M40 Green and Tan Spray Camo

Product Description:  An M40 Green and Tan Spray Camo in excellent condition. The exterior of the helmet is camouflaged in a Green and Tan which was applied using a spray method. Scattered light marks can be seen throughout.  Exposed areas of the original Heer decal can be seen under the camo paint. The leather liner of the helmet is intact, and appears to be untouched. The liner’s leather is dark from extended wear and sweat, and is still fairly pliable. The original drawstring is intact and appears to remain originally tied. A full length chinstrap is attached and neatly wrapped over the lip of the helmet. The helmet is marked “NS66”; the “NS” being for the manufacturer, and the “66” for the size. Size 66 helmets are larger than average and therefore slightly more desirable by some collectors. The rear of the helmet is marked with the lot number “DN72”. A nice example of a M40 Green and Tan Spray Camo Helmet.

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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