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Some background education if you don't mind.
Hope you don't mind more questions.
The response to my M40 helmet in different spots has been fascinating. From "it's legit, would you consider selling it?" to "It's a disaster".
In someways it's both funny and sad. But it has me wondering. When did the craziness of faking the helmets begin for the German helmet world?
I know that Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, sent the airborne helmet down the rabbit hole with all of a sudden painted 101st Airborne helmets appearing everywhere, with the 'out of the woodwork' story. The Ranger marked helmets, had the same reaction.
But that's not that long ago.
When did the idiocy start with the German helmet world? As in when did profit, overtake preserving history? I'm assuming it's post 1970s as I remember as a kid, you could order a German helmet out of the back of a hobby magazine. I as a kid did just that, getting an M42 that was the same type as the one I'd seen at my great uncle's house that he'd brought home from the ETO. 25 bucks for one of those from the back of the magazine. Clearly a real shell used for those sold.
Was there something that triggered the craziness and the forgery world for German helmets? I don't recall any particular film, book, or event, that might have had the same impact as the ones that started the M1 helmet idiocy. Again during the 70s as a teenager I was stuck in my armor model building years, in particular the German armor, and doing dioramas with troops. Having read "The Forgotten Soldier", "Enemy at the Gates" and others I was much into the German military, including the SS. That section of my home library is fairly full still. So I was more than aware of German military history at the time and don't recall anything that stood out.
I guess what 'bothers' me about it all, is the notion that making money far outweighs preserving history.
As an aside, I'm curious how you folks who specialize this, see the community as a whole. Are most in it for the history? Or is it as an investment and a way of making money? Combo of both?
Sorry to come across so clueless, but the German Helmet arena is a new world for me. And yes I have that old M42 from all those years ago. No doubt inaccurately painted by myself, and with an incorrect decal, but it reflected a teenage kid trying to learn about that history. Took me a while to get past the 'cool' look of the SS stuff and to learn what they were about. No doubt some of you old timers have the books in the image I posted in your library as well. Those Ballantine Books were bought at school book fairs in the early 70s. I remember sitting with my grandma and pointing out a photo in one of those of an SS tank crewman and saying I wanted to someday have the uniform and helmet. She must have thought i was nuts!
sorry for the ramble. Just really curious as to when the forgery world took over. Thanks
Dan
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Short answer , I think German helmets were already being altered right after the war. I have heard stories that loose decals (then still fresh) were transferred on blank shells.
At the time it wasn't a big deal. Even pimping a helmet was no big deal in the sixties and seventies. I suspect the actual forgeries started in the late seventies and really took off in the eighties. When it became also profitable to 'do one'.
Then prices went bananas and there was no stopping it anymore. That said fake decals are generally poor and easily recogniseable. Wire camo's and camo helmets are the real target.
Thanks for the reply. I'd imagined it must have been the 80s as I know I went off on a whole different history tangent and drifted away from the German side of things. Throw in marriage and kids, and my attention was demanded elsewhere.
Still sad to think it always ends up being about money. The history is far more 'valuable' in my opinion. But I'm a sucker for history and will do all I can not to corrupt it.
More power to all of you that wade through this hobby trying to sort the real from the imagined. I have learned a lot in a short time already. Thanks for that