M26 French helmet

[ww2germanhelmet]

Good morning fellows. I just picked this helmet up in a Vet grouping in VA. I normally see these M26s in green and not black. This helmet appears to be correct WWII era paint. Any information on why this helmet is black would be appreciated. Perhaps a different branch used black etc. Thanks for any info!
Dave

[ww2germanhelmet]

The patina on this helmet is really close to the other two helmets in the grouping (M40 German Heer & M33 Italian). All three have the same type of rust and patina from poor storage and all three seem untouched since the War.

[aterrasse]

Hi

Unless it has been repainted (which I doubt) black would be used by the French police and/or gendarmerie. The gendarmerie used to be a specialised branch of the army and would have tank, motorcycles, etc. at its disposal. Not too sure about artillery though.

Cheers

[stray_dog]

I think that I can see green paint on both the inside and the outside, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me.

Looking at the inside, it looks like there is the original green paint under the liner and up to the rim, with traces of the black repaint around the latter.

On the last photo, I think I can see green paint under the black one at 11 and 1 o' clock, around the badge.

So, I think that the helmet had a black repaint at some point, whether wartime or post-war.

Regards, Giorgos

[Rogerd]

To me it's a black repaint used by air defence or gendarmerie.
Regards,
Brecht