September 5-7, 2023 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/7/2023
An exceptional and desirable untouched German World War II Luftwaffe Fallschirmjaeger M38 single decal spanner bolt helmet in tropical tan camouflage, with era-applied galvanized light wire attached. The helmet is marked "ET71" for the maker "Eisenhuettenwerke Thale A.G., Thale /Harz" in a size "71" shell. The lot number "1783" is stamped on the rear inner skirt, and is partially obscured by what appears to be a part of a cotton shoelace securing the rear outer wire to the liner band. The liner is ink stamped with the shell size of "71" and the liner size of "60", with the ink stamped maker of "Karl Heisler Berlin C2 DRGM", in the style found on early to mid-war helmets. The tan camouflage is present on approximately 50% of the exterior and appears to have light sand applied, which is visible on the lower section where the paint remains the heaviest. On worn areas the rough gray-green original paint can be seen in areas, with heavy patina and freckling. Very light galvanized wire has been carefully attached to the helmet with numerous hand-applied twists and loops, with heavy patina present. On all four sides the wire is wrapped under the rim, and secured around the zinc liner band. On the sides and front the wire is looped around the band, and in the rear the wire is secured from the rim around the band with what appears to be a light cotton shoelace which is rust stained. Other than a 2" section of the wire on the rear, the wire covering is intact. The wire appears be be of the type used to make chicken wire fencing. Approximately 10% of the Luftwaffe eagle decal (part of the swastika and right wing tip) is visible through the camo paint and worn areas. Four undisturbed steel spanner bolts secure the liner/ chinstrap assembly to the shell, and all 4 have both the inner and outer nuts still present on the interior. Helmet interior has patina, dirt, dust, some light camo, with freckling, especially where the wire is present. The original and correct chinstrap assembly is attached, with moderate wear, shrinkage, and dryness, especially on the rear section. The snap is still secured to the leather adjustment loop. The leather liner is intact and well-marked, with light to moderate wear, staining, dryness, and rim wear. An old tag attached to the chinstrap presents the name and rank of "Obj. Hermann Bauer" ("Obj." is the junior NCO rank of "Oberjaeger"). As of this time no information has been found about this Fallschirmjaeger NCO. The tag also identifies the Fallschirmjaeger unit he was attached to via a listed Luftwaffe Feldpost number ("L - 10809 D), which is the number/ letter designation for the "8th Kompanie (2nd Bataillon), "Fallschirmjaeger Regiment 4" (FJR4). The name and Feldpost number can not be found on the liner or inside rim, and as the tag appears to have been present for many decades, there is no reason to doubt its authenticity. FJR4 was formed during the winter of 1942 and fought in Russia. The regimant was moved to Normandy, France in the spring of 1943 and equipped for operations in the southern theater as a "quick reaction" force. It was moved to Rome in July of 1943 and took control of the city after Italy surrendered, fought in Sicily in August of 1943 after the Allied invasion of the island, escaped to Italy, fought at Salerno, Ortona, Monte Cassino, and Northern Italy, where it surrendered to US forces in 1945. It is logical to assume the helmet was brought home by a US GI, who is likely to have been a veteran of the campaign in Italy. No further information is available about this helmet, other than it has been tucked away in a collection for decades. A rare opportunity to acquire an exceptional extremely desirable helmet for the serious FJ helmet collector! CONDITION: Overall very good. WEZ