M35 SD ET 62 Luftwaffe Helmet - Theater Camo Paint?

[komet45]

I am posting this interesting M35 helmet on behalf of a friend who recently acquired it. I had the opportunity to examine it in-hand and believe the helmet to be a genuine, untouched example from the "woodwork." It came together with a superb Late War M42 in honest, original condition. Both helmets showed signs of poor storage, namely surface rust and fragile leather liners. No attempts have been made to clean the helmet yet and the way it is shown here is the condition in which it was found.

The M35 in question displays a very unusual shade of green paint I have not seen before but the age and patina present strongly suggests it was not applied Post-War. The pattern too is very chaotic and crude, breaking up the silhouette of the helmet well. The painted surface is smooth to touch and shows signs of heavy handling and expected wear from service. While it is difficult to make out in the images, a clear "wear line" goes all the way around the middle section of the exterior helmet surface and looks as if it could have been made from a band or leather retention strap.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts or insights you would be willing to share concerning this helmet and look forward to learning more about it's possible origins!

[Danmark]

Its an M40 first off ( pressed vent, not separate eyelet ) but as you say, the finish looks the part from these photos ( I like the trapped brush hair? )
I don't think the darker green is an issue being an M40 by the way ...... nor the loose rivets (from general wear )

[komet45]

Thanks Danmark for the reply. I could feel the other side of the air vent and it had a defined "crown" present that feels just like the rivet I can see and feel on what I believe to be an M35 shell in my collection. I cannot remember feeling a depression / impression on the interior of the shell. There is also a lot of debris around the exterior vent hole that masks the defined edges. I do not claim to be an expert on helmets, what "gives it away" as an M40?

[Danmark]

M35s had a separate vent eyelet and M40's were pressed into the shell itself. AND the M40 paint was not the 'apple green' of the early model but the felddgrau that darkens with age.

The "crown" you feel could just be the burst through holes edge of the pressing (if I am explaining myself ). Rivets that the ET factory used on their M35 were quite domed on the outside and did not have much of a radius to the hole. I'm of course only commenting on what I can see in your photos but it seems like a tool pressing to me.

Don't pull aside the liner to check - it appears way too dry and brittle for that..... see what the others say.
Cheers, Dan

[MAP]

Looks like a feldgrau M40 to me but closer photos needed to be sure. Also looks like a steel linerband supporting the M40 thesis.

That said hard to tell if the liner is original to the shell from these photos

Camo looks convincing

[BlackCat1982]

Nice looking if slightly unloved stahlhelm. Don't touch the outside to go digging out the decal, it's fine as it is with some careful treatment of the rust.

[komet45]

Thanks all for the replies. My friend has no interest in disturbing the condition of the helmet. Any thoughts on where this style and color of camouflage might possibly have been employed?

[MAP]

Hard to say. I don't think this style has a known theater of operations. I can say however that for some reason the Luftwaffe had some of the widest variety of camo patterns