HELP ON GERMAN helmet

[firefox]

hi guys need help on this helmet m42
has you can see looks like i camo
but at some point it was painted black and looks like someone as removed the black to reveal other paint under it it now looks like a camo ???
there is some rust round the liner band the back rifit as the washer on , and looks to have always been there the two front ones have no washer ?? can just make out the numbers on the back L62??68 AND 3503 ??

THOUGHTS ON THIS HELMET PLEASE ,Attachment 1261713Attachment 1261714Attachment 1261715Attachment 1261716Attachment 1261717

[BrodieBartfast]

From the point of view of someone who isn't a helmet buff... The paint under the name 'Telkmann' looks like the typical apple green commonly encountered on M42 helmets. It appears that someone has stripped back the black paint on top of it to reveal it, and very neatly too. It's possible it had something stuck over it, like a piece of tape, to preserve the name during an overpaint. Whether that overpaint was done in wartime, or postwar, I couldn't tell you.

The camouflage on the outside appears to have been painted over the black undercoat. From what I've seen, it is more common for 'field camouflage' to be painted directly onto the factory coat. It appears that there were once two decals on this helmet (a big red flag as far as M42 helmets are concerned; the national tricolour decal had long been phased out by its introduction) which have been removed, perhaps in an attempt at restoration. Where the decals have been removed on both sides, you can see the same apple green paint, which I suspect is original to the shell.

Going on that, my personal opinion would be that the shell has been dressed up postwar. The helmet itself looks like a typical late war M42, going on my own example, which features the same shade of paint and what appears to be the same liner. (I think it's original, but I have a bad track record when it comes to helmet authentication). Can't speak for the chinstrap, but the wear and tear on it looks honest to my eyes. Below is my M42. I believe your helmet looked the same, once upon a time.



Regards, B.B.

[firefox]

THANK YOU . this is a big help on this ,just can not see why , some one as painted it black ?? then someone has removed it as you have pointed out the original paint is still visible in some places. which is a good sign thank you

[BrodieBartfast]

THANK YOU . this is a big help on this ,just can not see why , some one as painted it black ?? then someone has removed it as you have pointed out the original paint is still visible in some places. which is a good sign thank you

It could have been painted over by a reenactor or biker, or just by someone who wanted to 'enhance' it. The more I look at it, the harder it is to tell if the camouflage is on top of the black, or if the black is on top of the green. Either way, I am certain it isn't a wartime camouflage job.

Regards, B.B.

[firefox]

have had a real good look at it and the black paint is on top of the other paint ?? the black paint there is no black paint under the other paint

[BrodieBartfast]

have had a real good look at it and the black paint is on top of the other paint ?? the black paint there is no black paint under the other paint

That is interesting... Hopefully someone who knows their helmets better than me will come along soon and lend a hand.

Where's David when you need him?

B.B.

[firefox]

all i can think of is that some chap bought this as a black helmet and thought that they could be decals under the paint and removed the black paint witch now shows the original paint as some of the black is still on the helmet ..i hope that you chaps can shed some better light to this ,is it a post war repaint, or just been covered up with black paint at some point ..

[real steel]

Can't determine what happened here. Appears repro decals were at one time installed/removed. The liner & strap are original. Really all I can decipher from these pics
D.

[firefox]

Attachment 1261727

this is a photo of the side of the helmet ,i hope that some chap will point out that the camo paint is under the black and over the original shell paint as you can see that the black paint has been removed but not all

[firefox]

see photo hope this helps thanks