Questionable Camos

[M45]

Redcross m42

http://www.italianwarfront.com/?page_id=9

German WWII rare original M-42 painted medic helmet. This was in my personal collection for many years and is absolutely fantastic. One of the pin washer is missing but the pin tongues were never bended twice so was probably never installed or broke during the use. Late war shell you can barely make the maker and shell size stamp and also the leather is a low quality material. Named on the skirt complete with original never replaced strap. This was a walk in at the now unfortunately gone Great Western Show in Pomona California and I was the first collector to own this.
Contact me for price

Is this a good one? What does a 'good one' even look like? I would have expected the red cross to have faded somewhat over the last 70 years.

 

[M45]

RE-ENACTOR HELMET

EBAY Item# 301588431981

This is one of my latest creations and for which I took a lot of inspiration from original examples available online via the National British War Museum. As a massively sized 68 it was a real pleasure to work with and based on Brian Ice's lot data book the most interesting aspect of this particular helmet is that it's rear lots numbers of 3542 and CKL68 matches up exactly to many other known elite examples meaning that this is exactly how it first left the factory floor in 1943. I first added a layer of textured field gray in a superbly flat finish and aged the inside accordingly until a beautiful patina was achieved. I then took myself back to 1944 in the autumn before D-Day and decided that the average German soldier soldier wanted to try and blend in with some of the French oak trees surrounding his field post and so applied some burgundy red to his helmet which is a color often seen in Luftwaffe helmets and was inspired from some of the original Normandy camos I've personally handled in the past as well as archival photos from the British War Museum in which a burgundy type of reddish brown is used. Of all of the original Normandy camo helmets I’ve held in hand I must say that beyond your standard yellow tans, dark greens and reddish browns the 4th and 5th most common paint colors encountered are burgundy red, khaki greens and deep yellows all of which are historically accurate. I gave it a full year of combat aging suggesting a paint date of 1944 and following helmet capture date of mid 1945 and carefully stored indoors ever since is the look I was going after. If you don't like the paint job you can easily remove it with some furniture stripper and keep the inside as is since the inside paint is near perfect in my opinion. Helmet comes with 3 repro split pins and retaining backings as seen in the photos.

 

[M45]

Unusual green/tan camo

UNUSUAL TWO-TONE GREEN/TAN CAMO

Dutch Coastal Artillery ?

http://ww2germanhelmets.com/M1940-Heer-German-Helmet-2828.html

M1940 Heer Two Color Camouflaged German Helmet

This is a great looking authentic M1940 Heer Camouflaged German helmet. This WWII German helmet retains 90% of the original tan and green camouflaged paint. There are a couple of stack rings but overall the helmet has a great look with a really neat pattern. The split pin rivets are fully intact and are original to the helmet. This German helmet has the correct and original M1931 steel banded liner. There is green overspray around the band and on the bales. The liner is size 55. The liner leather is in good overall condition with some cracking around the edges in the back. The original drawstring is missing and has a post war replacement. The helmet an original period strap that is in fairly rough condition with a break leaving just enough to buckle, as well as a tear along one side where the strap connects to the bale. It appears that the decal area has been cleaned to expose the Heer decal. The helmet is an EF62 indicating manufacture by the Emaillerwerke AG firm in Fulda, Germany. The lot number is not legible due to the camo paint on the inner skirt. As with all our WWII German helmets, this M1940 Heer German helmet comes with our Lifetime Guarantee and Certificate of Authenticity.

$1,895.00 Item #2828

 

[M45]

Qvl66 normandy swirl camo

QVL66 NORMANDY SWIRL CAMO - REPLICA
ebay item# 301610212300
helmets-of-war-dot-com

ORIGINAL WW2 GERMAN RARE M42 QVL66 HELMET PROFESSIONALLY RESTORED AS A SWIRL PATTERN NORMANDY CAMO WITH SPLIT PINS

This is one of my latest creations and for which I took a lot of inspiration from original examples available on line via the British National War Museum whereby soldiers would economize on paint by incorporating the pre-existing textured feld grau paint with later added brush stroke applied Normandy yellow/beige to create this interesting swirl camouflage pattern. This is an original WW2 M42 QVL shell which has been professionally restored and aged into a highly accurate looking two tone Normandy swirl camo pattern most often seen between 1943-45 where German field units were actively trying to blend in with their dry grass and green shrub surroundings. This original WW2 shell is factory stamped QVL 66 and so is a desirable size large. The QVL factory mark is extremely rare and very little is known about it other than it appears to share lot number runs with CKL and so is perhaps a hybrid from that same ET/CKL factory in Thale, Germany. Special note of the QVL shell is the slightly vertical elongation as if being pulled upwards slightly a feature only seen in rare QVL M42 shell models. I hope you like my work as I truly enjoy working on these to create examples as realistic and historically accurate as possible as my small contribution to the appreciation of WW2 history.

 

[M45]

M35 Heer Camouflage Helmet with sawdust

http://rivervalleymilitaria.com/?202002162942

M35 Heer Camouflage Helmet with sawdust HC-251

NS64 # E76 A great 3 color camouflage helmet with some of the chunkiest sawdust that I have seen!
The sawdust is thickly applied, even to the point of one air vent being completely stuffed with it! The dark brown, green and dark green colors were applied with dense sawdust over a standard repaint of dark green. The reinforced aluminum
liner band is dated 1939, with the leather liner being in excellent condition. The chin strap is rbn# and in top shape, with the soldiers name in the flange.

 

[M45]

M42 ns64 medic

M42 NS64 MEDIC
http://germanwarhelmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WWII-M42-NS64-German-Medic-Helmets-H198.jpg

WWII M42 NS64 German Medic Helmet

Item: H198 Recently out of a 50+ year old collection

Price: SOLD

 

[M45]

Winter Camo NS M42

WINTER TARN
eBAY: 261875078438

 

[DaveDavis]

WINTER TARN
eBAY: 261875078438

The white paint looks to have been applied yesterday //// the wear looks like artificial distressing

 

[nirvana]

This whole thread is good. Thanks for posting and keeping it going. Found this quote on one of your links, where a guy was defending the purchase of one of the helmets:

"Yes, every single non-factory helmet can be questioned when the painting was done. That seems like it narrows your collecting quite a bit. That's why this one is special--many factors point to it being captured in its current state with no post war alteration.

I haven't had time to take photos, and it is raining now. I'll take a few and share the meaning of the inscription later. But, I'm not going to debate its authenticity--as I have zero doubts."

Translation: there are fakes out there. If you care to look for them, you won't get many helmets. This is original, I'm not going to debate you. It's raining, so my photos are bad, not the helmet.

Jesus....that hurts my brain.

 

[M45]

Et m35 luft camo

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/steel-helmets/awesome-m35-et64-luft-camo-551169/

It has finally arrived. My new beauty.
M35 ET64 German Luftwaffe Camo, Lot # 3378.
Two dome stamps (BA? acceptance stamps). First says 4./Flea 34 I think. The second is "FL HorstKomp Handorf" If anyone knows anything about this unit (?) would be greatly appreciated....
Named to Uffz Müller (Unteroffizier/Corporal).
Tri-color spray Normandy camo. Pictures make it much brighter in color but it is a more earthy brown. While heavily on the earth color, there are traces of green and red.
Great ghosting of Luftwaffe and National decal can be seen below the camo.
Early single ply aluminum liner band manufacturer and date stamped B&C Berlin 1937. Goat skin leather liner is still soft (the guy liked to grease his hair). Original knot in place.
Chin Strap manufacturer and 1939 date visible on tip. Still deciphering the maker.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I am.
(note: Pictures were not mine but the sellers)


PROS:
-Nice lid bro! Love the color of that liner and chin strap. Good one my friend!
-Very nice a great looking helmet and thanks for posting it
-Good luck with that Michael, I hope you can find some history to it and it is no problem
-Well done, a top end cammo in my book. Maybe I will be fortunate enough to own one like this one day.
- I really do not see any issues with this super helmet

CONS
-Hi Michael, thanks for the additional pics. I remember seeing this one on Ken's site and it didn't hold much appeal to me then nor does it now I am afraid. Perhaps in hand it is better as it nearly always is, but for my personal tastes the wear from what I see appears artificial. Just my opinion, I'm happy to hear others think differently which is ok by me. With camos it's tough to please everyone I know and differing opinions are common on "minty" camos.

For provenance, what history does the helmet have? Can it be traced back to the veteran who brought it back? If a consignment piece I'd be hard on the provenance of this one.

In any case, like I said just saying what I see and I'm sure Ken and others may disagree, I'm not trying to stir anything up but just stating what I think.

Cheers
Doug

-The wear on the rivet in your latest pic above is most concerning. Again just my observations. Curved scratches for me are always a red flag, repetitive chipping as well. The USB pics for me reinforce my concerns. Just a thought. Cheers
Doug

-What is it that gets your spider senses tingling Doug? The edge of the paint having a 'hard' break to it rather than a soft transition from paint to raw metal? (my best guess at what might be a concern)


These responses go to show that collectors are not all on the same page when it comes to camos. (Sorry for the small photos.)

Those detail shots are revealing. Is that a chemical aging effect ? I think I see a micro-bubbling of the finish. It appears that much work has gone into this finish to make it just right, far more work than would have been undertaken by a Luft field division trooper.

You're welcome, Nirvana!

 

[nirvana]

"For me it had almost everything I've been looking for in a camo. Great paint, 3 colors, named, dome unit stamps, ghost decals, M35, chinstrap and solid liner. "

That it has so many desirable traits immediately bothered me. The only thing it's missing is chickenwire, or perhaps a unique and searchable name that could connect it to one person. It literally has every other trait that makes a helmet expensive.

How many German soldiers had entirely unique names? Why did all of their helmets survive? I would think names like Müller (as shown here) would be a lot more common, but most seem to be something bizarre like "Czejhort."

 

[M45]

Fake m35 camo

Read Before You Bid

This item is a very realistic replica of a WWII German steel m35 helmet. The helmet has been completely reworked to appear original, however there are no original parts.

EBAY; 291469591708

 

[M45]

M42 winter camo ef

http://www.ardennes44.com/en/items/...r-camouflaged-helmet-as-found.htm#prettyPhoto


M42 Heer winter camouflaged helmet, as found

Rare M1942 Heer winter camouflaged helmet, it still retains more than 85% of its camouflage, the Heer decal is visible under the paint. The helmet is a « EF64 », the lot number is not readable. It is as it was found, never touched or cleaned. The leather liner is in overall good condition and still supple, it comes with its original drawstring. This type of camouflaged helmet is certainly the most difficult to find !


Some areas have repetitive wear while other areas are pristine. Plenty of fresh, red rust. It appears to be an old heavily worn SD Heer that was jazzed up with white paint and then set outside to "cook". A heavily worn SD Heer might sell for 2-$300, but how much would the most difficult camo to find sell for? It was marked as 'Sold'.

Of course, we all know that heavily worn helmets are good candidates for post-war enhancement.

 

[Hambone]

http://www.ardennes44.com/en/items/...r-camouflaged-helmet-as-found.htm#prettyPhoto
M42 Heer winter camouflaged helmet, as found

That's just silly. This helmet has the most original whitewash I've ever seen on a helmet I thought original. I paid no more for it than it would be worth as a single decal in the same shape.
http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?4292-M.40-H-SD-whitewash-winter-camo

 

[Peter U]

But it is sold by Mathieu Steffens, he owns two museums in the Ardennes so it must be real.
- At least that is the logic on some other forums.





If it was the real deal it would be on display in his museum or his own livingroom.



P

 

[M45]

Old style luft camo

Old style luft camo.

A lovely original example of a genuine WW2 Luftwaffe Camouflage helmet with two tone brushed paint camo. Believed Luftwaffe Ground Divion troops. Internal is M31 liner. Shell is marked ET64 with batch number very evident (see photos). Wearers inked initials to side of liner. Presume size 55. A lovely example of a true wartime camo that I will be sad to see take up residence somewhere else. Sold as a historic curio only. Not for sale to any banned country ie., France, Germany, Italy or Belgium. The seller has no link to any political party past or present. No banned symbols present on this listing.

The way camos were done in the '70s was to use a lot of antiquing solution that hit the low spots. The color was usually a dark brown, probably furniture grade wood stain. Brush or rag marks are usually apparent.
A few prominent dings for good measure showed that it had supposedly been worn in combat.

This Ebay offering # 261944621340 went from 799.99AU to 899.99AU.

Sold for: US $590.27

 

[M45]

Hkp multi camo

hkp MULTI-COLOR CAMO

Recent paint, no wear, set outside to 'cook' for awhile, thus the bubbling rust.

 

[M45]

Multi color camo

M42 WITHOUT CHICKEN WIRE

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=808350

Ok, ok, if ya'll insist, I will comment on this.

I don't like it for several reasons:

-If you look at the inside rim, you can see that this helmet has been reissued. This is a well-worn reissue that may have had its well-worn heer decal painted over. Well-worn reissues, with or without decal showing, are good candidates for restoration.

-The camo has very little real combat wear, other than some paint missing from the airvents and a few prominent dings to the top. With the heavy wear to the underside, one would think that the camo would have heavy wear as well. (disparity of wear). So we can see that the camo paint and chickenwire had been applied AFTER the significant wear to the underside had taken place.

-Multiple camo types. We have factory paint, then we have reissue paint, both of which I believe to be authentic.
Then we have camo paint, then we have chickenwire on top of that, both of which I believe to be postwar.

Let's see what the boys at WAF have to say about it:

Good EF helmet with bad storage
Think it's a SD reissued or paintet by the soldier

Looks nice!

First instinct is good...

Do you know what part of France it was originaly found in?

It was a good fake of M42 sell on Ebay.fr
Thanks a lot

After close examination... fresh rust at the inside, and indeed artificial camo. A very dangerous one..

 

[M45]

deutscher Stahlhelm M-42, german helmet 2WW, Wehrmacht 2WK

deutscher Stahlhelm M-42, german helmet 2WW, Wehrmacht 2WK

EBAY # 261937989869

Angeboten wird ein Stahlhelm M-42 der deutschen Wehrmacht. Der Helm an sich wurde mit absoluter Sicherheit vor 1945 hergestellt. Die Metallteile des Innenfutters sind ebenfalls original aus 2.WK. Das Leder wurde eventuell ergänzt. Die Oberfläche bzw. die Lackierung weisen diverse Alterungs- und Gebrauchsspuren ebenso wie eine schöne Patina auf. Die originale Helmglocke der Größe 62 befindet sich in einem sehr guten Erhaltungszustand und weist keinerlei Beschädigungen wie Beulen, Risse oder gravierende Rostschäden auf. Im Nackenbereich lässt sich eine Lotnummer (511?) partiell erkennen.

The stahlhelm M-42 of the German Wehrmacht. The helmet was manufactured prior to 1945 with absolute certainty. The metal parts of the original are also resistant to abrasion from 2.WK. The leather was may be supplemented. The surface or the paint have various aging and usage as well as a nice patina. The original Helmglocke the size of 62 is located in a very good state of preservation and has no damage, such as dents, cracks, or serious rust. The neck can be a Lotnummer (511 ?) partially recognize.


Wrong colors. These do not fit a WWII German military theme. Paint has been popped off of this thing all over the place. Well-distributed minor wear. The underside is unconvincing as well.

 

[M45]

Luft Tropical M35 - how was this camo done?

Luft Tropical M35 - how was this camo done?

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=808736

At first glance, it looks great. But upon examining the closeup photos, I see little if any of what I would call actual combat wear to the surface. I see pristine conditioned paint.
Also, lots of hard breaks to the paint where it was popped off of the shell. This paint did not wear off over time, it looks like it was popped off with something that didn't damage the shell, possibly a rubber mallet or hose.

It appears to be a well-worn Luft M35 helmet that was recently jazzed up with camo paint and then hit with well-distributed artificial wear.