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What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 4:56 pm
by Hunter87

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 5:02 pm
by snayperskaya
I can remember my nan having about 6 of them in her garden as plant pots!, each one had been flattened a bit on the top and had a hole in to let the water drain out.

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 5:24 pm
by Dellboy
snayperskaya wrote:I can remember my nan having about 6 of them in her garden as plant pots!, each one had been flattened a bit on the top and had a hole in to let the water drain out.

.303 hole ?

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 5:36 pm
by saddler
Just like the PatheNews clip then...

Quite a lot were also used post-war in Norway, various South American countries, etc.
Finland not only used several type of German helmet during what we call WW2, but re-ordered more of the M40 type from Germany in 1955. They also used several Swedish, Italian, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, French & even Finnish made helmets.

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 5:37 pm
by snayperskaya
Dellboy wrote:
snayperskaya wrote:I can remember my nan having about 6 of them in her garden as plant pots!, each one had been flattened a bit on the top and had a hole in to let the water drain out.

.303 hole ?
Pickaxe :good:

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 7:20 pm
by TomH
They kept a few back:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/germa ... an+helmets

Spot the No5's?

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 7:24 pm
by Les
snayperskaya wrote:
Dellboy wrote:
snayperskaya wrote:I can remember my nan having about 6 of them in her garden as plant pots!, each one had been flattened a bit on the top and had a hole in to let the water drain out.

.303 hole ?
Pickaxe :good:
Before or after they took them off the German soldiers? :squirrel:

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 9:17 pm
by GeeRam
TomH wrote:They kept a few back:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/germa ... an+helmets

Spot the No5's?
With bayonet lugs ground off..... ;)

West German Border Guards.......and its this source that a relatively recent batch of surplus No.5's have come from.

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 8:11 pm
by breacher
I saw one turned into a sort of shovel in a museum at Normandy.
Along with wedding dresses of parachute material.

The Irish Free State bought surplus WW1 German helmets and issued them to their Army throughout WW2 !

Re: What happened to German helmets after the war?

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 8:22 pm
by saddler
breacher wrote:I saw one turned into a sort of shovel in a museum at Normandy.
Along with wedding dresses of parachute material.

The Irish Free State bought surplus WW1 German helmets and issued them to their Army throughout WW2 !
The Irish Free State required so many German helmets that Vickers tooled up to make them!!
I can just imagine the reaction of the old & bold, having done their stint in F&F, getting told by the chargehand that next week your making German "coal skuttles".....bet he got told a few choice suggestions! (As well as ideas on where he could find a few original helmets, but they may need sluicing out & lick of paint first!)