M35 Heer Normandy Camo Helmet SE64

Product Description: This gorgeous, untouched M35 Heer Normandy camo helmet is a recent “woodwork” find, recently picked up at an estate sale in Dallas, Texas, where it was found in the attic. It started off as a standard issue pre-war double decal helmet, with a smooth paint finish. This helmet was then wartime camouflaged using a rather thick paint, brushed on in the typical Normandy scheme colors of red, green and tan. The green color is dominant, with the tan and red more sparingly applied, making this a somewhat subtle version of this camouflage type. The exterior of the helmet shows honest wear and age, with an even patina. The helmet retains about 95 percent of the original camouflage finish. Both decals are still visible underneath the camouflage paint, with the Heer eagle and swastika decal being thinly brushed over, and thus more visible- no doubt intentionally. The interior of this M35 Heer Normandy camo helmet shows even, honest wear, nicely matching the exterior. The liner system is untouched, with nice, tight split pins, and a nice old dust ring between the liner and band. The early, aluminum banded liner shows typical age and usage toning, with some minor flaking along the outer edge. The liner is size stamped “57.” Partial remnants of both sides of the original chin strap are still affixed to the liner bales. The inside of the skirt is maker and size stamped “SE64” along with the lot number “3987.” The original owner’s name has been scratched into the paint in the rear inside skirt- it appears to read “HE. KAPP.” This outstanding, untouched M35 Heer Normandy camo helmet remains a wartime time capsule, and is loaded with character.

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 oversprayed with the tan base color, and then areas would be further oversprayed 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 work shops, 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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