Well, after missing a bid on Ebay for a MINT Q66 M40 Luft this morning - I was very pleasantly suprised to get this in the mail!
It is, what I believe to be, an M35 Tropical camo. I can just make out NS and the size 6 (it looks like a 64). It looks like it was originally a dark green overpaint with a thick layer of sawdust or some other texture mixed in. The texture is so thick that it has a look like a cantaloupe. Then it looks like a tan camo paint was painted over it. From any distance, but up close, the camo looks like it has some type of stripe scheme to it, but closer examination shows the camo paint in the crevices of the texturing material throughout the helmet surface.
The interior surface is overpainted with a dark green paint and ends at the liner band. The band shows traces of this paint as well. The leather liner is a little dry, but not as bad as I would have thought. It is very dirty but completely intact. No stampings in the interior of the liner, but it has darkened somewhat. The liner pins look like they have been there for a long time with a nice buildup on the washers and the pins are straight.
The chinstrap looks in a little better shape than the liner, but not so much so that I would automatically say it was replaced. It is stamped:
Lagessa
Dresden
1938
Last! Painted in the rear of the skirt is several items.
Am. (next it not legible - H. W.?) Kall or Keil
Next is R.A.D (Reichsarbeitsdienst?) 51312 101 or A01
Finally on the bottom are the initials G. W.
My wife immediately informed me of the "smell". She has the nose of a hawk, so I asked her if she smelled paint - she said no - sweat. She often says the same of me...
This is the preliminary inspection. The helmet, including the inscription is covered in dust. I will try to look better at the letters under a black light, perhaps that will make them more visible. I will also try a very light paint brush to remove some of the dust.
There you have it! Any comments/opinions are welcomed and sought!
A few questions as well, aside from your thoughts on originality
Could this be a helmet issued to RAD personal?
Is the series of numbers a FPN? If so, can anyone help me with that?
It is, what I believe to be, an M35 Tropical camo. I can just make out NS and the size 6 (it looks like a 64). It looks like it was originally a dark green overpaint with a thick layer of sawdust or some other texture mixed in. The texture is so thick that it has a look like a cantaloupe. Then it looks like a tan camo paint was painted over it. From any distance, but up close, the camo looks like it has some type of stripe scheme to it, but closer examination shows the camo paint in the crevices of the texturing material throughout the helmet surface.
The interior surface is overpainted with a dark green paint and ends at the liner band. The band shows traces of this paint as well. The leather liner is a little dry, but not as bad as I would have thought. It is very dirty but completely intact. No stampings in the interior of the liner, but it has darkened somewhat. The liner pins look like they have been there for a long time with a nice buildup on the washers and the pins are straight.
The chinstrap looks in a little better shape than the liner, but not so much so that I would automatically say it was replaced. It is stamped:
Lagessa
Dresden
1938
Last! Painted in the rear of the skirt is several items.
Am. (next it not legible - H. W.?) Kall or Keil
Next is R.A.D (Reichsarbeitsdienst?) 51312 101 or A01
Finally on the bottom are the initials G. W.
My wife immediately informed me of the "smell". She has the nose of a hawk, so I asked her if she smelled paint - she said no - sweat. She often says the same of me...
This is the preliminary inspection. The helmet, including the inscription is covered in dust. I will try to look better at the letters under a black light, perhaps that will make them more visible. I will also try a very light paint brush to remove some of the dust.
There you have it! Any comments/opinions are welcomed and sought!
A few questions as well, aside from your thoughts on originality
Could this be a helmet issued to RAD personal?
Is the series of numbers a FPN? If so, can anyone help me with that?
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