M40 sd

[AzDoug]

I picked this one up in a trade a few years ago. What do you guys think?

 

[M45]

It looks like a reissue with Pocher Heer decal. Is there a date on the liner band and/or the chinstrap w/maker?

 

[deadeye18]

Nice helmet

 

[mauser99]

looks like a nice "as found" lid. I have to agree with whats been said. EF m40 shell re-issued. M40's were re-worked less frequently than M35's for obvious reasons.
This one looks to have a very light spray dare I say camo ?? Looks green to me. Nice find. I can tell 100% if the decal has been cleaned of paint to expose it ?

 

[AzDoug]

Helmet is locked up and not easy to get to right now, and it's been over a year since I had it out for these pics. I'll try to get it out tomorrow for makers mark/date and a better close up of decal.

 

[KSH67]

I like the shell and decal but I'm curious about the inner liner band. Outer band is clearly later zinc type but inner has that wavy early style aluminum look to it. I don't recall seeing steel inner liner bands that wavy before.

 

[KSH67]

Looking closer at an enlarged pic of the right side of the shell it appears that there are sections of black paint on it. Makes me wonder if this wasn't a postwar reissue helmet that was over painted without stripping and then stripped of the black paint later. I purchased a couple lots of those helmets for reenactor sales years ago and found about 1 in 15 that was like that where you could carefully strip the black off and be left with a half way decent WWII era paint and decal. The rest were blasted and repainted.

That would explain the relatively fresh looking exposed steel around the vent and brim.

 

[KSH67]

Here are some pics of one of the black stripped off helmets I refer to in the above post. Had this one for at least 20 years. No comments on the decal please.

 

[deadeye18]

I have a German helmet that was ex norwegian stock,I stripped the post war paint off it and found a luftwaffe decal on it . I bought 3 for £50 each and sold 2,wish I'd kept them now so I could see what was under the paint on them.

 

[AzDoug]

I like the shell and decal but I'm curious about the inner liner band. Outer band is clearly later zinc type but inner has that wavy early style aluminum look to it. I don't recall seeing steel inner liner bands that wavy before.

I hadn't even noticed that, but you're right. I stuck a magnet on inner band just to be sure and its aluminum.


I can't find any markings on the chinstrap at all. Was running out of light, but took a couple more anyway.

 

[AzDoug]

So, this is a re-issue M40 that's had post war black paint stripped, and somebody has messed with the liner?

 

[KSH67]

Can't say 100% without looking it over but it sure looks like it from what I can see.