Camouflage M40 Luftwaffe Helmet (Red/Green)

Product Description: This Camouflage M40 Luftwaffe Helmet is an absolutely untouched piece, with wonderful character. It was worn by a member of the Luftwaffe ground forces. The factory applied blue paint has been mostly overpainted with a two-tone, brush applied camouflage scheme featuring a green base and red splotches. Approximately 85 percent of this original camouflage pattern is still present, with signs of honest period wear throughout, and a great old uncleaned patina. The interior of this camouflage M40 Luftwaffe helmet retains the original liner. The liner band is completely untouched, and undoubtedly original to this helmet. The size 55 leather liner is complete, with some age darkening and light spotting in a few areas. The original liner drawstring is present, but broken in one area. There is light surface rust on the interior dome area. Inside the skirt, the shell is stamped “EF62” indicating manufacture by Emaillerwerk AG of Fulda, size 62. This very desirable original camo helmet has a fantastic overall look and is in excellent condition.

Historical Description: The helmets used by WWII German soldiers were issued with a variety of solid paint colors applied at the factory. Different units deployed to combat zones had different methods to break up the iconic German helmet silhouette, for camouflage purposes. Some units issued fabric covers or camouflage nets. In other units, helmets were painted with camouflage colors. Among the most widely utilized camouflage paint finishes were solid tan for desert environments, solid white for winter use, and the tri-color camouflage scheme known to collectors as “Normandy” pattern camouflage. This camouflage style was certainly used in Normandy, famously by Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6, and also by many other units. But it was also used by various units in all the occupied countries along the German-fortified “Atlantic Wall.” The Normandy camouflage scheme is characterized by the use of red, green, and tan/brown/yellow paint. In some cases, the entire helmet would be over sprayed with the tan base color, and then areas would be further over sprayed with the red and green. Other helmet painters chose to simply spray areas with the various colors. These paints were, generally speaking, the same pigments supplied to units for the purposes of camouflaging vehicles. The paint was usually applied in unit workshops, using industrial type spray guns, rather than by the soldiers themselves. Every painter had his own style, and there were probably infinite variations in the way the helmets were camouflaged. Normandy camouflaged helmets were regarded by enemy GI soldiers as attractive souvenirs, and they remain very desirable collectibles today.

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