old trunk full German hats & helmets

[Bob Hudson]

Actually there were US, British and Swedish helmets in the trunk along with the German headgear (and Heer officer dress dagger). I presume the hats are fakes, but the M35 is good to go and the pith helmet seems likewise, with lots of signs of wear.

 

 

It would be interesting if someone can point out signs of fakery - so often on forums we're just see a lot of "no, nah, nyet, bogus" comments that do nothing to help collectors learn what to watch out for. Some folks claim that if we post info on ID'ing fakes then the fake makers will just use that info to improve  their fakeness. I think they won that one long ago.

 

All of these hats and helmets came from a guy who was low budget collector even though he made lots of money. The khaki hat I think is fake because it does not have vent holes and neither flaps or - in lieu of that - decorative stitching that mimics the outline of the folded ear flaps. I'd imgine this was certainly not government issue. This tropical forage style Luftwaffe cap and the SS M43  are well into the category  of "If it looks too good to be true, it's not." So anything SS is by default fake, right? 

 

I haven't handled a lot of visor caps, but this one seems off to me and has a name written inside the sweat band and it looks more Amrican than German to me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

The helmets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark K]

Bob in actuality the helmet is a M-42 as opposed to an M-35 we can tell this as the rim has been slightly flared out at the bottom as opposed to a rolled inner edge as found on the M-35 and M-40 if memory serves me correct with the war ramping up this was done as a cost saving measure as it removed a few steps from the manufacturing and finishing process

This particular example was manufactured by Vereinigte Deutsche nickelwerke / Schwerte ( NS ) if the maker stamp is found together with the helmet size stamp above the steel lot number on the rear skirt as opposed to the left side of the helmet body they are then considered a mid to late war helmet..

 

IMO the (Tropenhelm) is a 2'nd pattern Heer pith helmet as manufactured by JHS if you flip the sweat band over I suspect you will find the date and size ink stamped on the reverse of the liner band  it was introduced with a formed cork base with a felt covering.

The 2'nd pattern pith helmet was constructed in a one piece, seamless, formed, olive-drab felt crown ( As opposed to the 1'st pattern Tropenhelm which were covered by cotton twill ) they have a horizontal band stitched at the rear centre and covered by a vertical strip of felt mounted on a formed cork base.

The top centre of the crown would have had a raised, removable, felt covered, circular alloy knob with three semi-circular, cut-out ventilation holes.

 

As to the tan cap it is supposed to be a Tropeneinheitsfeldmütze M41 you are correct the absence of air grommets on either side is a red flag Bob now as to it not having the pull down sides these caps differed in construction from the M-43 Einheitsfeldmütze it should have had a additional piece of tan material sewn around the circumference of the cap giving it the same loose appearance as the M-43,I have uploaded an image below of an original for comparison..

As to the other two soft caps not a subject I have studied in great detail but my gut tells me they are not correct I will just mention a couple little things that caught my eye the button hole stitching and the liner construction are worrisome to me...

 

Regards Mark    

[qed4]

The service cap is indeed American. It was introduced in 1956 for an EM, a black band has been added and also the insignias.