Hi,

 

This, unfortunately, is not mine and will never be for sale. I was looking at some antiques for a client and the subject of WW2 items came up. She said they hed her father in laws helmet in the attic so we went up to take a look.

 

This is what she brought out. It has his name in the liner. There are other items, she thinks, maybe medals and uniforms.

 

He was on Omaha, he was on two landing crafts that were sunk and reached the beach on the third. He was later transferred to the Pacific and recalled for Korea.

I will post the other items if they find them.

 

And, if you think this one is fake, you are wrong.

 

couple more images. the liner has a couple of 1960's model airplane stickers stuck on it but they would come off with water:

 

 

Awesome!

OMG Steve... this is a dream come true but, I have to say that even though I'm a collector and would desire to have one like this with family provenance in my collection, it does my heart good to finally see a family deciding to keep and cherish the memory of a family member rather than make a quick buck off of it. This opinion of mine doesn't change the fact that I'm drooling from the eyeballs!

Steve,

Thanks for sharing and what an honor it was for you to see and hold this helmet and to hear the history from the owners

 

RD

Steve,

Thanks for sharing and what an honor it was for you to see and hold this helmet and to hear the history from the owners

 

RD

 

Hi,

 

As I get more info and images, I will post it.

 

Aren't these one of the rarer helmets from WW2?

 

Steve

even a matching liner. will 6 grand do??? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Words will not do! Sweet indeed!

 

Mike

Very nice helmet , shell 6th NBB and liner 7th NBB

even a matching liner. will 6 grand do??? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

 

and signed all over. I am not sure if I have permission to show the name but it is in a couple of places in big letters. The battery was going dead in the camera and I shot real fast. I will try and get a better one of the liner at some point. Hopefully, there may be a lot more stuff but they think that the uniforms may have been tossed.

 

 

I was working with a client last month and I asked if there was any WW2 or other militaria in the estate. She said thee had been but that they had taken it all down to the thrift store the week before. I asked if she knew what unit or anything. She said that all she knew was that he jumped out of a plane on D Day and later got severe frostbite on his feet at "some town where they were surrounded by Germans." She said you see it in all the battles. Of course, I was in the thrift shop in 2 minutes but they denied any knowledge of it. Most shops like that have someone that gets it all first.

 

The same week another client, still living, said he had a ton of stuff but the big tropical storm had washed out his yard and basement and the recovery crew ghad shoveled it all into a dumpster.

 

And, last month, I was at a funeral and found out that an uncle I barely knew had been at Bastogne also. I never knew he even a veteran as it was never mentioned. He died a few years ago; everything was tossed.

 

So, none of that matters except that I was happy to see something that actually still existed.

 

Steve

I do not think it is a beach master helmet.

 

It is a Beach Battalion Member helmet... Unless there are markings I can't see.

 

There's one in a local attic I know of. The guy grew up acorss the street from me. His daughter brought it down once to show me.

cool helmet, I wonder what the navy did with most of these helmets after the war? were most painted over or would they continue wearing the helmet with those markings?

Wow Steve, great looking helmet there! I also agree entirely with Bugme, nice to see a family keeping and preserving the memory of a relative

 

All the best

 

Will

Incredible lid combo, what a treasure!

Very sweet lid , a really rare one, too!

Stunning helmet!!!.....mike

Beautiful example!!! Thanks for showing.

Very nice helmet , shell 6th NBB and liner 7th NBB

 

 

The shell and the liner are both 7th beach battalion. This is an awsome helmet so glad to see. Can't wait to hear more info about it. Hopefully you can find out what company he was in. NBB were made up of 3 companies A,B, and C. The 7th BB was attatched to the 6th Engineer Special Brigade and landed in the first waves on Omaha beach.Here is are some pics of the one I found at the flea market last year belonging to Kenneth Chapin and is very similar. Mr Chapin was in C-8 . I have found additional info on Mr. Chapin from the Archives which I was waiting to post for D-day, so be on the look out.

 

I think on the shell posted by 88th collector you can just see part of the 7 poking out above the gray band.

 

 

 

Another 7TH NBB helmet recently posted on the forum.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=43002

The different styles could differ from company to company I am thinking.

cool helmet, I wonder what the navy did with most of these helmets after the war? were most painted over or would they continue wearing the helmet with those markings?

 

 

Most of the Beach Battalions members involved in the invasion were sent home shortly after and were able to leave there helmets at home, claiming there gear was lost in the invasion. Most were sent to the Pacific to finish out the war.

I do not think it is a beach master helmet.

 

It is a Beach Battalion Member helmet... Unless there are markings I can't see.

 

There's one in a local attic I know of. The guy grew up acorss the street from me. His daughter brought it down once to show me.

 

 

Probably, my knowledge of the Beach Battalions is very limited; I used Beach Master rather generically.

 

What does the 415 NATC on the back mean?

Steve,

Is the numeral 7 visible under the paint on the shell or am I seeing things??Looks like its under the blue band.

 

Thanks

 

RD

Steve,

Is the numeral 7 visible under the paint on the shell or am I seeing things??Looks like its under the blue band.

 

Thanks

 

RD

 

I think so. The camera battery was going dead and I was shooting fast. I will try and get better shots and more information. I would assume that these are rare enough that it would be good to document and photograph everything possible when a totally straight one is discovered so I will try to get back and get some good close ups.

 

Steve

I think so. The camera battery was going dead and I was shooting fast. I will try and get better shots and more information. I would assume that these are rare enough that it would be good to document and photograph everything possible when a totally straight one is discovered so I will try to get back and get some good close ups.

 

Steve

 

 

Steve,

I agree.The photos will be a grate referance.

 

RON

Beach battalion helmets are actually the most common of genuine D-day helmets (which is NOT to say they are common). There are two reasons.

 

First- they had a specific set of markings that can ID them to that invasion (not used before or later).

 

Second- there was an odd loophole in the Navy regs that many of the guys used that allowed them to leave stuff (even full duffel bags of everything) at home and just report in at their next station as "everything was lost on the beach." I'm not exactly sure of the exact clause, but I suspect it had some connection to ssailors being able ot get new gear after their ship was sunk. After all, they'd go in and say "hey, I wuz in combat at Normandy with bullets all around and it got blown up..."

 

ESB helmets are tougher as they were worn long after the invasion, and many were overpainted once they stopped working he beaches. It also does no help that a number of ESB vets, wishing they had a souvenier, had one of the original painting artists make them up one after the war. So a number of post war jobs will turn up in ESB veteran estates, and the families will honestly think they are real.

 

REAL infantry D-day helmets with a solid provenance are far rarer, even though there were more, becasue it is so hard to know if it really was a d-day helmet, or one used later on. There are the handful of ones dug up close to the beach, and those found in barns (long ago), but the provanance is bit air tight on those.

 

I know know of only two 100% sure combat unit helmets that were at D-day. One is Col Isley's helmet form the 146th engineers, the other is the 1st ID helmet brought home by Beachmaster Joe Vaghi I was probably the first person outside hsi family to see it, and the provanance is impecable. It is now out at the 1st Div museum in Ill.

 

But once something changes hands you have a gap in the provanance. Which is why you guys need to document, document, document where and how you get the rare items. Just becasue it has a name, and you have that guy's reocrds is not as good as a solid trail where that helmet has been for the last 65 years. A ctually, if you can show an NBB helmet was around before the first militaria magazine article on them it is almost as good as no one even knew what they were before that.

 

 

 

I know letters and such can be faked, but these things are worth enough money now that it is foolish not to do so.

Beach battalion helmets are actually the most common of genuine D-day helmets (which is NOT to say they are common). There are two reasons.

 

First- they had a specific set of markings that can ID them to that invasion (not used before or later).

 

Second- there was an odd loophole in the Navy regs that many of the guys used that allowed them to leave stuff (even full duffel bags of everything) at home and just report in at their next station as "everything was lost on the beach." I'm not exactly sure of the exact clause, but I suspect it had some connection to ssailors being able ot get new gear after their ship was sunk. After all, they'd go in and say "hey, I wuz in combat at Normandy with bullets all around and it got blown up..."

 

ESB helmets are tougher as they were worn long after the invasion, and many were overpainted once they stopped working he beaches. It also does no help that a number of ESB vets, wishing they had a souvenier, had one of the original painting artists make them up one after the war. So a number of post war jobs will turn up in ESB veteran estates, and the families will honestly think they are real.

 

REAL infantry D-day helmets with a solid provenance are far rarer, even though there were more, becasue it is so hard to know if it really was a d-day helmet, or one used later on. There are the handful of ones dug up close to the beach, and those found in barns (long ago), but the provanance is bit air tight on those.

 

I know know of only two 100% sure combat unit helmets that were at D-day. One is Col Isley's helmet form the 146th engineers, the other is the 1st ID helmet brought home by Beachmaster Joe Vaghi I was probably the first person outside hsi family to see it, and the provanance is impecable. It is now out at the 1st Div museum in Ill.

 

But once something changes hands you have a gap in the provanance. Which is why you guys need to document, document, document where and how you get the rare items. Just becasue it has a name, and you have that guy's reocrds is not as good as a solid trail where that helmet has been for the last 65 years. A ctually, if you can show an NBB helmet was around before the first militaria magazine article on them it is almost as good as no one even knew what they were before that.

I know letters and such can be faked, but these things are worth enough money now that it is foolish not to do so.

 

 

 

Fortunately, this one is still in the family, the widow is alive and it has never been seen by collectors or dealers. The families appreciated the historical significance but were unaware of the market for militaria. I think it will be easy for me to document everything he did on D - Day. He must of been in real early as his first to crafts were hit. I assume he transferred to the third. I will get busy this weekend to nail it all down and get better images and possibly shots of everything else.

 

Steve