A very strange find and maybe my best...

johnnyblaze · May 9, 2011

Found this thrown between some rock formations :icon_scratch:

The rocks kept it out of the weather..
It was the site of a cabin that burned down about 40 years ago..
Is it authentic :dontknow:

It sure looks like the real thing..How can i tell

Blaze

HISPAN · May 9, 2011

Interesting ... despite all that it represents. $:-\$
H

johnnyblaze · May 9, 2011

The honest truth a month ago i bought the 10 disc dvd set of the complete history of WW2 :read2:

I have learned so much about the Luftwaffe in the past month and now i find this :icon_scratch:

Very strange :laughing7:

Blaze

Theakiki · May 9, 2011

Westfront said:
I wonder a little what things sound good for some people....shooting from behind is not exactly the thing to be proud of...

I'm thinking about this, and wondering how far off base I am. Shooting from behind?!?!
This was WWII! I don't think that they commonly met at dawn, walked ten paces, then turned and fired at one another.
This was probably closer to, "Kill, or be killed!"

Probably more of an honorable killing than Mustard Gas. :dontknow:

Goldwasher · May 9, 2011

The guy on the other side holding a rifle and wearing a helmet has no front or back.... :icon_thumleft:

scaupus · May 9, 2011

NOLA_Ken said:
Definitely looks to be an original m-42 luftwaffe helmet. I wouldn't touch it at all, the guys who collect them are big on "as found" condition. The eagle is a decal, and messing with it in any way could destroy it. There should be a size stamp inside the rim although I'm not certain that all of them were stamped. Definitely has a good value as is, in the 4-800$ range, possibly higher with the liner and chinstrap.

I'm sure some kid got in a lot of trouble for losing his dads souvenir.....

I agree. The urge is always there to clean and fix and preserve, but without experience in selling these things and knowing how such changes affect the value for collectors and dealers, it's best to leave it alone for the time being, and do more research on the collector sites and maybe ebay forums. It's too late after you do the damage...

Westfront · May 10, 2011

Theakiki said:
I'm thinking about this, and wondering how far off base I am. Shooting from behind?!?!
This was WWII! I don't think that they commonly met at dawn, walked ten paces, then turned and fired at one another.
This was probably closer to, "Kill, or be killed!"

Probably more of an honorable killing than Mustard Gas.

pvillehunter said:
The guy on the other side holding a rifle and wearing a helmet has no front or back....

I agree completely with that. But the post i respond to was more the like that every german with a helmet is a bad nazi and has to be killed. Being in service has nothing to do with politics, especially during wartime. Its a relic from sad days with lots of history behind. Nobody would say i dug a bullet which probably killed a damn yankee, thumbs up.... We are all digging history with good or bad behind and should leave it this way. :wink:

Woodland Detectors · May 10, 2011

That's a great find blaze :headbang:

You must of thought to yourself, "what the heck is this?" when you walked up on it. :icon_thumleft:

Very cool

diggummup · May 10, 2011

Westfront said:
the post i respond to was more the like that every german with a helmet is a bad nazi and has to be killed.

During WW2... I'm sorry but a truer statement could not be said. The same could be said about the opposition in ANY war. It is what it is. Not meant to be offensive and you shouldn't have taken it that way. War is hell.

johnnyblaze · May 10, 2011

diggummup said:
Westfront said:

the post i respond to was more the like that every german with a helmet is a bad nazi and has to be killed.

Click to expand...

During WW2... I'm sorry but a truer statement could not be said. The same could be said about the opposition in ANY war. It is what it is. Not meant to be offensive and you shouldn't have taken it that way. War is hell.

War is Hell...
And nobody wins a war.

The sad thing is there are alot of steps in place in the USA that were in Germany in these times..1933-1945..

Blaze

Steve in PA · May 10, 2011

I am sure that is not what you were expecting to find but it is a great addition to your collection :thumbsup:

cellar dweller · May 10, 2011

So cool!! Definitely a market for that kind of stuff. Good Luck

kuger · May 10, 2011

Incredible find and it has not been out there very long,I promise that.Leather does not last long in the elements and mice would have eaten it up.

As said,I dont think thats a bullet hole either but a shrapnel gouge,may not have even been fatal.

Doubtful any kids father brought this back either,more likely Grandfather

DirtDigler · May 10, 2011

I kinda doubt they'd send grandpa into battle. He was potentially somebody's Dad prior to being Grandpa, huh?

As far as the hole, that's anybody's guess. Could be shrapnel, could be a bullet, could be a bayonet. That secret will stay with the owner forever. Unless you want to get into forensic science.

diggummup · May 10, 2011

DirtDigler said:
I kinda doubt they'd send grandpa into battle. But Germany did press old and young into combat, who knows? Might even have belonged to a 16 yr. old soldier.

As far as the hole, that's anybody's guess. Could be shrapnel, could be a bullet, could be a bayonet. That secret will stay with the owner forever. Unless you want to get into forensic science.

I think Kuger is referring to the kid that lost the helmet. It would have been his grandfather (current era) that was in WW2 not his father because the war ended some 67 years ago. May even have been his great grandfather's.

kuger · May 10, 2011

diggummup said:
DirtDigler said:

I kinda doubt they'd send grandpa into battle. But Germany did press old and young into combat, who knows? Might even have belonged to a 16 yr. old soldier.

As far as the hole, that's anybody's guess. Could be shrapnel, could be a bullet, could be a bayonet. That secret will stay with the owner forever. Unless you want to get into forensic science.

Click to expand...

I think Kuger is referring to the kid that lost the helmet. It would have been his grandfather (current era) that was in WW2 not his father because the war ended some 67 years ago. May even have been his great grandfather's.

Thank you,didnt think that needed to be explained......wrong again!!! :thumbsup:

DirtDigler · May 10, 2011

Well, he's pretty sharp if he can determine the age of someone who lost something by looking at a couple photos, don'tcha think?

DirtDigler · May 10, 2011

Not that it makes a bit of difference who lost it, or what caused the hole.

NOLA_Ken · May 10, 2011

Here's a link, the guys on this forum will be able to tell you everything about your helmet.

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/index.php

There's a section specifically for Luftwaffe equipment.

kuger · May 10, 2011

DirtDigler said:
Well, he's pretty sharp if he can determine the age of someone who lost something by looking at a couple photos, don'tcha think?

$:-\$

Tony (NC) · May 10, 2011

That's a cool piece!

I found a WWII helmet (U.S.) up in Richmond, VA several years ago. I gave it to one of the guys I was diggin' with. We were looking for war relics.....only from another war! I hope yours fits! :laughing7: