Original M42 German Helmet. Superb Restoration. Field Repaint With Chicken Wire

Up for sale is an original wartime M42 helmet shell manufactured by Eisenhuttenwerk of Thale, an original wartime German liner and metal helmet band. Original helmet rivets and washers and an excellent top notch reproduction aged helmet strap with correctly shaped buckle and faint'Berlin' stamp. Helmet is stamped ET64 with a rear stamped lot number 2445. Liner band is stamped with the usual size stampings and the maker B & C Litzmannstad 1942 still easily readable but impossible to photograph. The inner metal liner band has the size stamping 64/59, see picture above, it was easier to photograph.

Also photographed is an original German legend'Bohm Fu' inscribed in the leather of the liner. This was is not uncommon in ww2 German liners.

Bohm' is a German surname meaning'Bohemian''Fu' could be a shortened nick name such as'Fuchs' for Fox or just initials. Helmet shell originally came with about 20% paintwork remaining but a nice dark tone it had taken on over the years with no attempt at cleaning. Typical of a barn find. It has been very carefully painted, see pictures, as a'late war' field repaint. The hand brushed finish has been made to cover only the bare metal leaving all of what was left of the original paint.

See pictures for brush strokes in paint finish and how they match well with existing helmet'Damage' These late war finishes are all very similar and are considered by a lot of collectors to be'camouflage' helmets. This is the best restored finish of this type I've seen. The chicken wire half basket is made from the correct'European' twist chicken wire fitted in the correct manner and has been'aged' and rusted to match a 70 odd year old helmet. The original liner rivets and washers have similarly been matched to the condition of the shell and show no signs of tampering.

The 1942 liner was removed from a Norwegian m35 repaint job. Obviously the wrong liner for that shell. All traces of the red paint have now been removed and the leather has been given a nice finish that matches the condition of the helmet.

The liner has the correct, original to the liner, felt lining with the correct original aluminium leather retaining rivets which show no signs of tampering. Check out the'Testimonials' section of the War Hats website for more info on this exact helmet. The price unfortunately reflects the cost of replacement parts and the 40+ years experience in re creating this piece of history. I can be contacted through my Company'Aventine Miniatures' for more pics if required.

See my other listings for WW1/2 helmet related and other items. I will be listing more over the coming weeks.

---