that for me is more than history, its enticing

[DougB]

On a lot of camos you can see in wear areas the original paint but unless the helmet was painted right out of the factory most camos were done in the field or depots near an active theater of operations. I think other than some patina you can see the factory original finish for example on Jims lovely qvl M42 posted recently and many of the mint M40 helmets out there. What I like are the subtle paint shade differences on mint M35s esp early ET, I have one that they didnt have a base coat and the factory paint bubbled as a result. I think the lot was 2707 which is one of the earliest and a slightly darker shade of factory green paint.

A time machine would be nice to see these factory finished!

[davejb]

Yes that machine would be nice, i have a Q62 M40 lot no/ 101 black helmet with no base coat , which i found myself in a basement area of Detmold barracks, it has a hand painted HJ logo on the left side, the guys i was with found a couple of tatty and damaged small jackets with panzer epaulettes, we reckoned on them being parts of the same uniforms, ie HJ .