DESCRIPTION
This particular helmet is a wonderful find never seen at a military show or previously shown online until now. The owner was given this helmet directly to him from his father a WW2 vet back in the late 1960's after his father's passing. The son resides in Santa Rosa rural California where believe it or not mostly vote Republican and some like this particular gentleman ride Harley's as their daily drivers with a full ZZ Top beard to boot. He was an auto mechanic by trade and now restores vintage muscle cars in his spare time. The helmet has come from the same part of the country that we find vintage cars rust free enjoying the perfect climate for metal preservation. This helmet is basically just as it would have left the battlefield back in 1944-45 undergoing no alterations or changes since then except for some darkening of the outside paint through natural oxidization over time.
The son's father is a direct WW2 veteran by the name of Robert Eugene Sichel who died in 1964. The son was born in 1953 and so sadly has only faint childhood memories of his dad and told me that the only thing he knew about his dad's service was that he was a corporal, and he was a mechanic. I have included the only two photos of his father he has left in this description so that future collectors will know where this helmet came from.
The helmet is actually quite interesting because it tells a real story here that I will do my best to try and narrate. This is an M35 DD Luftwaffe Q66 (Quist) made helmet with a rear lot number of 4586 suggesting an original factory production date of early 1939 according to Brian Ice's lot data book.
From early 1939 to sometime in 1943-44 this helmet remained as it was originally intended as a double decal Luftwaffe helmet featuring a national tri color shield on the wearer's righthand side and an ET factory 2nd pattern Luftwaffe eagle on the lefthand side. At some point previous to the June 6, 1944 Normandy invasion the German who wore this helmet knowing full well that a land invasion across the English Channel was immanent decided to give his helmet a fresh coat of camouflage paint for better concealment in the field. As Luftwaffe aircrews and soldier's had access to large pneumatic spray guns this helmet most likely would have just been laid on the ground and given one first coating of dark wheat yellow followed by bursts of dark green and brick red browns a classic Normandy pattern configuration.
There is a considerable amount of wear off the camo paint making me believe that this helmet was used in combat or in general service at least a year or two before the 1944 Allied invasion otherwise it would have been more minty and in tact. The solider didn't take the time to cover up the Luftwaffe decal and basically just sprayed over everything at the same time. From my years of professional restoration I can also conclude that on the eagle side he stood back a little bit further to give the decal a greater chance of being seen and not opaquely covered over. As a result you get this nice "ghosting" effect whereby the decals are clearly seen but obscured beneath the camo paint.
The inside liner is aluminum re-enforced type used from 138-39 with square bale chinstrap loops and it's original cotton drawstring still fully in tact. The chinstrap is rare because it's an early one dated 1937 and no doubt original to the helmet. Based on the few letters here and there I can make out on the chinstrap I believe it reads "G. Reinhardt Berlin 1937".
I guarantee that nothing has been changed, altered or modified and so nothing to worry about on this one. A wonderful WW2 survivor of a helmet owing it's return stateside to war hero Robert Eugene Sichel whose photographs are provided below.
$2650
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: $85 with full tracking numbers.
Shipping to Australia/New Zealand: $95 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
