Article about: I found this M42 last weekend at the flea market for a price I could not refuse and have been pondering it all this week. A close friend and long-time German militaria dealer was first at th
I found this M42 last weekend at the flea market for a price I could not refuse and have been pondering it all this week. A close friend and long-time German militaria dealer was first at the table and had pounced on a very fine WW2 US Woodman's Pal Survival Machete. Feeling a bit disappointed I turned to see what was left and spotted the dome of the M42 hidden amongst other interesting items. Adding a few other pieces to my pile that will pay for the day's endeavor, the helmet came home with me.
The exterior paint appears to be a "Blue Gray" tone unlike any other shade I have been able to find an example of. Not quite Luftwaffe blue, not quite "Apple" green and not the Late War "Feldgrau." There is no texture on the exterior of the helmet, the paint is smooth like that of an M35 or M40 helmet. Light brushstrokes can be detected however there is also strong evidence that would suggest the exterior coat of paint had been sprayed. The tell-tale sign of this to my eye is the unpainted area under each of the liner pins. The soft, "fuzzy" edges of the area covered by the pin give the distinct look of mild "bleed" or "overspray." This also raises an interesting issue, as the paint that can be seen underneath the liner pins is tan, much like the "Panzer Tan" color found on field gear from 1943 until the end of the War. There are several scratches on the exterior that reveal this tan color more clearly. There are remnants of a decal on the right side of the helmet, strongly appearing to have been an SS insignia. This decal does not match any other SS decals I can find (note the lack of black border around the shield) and is clearly not a C. A. Pocher example, which is what this helmet should have if original.
The interior of the helmet is painted a strange Light Green-Gray / "Battleship Gray" that is smooth in texture as it should be. I could not find an exact match to this color tone but did find several Kriegsmarine helmets that were close. The maker's mark (NS64) is stamped on the rear of the skirt and indicates production by Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke Schwerte as well as the shell being a size 64. The heat lot number is difficult to read but it appears to be "6460," placing production most likely in 1944. I have read that this company was one of only two helmet factories to employ slave labor, perhaps this could be a reason for the poor stamping. The M31 liner is steel and marked near both chinstrap rings, bearing the maker's mark of Metall-Lederverarbeitung (no visible date in the center of the of the stamp) and a size of either "56" or "58." The liner is very snuggly fit into place and does not appear to have ever been removed. There are also traces of the mystery Light Gray paint on the leather liner and chinstrap, further reinforcing the notion that the liner has never been removed. I can see maker's marks on each of the pins but they are difficult to read, they appear to be either "BC 40" or "EC 40." The leather of the liner has darkened but is clean and shows little wear. It is stamped "58" twice and in different styles. The felt wool pad is still in place behind the leather and the "eyelet" reinforcements on the "fingers" are all still intact. The brown leather chinstrap shows expected signs of age and long-term storage but is not brittle or too fragile to handle. The strap is maker marked but it is difficult to read, I could find a date stamp. Of particular interest, the same color tan paint as found on the exterior can be seen in between the liner and the shell, and can also be observed just above the liner rim behind the leather "fingers." I was not able to get a good, clear photograph of this but there is about a 1" band of tan paint present just above the liner's steel frame.
While I am fairly confident that the shell of this helmet, and quite possibly the liner as well, are legitimate War-Time production pieces, I am stymied by the rest of the facts presented. I can detect no less than three layers of paint on this helmet, none of which make any sense. I own several pairs of "Panzer Tan" 6X30 Dienstglas field binoculars, were helmets ever painted that color...perhaps at the "Depot" level? The quality of the paint application is also a concern, as it does not appear to be a "backyard" job for any of the colors observed. The SS decal strongly appears to have been added Post War which adds an increased level of "taint" to the entire affair.
I greatly appreciate any criticisms, observations and opinions that you wish to share concerning this "mystery" M42 and look forward to getting to the bottom of it!
In my Opinion you have an Norwegian Reissue, which used both the Original Chinstrap aswell as the liner - simply dyed red/brown, in this case this seems to have been done only lightly - as the Orignial WW2 German Size stamp is intact. The typical Norwegian Size Stamp is the one with the cyrcle arround, which is present aswell.
The Exterior paint seems to me as a butchered attempt in making this seem a wartime helmet, with Fake Decals. The color you see under the pins is the typical Norwegian green.
Here an Example of a typical Norwegian reissue in the same color.
Will - I did take them correctly. Thanks for the highly informative and helpful tutorial you supplied all the same, means a lot. Please see the screenshot I have attached here showing the images in their correct orientation as they were taken from my smartphone. I take hundreds of photos weekly and these were no different - hence the total lack of plausible explanation! Life goes on...
Adravor - Thank you for your quick reply, I think you have nailed it! The color tone is exactly what I can see in the areas mentioned earlier and other examples I have searched out have matched too. Thank you for this valuable information and taking a moment to chime in.
While I wish the helmet had not been repainted it will be a happy addition to my collection for the mild investment made!
I like the norwegian helmets, they have their own seperate value by now. It is indeed sad that it has been overpainted - but the inside and especially the chinstrap are fairly nice on their own.
Will - I did take them correctly. Thanks for the highly informative and helpful tutorial you supplied all the same, means a lot. Please see the screenshot I have attached here showing the images in their correct orientation as they were taken from my smartphone. I take hundreds of photos weekly and these were no different - hence the total lack of plausible explanation! Life goes on...
Mid-Late War M42 NS64 Stahlhelm REPAINT
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by komet45
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