DAK-Palm Tree and Swastica

[Terry K.]

Hi All,
Hey Perry, I've looked also and never saw one. I've seen some helmets painted with that on them, but none I would trust. I to have seen it on equipment, and on one odd place, a captured British flare pistol holster that had a tree and hakenkreuz carved into it. It was really well done and I'm sure was a period piece, and it came with an early German flare pistol in it.

[Matt M]

Perry

On the M35 I posted I believe it was a repaint. It still has the aluminum liner but was repainted with thick gray/green paint inside on the rim.
There is also evidence of this paint under the tan.
There is no evidence of a decal, it might be under there but its covered up.

[Matt M]

2

[Perry Floyd]

Nice camo Matt, I like tropical camo's. Very likely DAK..
Is it brushed on?

[Matt M]

Perry,
That one is brushed on.

Here is one that I think started out as DAK, it was spray painted tan. The other colors were added at a later date (hard to tell from photo)

The interior displays the light spray, paint is on the liner band and chinstrap assembly

[Matt M]

interior

[Matt M]

Name under the tan paint

[Jack T.]

picture

There is an example of Palm Tree and swastika on page 126 of Goodapple and Weinand's 1981 reference book on German Helmets.

Indeed Jack

I took a ( bad quality) picture of it. It belonged to the Wim R. Maertz collection. The author stated that this particular helmet was taken by a GI from a destroyed german tank. The picture is in black/white

[Peter_Suciu]

I still have yet to see a single period photo of the symbol on a helmet. I personally believe that it was old movies, TVs like Rat Patrol and the DC comic books of the 1950s/1960s that convinced people that such symbols existed in such wide numbers.

I'm sure there were stencils around and probably a few helmets did get the symbol painted on them, but there is no official mention of it anywhere and no photos that I've seen. You'd think Baer would have found something in his extensive research too.

[WalterB]

Interesting thread. I would like to point out that are a few FJ helmets (like the one Willi owns) that have a shooting star emblem painted on its side. I believe Willi mentioned that the shooting star was a unit emblem of the Sturmregiment and later the 4th FJ division. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that there are some cases where German soldiers did in fact paint "extraneous" or non-standard issue emblems on their helmets (granted, very rarely).

In addition, I am not aware (and perhaps Willi can correct me on this) of any photographic evidence of pre-1945 FJ helmets with such shooting star emblems. So, I guess what I am trying to say is that perhaps there were some rare instances where individual AK members may have painted their helmets with such AK emblems, even though photographic proof is lacking.

[Peter_Suciu]

Oh, I agree that it most certainly probably happened...just that I do feel it was rare rather than the norm. I've been to enough shows over the years where I've heard guys say, "too bad this doesn't have the Afrika Korp symbol..." like these are actually common!

[Willi Z.]

I am sure that some examples of helmets exist with DAK emblems painted on them. It was a very popular emblem with DAK troops. Alot of pride went with that palm tree.

Same goes for members of the Sturm Rgt. Walter, I have seen I think 2 photos that could be black komets. I will try to locate them, have so many books and photos so it takes time. As you know, from earlier threads, the comet was encountered on vehicles, signs, etc. I just recently received a photo of a FJ grave site in Russia that included a comet painted on the wooden cross with a FJ helmet on top.

The issue is the emblem on the helmet itself. Very few, an exceptionally few, stand the test of a very close examination. I really have to be absolutely convinced before I believe ones that are era and original to the helmet. On the one I own it was painted on the camo paint, so it is much easier to tell (by the wear patterns) whether it is original. It talks to me.....

Willi

[Bond]

I used to own this example, but I could never convince myself that it was right, so I returned it and was agiven a full refund -Thanks Sean-

I dont have any better pics, except maybe some 35mmSLR pics somewhere, though I would have to hunt for them.

Jerry

[Bond]

And two more pics, one in different light/camera.

Thanks,

Jerry