Decals on late helmets

[T. Steiner]

I am new to FJ helmets, so please exuse me if this question seems obvious. How late did decals appear on FJ helmets? Do decals appear on helmets as late as the Alum. slotted bolts? As late as the steel slotted bolts?? Many thanks...Tom.

[Edelweiss]

If I don't make a mistake, the very first FJ helmets (1936, if my memory serves me) were already decaled.

[Edelweiss]

Oops, misunderstood your question, sorry...

IMO, bolts and decals can't be linked too strictly ; if already decaled shells were factory assembled late in the war, who can really say which kind of bolt the helmet received ? But if you want my feeling anyway, the LW decal disappeared just before the adoption of the last model of bolts (steel) : I saw many FJ helmets with no decal any more, which had alu bolts.

[Willi Z.]

Chris, I think Tom is asking about late-war FJ helmets.....slotted steel bolts and aluminum bolts.

Tom, yes you can find decals on both those late-war styles of helmets. You can also find those same helmets without decals. No one, in my opinion, knows exactly when decals were dropped on FJ helmets. It seems that they had them to the end. You can find both slotted aluminum and slotted steel helmets can also have the last issue FJ chinstraps...the buckle style. They also either have decals or not.

There is one style of helmet (of which I have seen a good 30 or so) that never seemed to have decals present. That helmet is the style that appeared to be in a slate gray, rather than a green gray. Every untouched example that I have seen had steel slotted bolts on the rear and slotted and ventilated aluminum bolts on the side.

Willi

[T. Steiner]

Thanks Guys, that's what I was looking for. Can you tell me when they changed from the Alum. band over to the Steel band?

[Edelweiss]

Around 1940 if I don't make a mistake, at the same time they changed the natural rubber pads for synthetic ones.