Description
This is one of the historically most intense items we ever could offer. A straight out of the woodwork helmet and the only known KIA (killed in action) Luftwaffe Sommerkorpset/Schalburg Korps helmet that is known. The Sommerkorpset was the Wachkorps der Luftwaffe in Dänemark.
The helmet was recently bought by us directly from the resistancefamily that kept it since the war in their possession and was bought from the son. His father was in the Danish resistence and had kept the helmet since May 1945. In May 1945 there were in Denmark firefights between the resistence movement and the Sommer Korpset (which was part of the Schalburg Korps). The Sommer Korpset was in Luftwaffe uniforms and was used to keep watch at among others things airfields. During one of these firefights the owner of the helmet was killed. As can be seen by the shot through hole the owner was killed during one of these firefights. A bullit went straight from the right side of the front through and through the helmet and left it at the backside again. The entry and impact point is clear, as is the exit. The liner is bloodsoaked and this is still evidently visible by the dark discolored spot. Obviously the liner is damaged.
The chinstrap is still present as is on the outside the remains of a Luftwaffe decal. The helmet was stored in a moist attic and that shows. It seems wrong to call this helmet “used” with knowledge of it’s history, but obviously it is in a “been there during the war” condition with besides the war damage, also damages of age and storage. The helmet is in completely untouched condition and has never before been in collectorshands.
The saying “buy the item, not the story” is one we always use ourselves. The helmet and it’s condition and why it is in this condition, speak for itself and it is more than obvious what has happened to it in regards of tragic wartime activity. We can further only tell what we got in regards to its history and heard directly from a Dänish family, and this adds to the obvious battledamage.
A very rare helmet with lots of history!