Battle of the buldge camo?

[nick]

Camo helmet

[Ty Smith]

Nick, I like that one
Is that the KM you posted before?

[nick]

Hi Ty

Nope thats an other one. No decals visible. This one was found in France, Saint Quentin (Aisne).

Dont know exactly where that is. I think nearby 150 km of Paris.

[nick]

inside view.

[Luftm40]

GREAT camo Willi.

[Perry Floyd]

Lt. Herbert Wenzel
728th Grenadier Rgt.
708th Division
In the Autumn of 1943, the 708th was sent to Russia, serving the rear areas of Army Group Center. The 708th returned to western France in Feb. 1944 where it was largely destroyed by the French 2nd Armored Div. which overran it near Falaise on Aug. 9th, 1944.

[Perry Floyd]

2

[Willi Z.]

Yes JL, I have asked several FJ veterans about the camo on their helmets. One in particular has quite the sharp memory and had great interest in things like this when he was in Italy. He lives close by and we chat every week. By asking him questions he gets to thinking about those issues and then recalls various episodes. He was a Fallschirm Pionier who used to work for Junkers and also used to help modify He111's for jump use. Anyhow, he clearly remembered experimenting with various ways to camo helmets. He used to place nets on helmets, then spray them tan and then remove the net to leave the pattern. He remembered lining up all the helmets in his platoon. His unit did not like the nets, as they would have to go out at night to emplace mines. Once as he was walking down the "Indian trail", as they called it, his helmet net got caught on a bush giving him whiplash in a pitch dark night near Nettuno.

Thanks Andy, I was lucky to get that helmet from the veteran's son. It came with the draw string helmet cover in place. No one had ever removed it since the war. I did and was shocked to see the near perfect camo underneath. I found it in the "Shotgun News" back in 1995. A very lucky deal.....

Willi

[Edelweiss]

Very interesting details ; a kind of info rarely found in books...
Thanks !

very interesting

Some great helmets I've seen in this thread!

thanks for sharing them


cheers


Jan

[nick]

Hi

Yeah Willi very nice helmet.

I believe that the one I've post last is also a Normandy camo helmet, am I right?

Best regards
Nick

....Yes Nick,IMO that's a normady-pattern for sure...although that isn't a reference that it was also used in Normandy...

Is it yours? If so, from who did you bought it?

[nick]

Hi Jan,

You like to know it all he

The helmet is not my'n, but is offered to me from a frenceman (nice guy).

Nick

Be aware of nice french guys who are offering nice helmets!!

[Edelweiss]

Right !