Unknown m40 helmet

**emineur** · 09-30-2018, 06:33 PM

I recently bought this helmet, and cannot seem to find any information about it. The helmet came with a aluminium comb, a leather neck pad, and a liner as can be seen in the pictures ( I dissembled it). The easiest conclusion is that it could be a postwar firefighter helmet, however those are typically made of aluminium, don't have air vents and are m34 rather than m40.

So it could be a original helmet modified after the war to serve as a firefighter helmet, but is doesn't have a batch number in it, only the letter 'E'.
The helmet is painted red under the black paint, as can be seen in the pictures. Also, the holes for the comb have a burr on the inside and are not nicely drilled.

So can anyone help me on this one? Is it ww2, and if not, what was it used for?
Higher quality pictures: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 09-30-2018 06:33 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Gunny Hartmann** · 09-30-2018, 10:04 PM

The red paint looks like a primer to me.

**real steel** · 09-30-2018, 11:17 PM

I believe the shell is a post war repro

**MAP** · 09-30-2018, 11:24 PM

by real steel

I believe the shell is a post war repro

Agree. NS font is all wrong IMHO.

**Nord** · 10-01-2018, 07:38 AM

Not original WW2.

**emineur** · 10-01-2018, 05:32 PM

Thanks guys, I also measured the thickness of the metal, and it is about 2/3 of a normal helmet. So it is indeed not original. However it could post war production from NS for firefighters? The shell feels and looks better than most reproductions I've handled.

**FALLSCHIRMJAGER** · 10-02-2018, 06:29 AM

Hi, it does seem strange that someone would fake these "low end" helmets, but i agree that the font is all wrong so that's the only conclusion i can come up with as well. Leon.

**Narcis** · 10-03-2018, 10:45 PM

Feuerwehrhelm DDR | eBay

**Litzmannstadt** · 10-10-2018, 09:37 AM

Original shell postwar used as firefighter helmet. Suchrepainted black helmets were used as fighterfighters helmets in many countries in postwar years ( in West Germany, in DDR, in Poland, in Czechoslovakia ).

**real steel** · 10-10-2018, 01:26 PM

This is NOT a WW2 made shell. There is no known "E" code for an M40. Any E coded NS made helmet was an M35 with a number following. The inner rolled rim is not correct for a wartime produced shell either.

So as far as being "Original shell postwar used"...maybe there is a language issue I am not reading correctly.
D.