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WW1 German M16 Helmet mailed home by Brig. Gen. H.A. Allen


Alan Schaefer
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Alan Schaefer

Here's a WW1 German M16 Helmet I acquired a few years ago via a lead at the Des Moines Gun Show. It has the mail home label indicating it was sent home by Brigadier General H.A. Allen, commander of the 56th Infantry Brigade. He sent it to a Mrs Ivan Elwood, in Red Oak, Iowa.

 

What's interesting is that the mail home label shows "This Helmet Is Shipped Home With Permission Of:" and then "Brig. Gen. H.A. Allen". The label also shows: "OK, H.A. Allen, Brig. Gen., U.S. Army.

 

I was very fortunate to acquire this helmet from someone who bought it many years ago in Red Oak, IA.

 

Best Regards,

 

Alan

 

post-9919-0-98601800-1579295064_thumb.jpg

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Alan Schaefer

I have seen and photographed 3-other helmets that were mailed home by Brigadier General H.A. Allen, besides this one example that I own.

 

1-Helmet is a cool "splotch" pattern camo with mail home label to a different person in Iowa.

 

2nd Helmet is a plain M16 or M17 with ship home label to someone else in Iowa.

 

3rd Helmet is another camo pattern helmet with mail home label to another person in Iowa.

 

These other 3-helmets reside in a museum with no chance of them being deaccessioned.

 

Here's a photo of the splotch pattern camo he mailed home to another person in Iowa.

 

Best Regards,

 

Alan

 

post-9919-0-11259400-1579296005_thumb.jpg

 

 

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Kurt Barickman

Nice one Alan; I had a couple of WWI German helmets many years ago from southern Minnesota and northern Iowa; M-16s.

Kurt

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That’s really cool! The mail home WWI helmets look great! I don’t really collect much WWI but I do have a German M17 with remnants of a mailing label. Yours is great looking and you have the history!

 

 

Frank

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Alan,

This helmet has everything going for it, it’s a WW1 German camo mailed home by a General WOW!!!! He sure was a stickler for following protocol on shipping home a war trophy.

 

Marty

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Alan Schaefer

Many thanks for all your nice comments gentlemen, I appreciate it!

 

Nice one Alan; I had a couple of WWI German helmets many years ago from southern Minnesota and northern Iowa; M-16s.
Kurt

 

 

Hi Kurt,

 

I had another mail home label helmet that I sold unfortunately, after I was burglarized back in the early '90's in Mankato, as you might recall. It was a real beauty that came out of a motel room buy I did with Kim in the late '80's in Willmar, MN. I still remember doing a "house call" and driving over to the elderly woman's home to buy it, as she was the brother of the WW1 soldier who mailed it home. It had a very nice camo pattern, and a glued on paper address label, mailed to her parents in Wilmar, MN. I still have photos of it somewhere which I'll have to dig out. Within a year's time of being burglarized I had sold almost all of my WW1 U.S. ID'd uniform collection, and WW1 German collection.

 

Best Regards,

 

Alan

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Kurt Barickman

Sorry about the burglary because I guess I had forgotten about it; that sucks. You pulled some great stuff out of the woods here back in the day.

Great helmet!

Kurt

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