DESCRIPTION
This helmet came from an older gentleman and former Scoutmaster from Funkstown, Maryland who mainly collected in the 1970's. He told me that he had already donated nearly all of his helmets and "German stuff" to the up and coming WW2 museum at Fort Ritchie, Maryland and this was his last helmet that he intentionally held back because if it's "interesting colors." Now finally after all of this time it is available to the open collector's marketplace.
This is an M42 NS64 mid war produced helmet with a rear lot number of D339. According to Brian Ice's lot data book this would place the helmet's production date to somewhere in early 1943 leaving the factory floor as a single decal Heer shortly before it was decided to stop having any decals at all to speed up the production process.
My best guess is that this helmet was issued to a German soldier who fortunately we can even identify as he painted his name on the back skirt "Kedrowski" and was most likely stationed on the Western Front somewhere in France, Belgium or Holland. During his time manning fortifications he and most likely his entire kompanie decided to apply a layer of camouflage paint to better conceal themselves in the field knowing that a full on Allied invasion somewhere along the French coast was imminent. This is the basic Normandy camouflage configuration whereby they started with a pneumatic vehicle spray gun and gave their helmets a fresh coating of dark yellow base tan followed by red brick browns and forest greens. About 90% of this original camo paint still exists and lots of beautiful wear patterns throughout suggest that this helmet did see it's fair share of front line combat.
Fortunately not only is it named to it's original German owner but also maintains it's original sheepskin liner system and original full length chinstrap with a painted slender style steel buckle and marked Josto Prague 1941 as best I can make out.
A real one looker of a Normandy camo helmet and one that is not only untouched since the end of 1945 but also in complete and unrestored condition.
$3650
Please call, text or email me if interested.
Tel/Text: 1-438-502-5052
Email Us: helmetsofwar@gmail.com
HELMETS OF WAR INC.
PO Box 555
Champlain, NY 12919-0555
Shipping to Anywhere USA/Canada: $20 with full tracking numbers.
Shipping to Europe/UK: $65 with full tracking numbers.
Shipping to Australia/New Zealand: $75 with full tracking numbers.
(Please contact us with any special shipping instructions as I am here to serve and facilitate the shipment.)
GERMAN HELMET FACTORY PRODUCTION CODES
(Every original German helmet produced from 1935 to 45 had two factory stampings punched into the side and rear or both in the rear. The alpha numeric number refers to the factory location and the inside metric circumference in centimeters. The rear lot number refers to the production run and was used as a quality control measure. The font styles used at each factory were slightly different but highly consistent throughout the war and so fakes or reproductions will either not have these numbers at all or they will use the wrong font style or letter spacing and so are easily identified as post war made.)
(FS or EF)-Emaillierwerke AG, Fulda, Germany
(ET or ckl)-Eisenhuttenwerke, Thale, Germany
(Q)-Quist, Esslingen, Germany
(NS)-Vereinigte Deutsche Nikelwerke, Schwerte, Germany
(SE or hkp)-Sachsische Emaillier u. Stanzwerke, Lauter, Germany
