UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories Helmet Forum Wonder of wonders...a local find!

Hi guys,

I am in total shock and amazement. After all these years I have finally found a helmet locally up here in Canada. Although you do see helmets come up every now and then in local flea markets and yard sales, they are mostly just beat up old empty shells.

However, yesterday I just happened to be in a small town near where I live and decided to stop into the local antique shop. In it I found this wonderful Canadian vet bring-back rough camo M35 helmet. It is an SE66 with batch number 3344 and nicely named to "Ruchatz". Interestingly, it has had a period liner replacement (all pins and washers are still in place and rivet heads are camo painted) with an ex-Allgemeine/VT-SS liner. It is a reinforced aluminum liner with period black overspray on the liner band and leather. Very cool pice IMHO.

I will post some more images later to include some close-up detail shots.

Cheers,

2

3

4

Very nice looking!

PVON

Nice find Darryl. Now we'll always wonder if there are SS decals under that great camo finish.

Wow. Nice find. I am glad that there still some hidden gems still out there.

Thanks for showing.

Joe Semen

Thanks fellas,

Here are some more images of the helmet. This is the view from the top.

One of the rivet heads and close-up of the very coarse camo.

Close-up of the aluminum liner band showing the black overspray, typical of the Allgemeine and SS-VT M35 helmets.

The other side showing the opposite chinstrap bale.

Looks to be a Luftwaffe wood chip camo. Nice find. Congrats



Glenn

Hi Glenn,

Yes, I agree. It is definitely a Luftwaffe helm as the inside and the scraped areas of the outer shell show the standard blue-grey paint. I looked up the name on the German War Graves site and there are eight WW2 era soldiers with the Ruchatz name. However, all seem to have died in Russia so perhaps this fellow survived the war.

Cheers,

Possibly "Herman Goering" Division?

Wow very nice camo helmet . Finding a helmet like that is practically unheard of nowadays .Rob

Nice find Darryl, and with possible SS background.

Tony,

You must be seeing this.



Glenn

Very Nice

Good going Daryl

I have never found a single helmet from Canada yet it is nice to know that it is possible!! way to go!!

Nice! Not many hiding out up here are there Darryl? Great find.

Congratulations, Darryl. That is one beautiful piece.
Cheers,
-Mike

I'm a new entry, my name is Mauro and I have to say this is a very nice forum.
Very nice helmet!
Just a question, which is the address of the German War Graves?
Cheers, Mauro

My kind of camo, well done!

Thanks for all the kind comments, gentlemen. I am still finding it hard to believe that this piece actually came up for sale around here.

Mauro, here is the German War Graves site. You have to register to use it and it helps if you know a little bit of German.

http://www.volksbund.de/

Cheers,

WOW, What a wonderful find Darryl, just wondering if it was that little antique shop in Elora.
Good find, and great looking Camo, Well done..
Regards

Mark

Interesting comments from the Canadian members regarding finding helmets from Veterans here in Canada.

I have and have seen plenty of Canadian Vet helmet bringback helmets in my part of Canada (East coast),mainly Kreigsmarine,SD Heer,and some camo's to include camo para's.

I know of 2 super camo Heer helmets (both M42's) and a DD KM as we speak both in the hands of local Veterans families.

I picked up a super DD Para from a Vet not that long ago. Have only seen one SD SS that a Vet brought home.



Glenn

quote:

Originally posted by darryl:
Thanks for all the kind comments, gentlemen. I am still finding it hard to believe that this piece actually came up for sale around here.

Mauro, here is the German War Graves site. You have to register to use it and it helps if you know a little bit of German.



http://www.volksbund.de/

Cheers,

Thank you very much Darryl!
Cheers, Mauro

Darryl,

Nice find...............looks like a late liner with the rounded bails. Can you see a date on the band?

Larry

Larry,

Yes it does have the later rounded off aluminum chinstrap bales. I haven't bothered to look for the date but I will do that and let you know what it is (if I can see it).

Found it...the liner band is dated 1940.

Cheers,

Darryl,

Were the boys still in Black in 1940?

Larry

Larry,

The VT wasn't but certainly the Allgemeine-SS remained in black for the most part. It's very interesting because the liner band and parts of the leather show definite signs of black paint overspray. I suppose with the war starting in Sept of 1939 there could have been some black M35s made in very early 1940?? There are still many questions for which we don't have the answers.

Cheers,

Darryl,

Definitely a historical piece with indication of a former Allgemeine helmet. Heck, just scrape the paint off of the decals.....

Larry

VERY nice M35 camo Darryl.
Congrats to you my friend.

Darryl, great helmet, always a bonus to pick up a helmet brought back by a vet of your own country. Tim.

Congratulations Darryl - a wonderful helmet! And also a very rare woodchip camo if I may add. You should have played the 6/49 that day - because what are the odds of that helmet having a re-issued ex-Allgemeine liner?

Cheers,

Asper

WOW! Darryl, that is a cool helmet! Well done!

And all this time Darryl I thought you had put your helmet habit behind you. I see you have relapsed into WSS helmets and, worse yet, camos.

I am told that Helmets Anonymous and prayer can do wonders!
Thanks for a couple of interesting threads, and Congrats.
John

Well, the good news is, it would appear Darryl is buying helmets once again. The bad news is, it would appear Darryl is buying helmets once again, only this time, he's buying the helmets the rest of us are interested in as well. Looks like we have some serious competition lads.

Cody