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Killed in action German helmet from the Paris area


Jean-Loup
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Many years ago, member Der Finn posted this incredible German helmet taken from the grave of a German soldier in the Paris area in 1944 (see link below).

That thread has now been closed, but I thought some of you would like to see the research I was able to do on this helmet and its original owner in video format. 

 

Jean-Loup

 

  

 

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manayunkman

Fascinating Jean-Loup that you found out how this helmet came to be.

 

I admire all your work.

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snake36bravo

Perhaps one of these days his Sterbebild will show up and your can put a face to OGefr. Kurt Günter. Admirable research of an artifact. The obvious question given the repatriation of German graves to La Cambe is were his remains disinterred and returned to Germany or was he reburied in France or worse yet, is he still in the garden of Château Mount Vernon?? 

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Thanks guys.

Kurt Günther's body was exhumed by the French services and reburied in the cemetery at Solers, near Paris, after the war, where he remains to this day. La Cambe is the most famous German cemetery in France, but there are numerous others, each cemetery concerning a certain geographical area.

I am indeed hoping that with the views this video gets, that someone who is from Günther's extended framily, or someone who has a Sterbebild, will find the video and then contact me. I will then have to update the video of course.

 

JL

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Jean-Loup, 

Outstanding research on a fantastic helmet. The history behind that helmet makes it so unique, and having a period photo is nearly unbelievable. You have a done a splendid job of following the leads you were given. I hope that all of your remaining questions are answered. 

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Burning Hazard

Crazy coincidence for me: two weeks ago I finished re-reading the locked "Macabre Luftwaffe M42 Helmet ID'd to KIA German" thread on USMF and then jumped into YouTube. Right on the main page was Jean-Loup's video on this same helmet being recommended to me, posted just 9 hours earlier. I had to wipe my eyes in case I was dreaming.

 

Pat

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Jean-Loup,

 

Great topic and exceptional research.  As a direct descendent of opposing sides of WW2...... an American military man from my fathers side of the family and German Wehrmacht from my mothers side,  I appreciate the effort to humanize pieces like these.  While we may not have agreed with their motives and mission, these Deutsche Soldaten were fathers and brothers and sons whose existence was erased by the ravages of war.  I have attempted to research family members that fought on the German side and know it is very difficult.

Wie meine Oma oft sagte: "Anfangen ist leicht, durchhalten ist eine Kunst."

Gut gemacht!

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On 4/12/2023 at 2:10 AM, Burning Hazard said:

Crazy coincidence for me: two weeks ago I finished re-reading the locked "Macabre Luftwaffe M42 Helmet ID'd to KIA German" thread on USMF and then jumped into YouTube. Right on the main page was Jean-Loup's video on this same helmet being recommended to me, posted just 9 hours earlier. I had to wipe my eyes in case I was dreaming.

 

Interesting. I had in fact made a first version of this video (below) several weeks before with more interesting and graphic period footage of the Liberation of Paris, but after a few days youtube classified it 18+. I am discovering how tight youtube censorship is now that my videos are having more success (the more people watch, the greater the chaces of complaints and censorship). 

 

On my videos less than 1% of viewers are under 18, but when youtube classifies a video 18+, views decrease by about 99%, so the video is as good as dead and has to be remade, trying to guess what part was considered an infringement to "community guidelines". From my recent experiences, I have found out that any photos showing a wounded or KIA soldier can be considered by youtube as "encouraging hatred" and similar BS, even though "lightly shocking" content is supposed to be considered perfectly acceptable in an educational video. I guess my videos are considered by youtube as "indiscriminate violence in a non educational context, etc, etc".

 

@GatorDoc. In diesen Fall habe ich durchgehaltet, aber die Forschungen sind zurzeit erfolglos geblieben...

 

 

 

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