Gunshow find........US Helmet

[moosedog]

While the rest of the family shopped on black friday, I stopped in a gun show.
It was not a good show by any stretch but as I was going along I saw a US helmet on a table. The man and woman selling it were not your typical dealers. Just a few odd reloading items, holsters, old ammo etc.
I'm not a helmet collector per se, but this one caught my eye. The cloverleafs on the sides were unique and I knew that I had seen them before. The man didn't say much but the woman said she was selling it for a friend and that it had the wrong liner in it.
I personally wouldn't know the difference, but for $45 what the heck.
Turns out to be the insignia of the 327 th Glider Infantry Regiment attached to the 101st Airborne that landed on Normandy.

 

[everReady Rob]

What a neat story. Your shopping memory and good luck should last you a lifetime.

 

[semperfi71]

Anybody who has ever been in combat has my respect.

The glider troops of WWII, especially the Allied troops who went into Normandy had a lot of my respect.

Rommel had prepared well for them and if they survives the flak, the obstacles, AND the landing, they were lucky.

Awesome purchase.

 

[handejector]

Wow.
Very good find. Definitely a real WW II front seam, and likely the orig paint.
I don't know if glider troops had Airborne liners or not, but that is not an Airborne liner.

As a small child, I often accompanied my parents when visiting a couple they were lifelong friends with. He piloted a glider June 6, 44. The landing went well till they slid into something in the field. He lost both legs.

 

[feralmerril]

A picture of my uncle Eldon Bruhn, mothers brother. 82 AB gliders. He was wounded there.

 

[Peter J.]

If that steel pot alone can be verified as original, you have an at least $600-$700 item there.

 

[A10]

That's a great find, and a nice save! Lotsa folks just think of helmets as just so much junk, but they can tell a great story. My grandson has an original Waffen SS can, and as a counter point I found a nice original front seam M1 circa 1943 Marine hat. What are grampa's for, anyway?

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Wow.
Very good find. Definitely a real WW II front seam, and likely the orig paint.
I don't know if glider troops had Airborne liners or not, but that is not an Airborne liner.

As a small child, I often accompanied my parents when visiting a couple they were lifelong friends with. He piloted a glider June 6, 44. The landing went well till they slid into something in the field. He lost both legs.

Glider rider helmets did not have the jump liner, but following Airborne habits did mark thier helmets with regimental markings such as your 327th G.I.R. marked ones has. A great find to be sure!

 

[moosedog]

If anyone knows of a helmet expert, let me know. Personally, with my luck, it's too good to be true.
The insignia appears to be sprayed on. Not sure if they would have done that in the early 40s.
I appreciate all input.
Even if it's not the real deal, it makes a nice conversation piece or the wife can wear it while she's shoveling snow this winter.....in case she slips.

 

[handejector]

May be sprayed, or it may be stenciled. The Army is big on stencils.
We had stiff, round brushes with short bristles. You stab a tray of shallow paint, and keep daubing with the brush till the opening in the stencil is completely covered. When the stencil is not held firmly against the surface, you get a little smearing that looks like overspray. The helmet being rounded would make it hard to hold the stencil in tight contact.

 

[TheHobbyist]

Great find! Sometimes when your at a show and don't find what you expect, you can't expect what you'll find.