100 times more interesting than not seeing it at a museum !

Amazing find! Thanks for sharing this great history with us, I love your channel. My grandfather fought In Arnhem with the British 49th Division - seeing items in this state of preservation makes his and others' sacrifices still feel so current and recent even though it has been many decades since.

@Savage-wu5bf

3 ай бұрын

Coool, love your videos!

@patrickDTC

Ай бұрын

The crossover yoooo

Great to hear the family trusted you to be the custodian of the helmet. Museums have vast stores of gifted items that never see the light of day at least now, their story as well as the helmets is available for all to see and for free.

I metal detect around my hometown and we have a small city museum. A volunteer approached me one time about donating some of my Civil War finds. I thought seriously about it until a friend of mine gave me a after hours look around and like you said, I looked in different cubby holes and closets, and they were absolutely full of stuff that hadn’t been on display in years. I decided it was better off keeping them.

The stamp right below the chin strap loop is NS68, which stands for Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke, Schwerte. It's a size 60 or 61 cm since it's a helmet shell 68 and it has 9 tounges in the helmet liner.

What a great piece of history! All the "flaws" show that this artifact was used and appreciated through time. The helmet seems to have survived years of service, maybe changed hands between soldiers. It preserved the fingerprints of somebody maybe long gone on a battlefield. Even the scratch marks are touching in a way. They represent a persons emotions and thinking, preserved over decades.

I really love these deep dives into single artifacts. Thank you!

I worked with a guy in the early 90's. He grew up in Holland in WW2. He was probably 10 or 11 yrs old at the time. Toward the end of the war he said the kids he hung out with would collect anything they could find to play with. He said it was crazy they would be wearing German uniforms and carrying hand grenades, pistols and machine guns. Local school teacher would disarm them before school. 😊

@mobius-1503

4 ай бұрын

That right there is CRAZY. Can you imagine

Thanks, Dr. Gassend. I always appreciate the level of attention and detail you go into when researching something like a German WWII helmet. It's unfortunate the soldier's first name or initial wasn't inscribed so you could track down the soldier's family. But glad the Dutch family sold you the helmet rather than donating it to a museum. Your video will certainly reach a lot more people -- and be a lot more educational. Thanks again.

Nice one, Jean-Loup. Thanks for showing and hopefully sparking the interest of new collectors.

Virtual Museums now a days will be viewed by many more people than Brick and Mortar Museums.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Exactly my point 👍

@rolfagten857

4 ай бұрын

Old style museum i also love! @@CrocodileTear

Children from Arnhem and Oosterbeek played soldier with Waffen SS/Wehrmacht uniforms and helmets well into the late 50's. You'll be surprised what's still to be found on attics around Arnhem and Oosterbeek. Weapons you say? Oh hell yes. Lugers, Walthers....you name it.

my uncle fought arnhem, and was sadly killed in action, he was a british paratrooper

Thank you. We find your grave dig videos fascinating. Please keep up the great work. 😊😊😊😊

Superb work to acquire this piece of history ❤👍🏻

This channel is better than museum. Great job 👍👍

More informative and entertaining than a display at a museum. Good video!

Excellent work as usual Jean-Loup! Merci beaucoup

Great video as always!

Thank you for your honest, insightful and indeed nostalgic great historical contributions that involve not only individuals but of others also...MAGNIFICENT work

Fabulous find🎉🎉 Thank you for sharing it with us and the world🎉🎉

This guys knowledge is mind blowing, I really enjoyed this vid!! 👏👍

My family had a helmet that I kept for many years. Based on everything I've seen here, the helmet was a 1935. It had the gray-green gloss. There was an imprint on the side of the eagle with the swastika which seemed to be sanded off; I read that soldiers did this because even the badges that weren't read still provided a sniper with a target. The leather insert was still present and in good condition. It was stained with a dark color; in a previous video, I saw you investigate blood stains and found that they do indeed show up dark inside these helmets. I also remember the name scratched on the inside rear flange with the name Scholz. As the story goes, the helmet was brought back from the battle at Stalingrad. I investigated as best I could and found a list of men named Scholz who fell at Stalingrad. I have no first name to give. Sadly, the helmet was sold without my knowledge. I would have preferred it landing in your hands. I still have a bayonet in beautiful condition. We can easily read the name, date, and location stamp on the frog. The blade shows scratches where a man sharpened it, although the length of the blade isn't sharp; the tip is.

@CrocodileTear

Ай бұрын

What country do you live in?

@NedkaRokonokova

Ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear The US. Washington state.

@CrocodileTearenFrancais-cg9np

Ай бұрын

@@NedkaRokonokova But I think you mentioned in another comment that the battle of Stalingrad was something divisive in your family? Were some of your ancestors Russian and others German?

@NedkaRokonokova

27 күн бұрын

@@CrocodileTearenFrancais-cg9np Yes, some fought on one side, others on the other side. My European roots were mostly in Latvia and East Prussia, which is why they were divided. The Soviets took men in 1940. The Germans recruited theirs after they invaded. Because of all the division and the great unknown of where some of them fell, it was very hard to glean what information I have. My grandmother died in 1988, my grandfather in 1999, he was 90. They were my only connection to the European side.

Another very interesting piece of work. Thanks for your work.

Thank you for the upload!

Super interesting history about this really unique helmet..

pushing for the algorithm (as always!) Keep up the amazing work

Your work is always very interesting!

Very interesting as always, Jean Loup!

I've heard that museums keep a lot of stuff in storage. Great video and a very nice helmet....I have or will have shortly 3 M40s ...😊😊😊

Great video! Thanks for posting

Always appreciate Your efforts 🌿

I can be wrong, but at 4:51 , you can detect letters in the gray painr below the bucle.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Yes, that is the factory code. It doesnt help for researching the owner of the helmet.

I hope that with the information you provided, one of the viewers will go the extra mile and research these 74 people... out of hundreds of unknown ones... maybe one can get lucky, especially when one doesn't expect odds to be high :) Time will tell. Thanks for the video

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

The 74 listed are those buried in military cemeteries. Nobody says the owner of this helmet died. He could be one of the hundreds of men of this name who survived the war.

Nice research,keep the good work coming! Cheers Dan

This is quite interesting, thanks for the great research and content

Great presentation, thank you

Interesting piece. Nicely presented. Thanks

Great video, Thanks for sharing.

Awesome artifact again. Youre very lucky to have it ❤

Great video! I am glad to see you were able to save it. I would love to know about the travels of this piece.

Thank goodness he didn't spray paint it black like so many mototcyclest did after the war here in the states. Beautiful helmet and amazing find!

Thank you for sharing

I would like to think the former oner of the helmet because if it was in a museum I would have never see it now I have And thank you for the presentation. As always very professionally done. Thank you

More amazing history saved from the censors. Thanks for posting it.

Very interesting video. I have visited Arnhem and the famous sites of the battle, like the "Bridge Too Far" and the Hotel Hartenstein. I've read many books and seen many videos about the battle. It's a fascinating place to visit and try to imagine the desperate fighting that took place there in 1944. Also for the civilians living in Arnhem and the surrounding area at the time, like the actress Audrey Hepburn who was a teenaged girl at the time.

@paulzweers784

4 ай бұрын

Grandparents lost their house and everithing, Nothing was left after the battle.

Wonderful, thank you

I have a K98 bayonet, found in the Grandfathers shed after the passes. believed he brought it back from Holland when he was there in the war. Always wonder how he acquired it, the story behind it, who owned it.

Great video

When museums get to many items to store, they prioritize what then want to keep and they sell it off what they do not want. So the helmet may have been stored for a while then simply sold off never to be seen again. Helmets like this need to be with people who really understand the nuances and history associated with them.

excellent Thank you

Fascinating.

The use of winter camouflage is particular. In wide open plains, the full white works great, but when you are in the treeline, the white flecks work better. It's always a question of your personal silhouette against the sky

So very interesting..I still need to speak to you about the watch my Grandfather was given in Greece..my mother showed it to me again at Christmas time...we thought it was lost forever

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Please send some photos 😄

@robertchubb5602

4 ай бұрын

Hi my friend..I shall when I see my mother again soonest.. Best wishes Robert@@CrocodileTear

Hello Jean-Loup, on the picture of the inscription it seems to me that the last letter could also be a capital one. So maybe it says Kröner T. so this could be worth to try it. Keep up your fantastic work...

Nice video. Have you considered that the helmet could have belonged to a Captain (Hauptmann = "HM") Krönert? It is quite normal that you enter rank later, if you get promoted at a later stage. That would explain the different inks.

@CrocodileTear

17 күн бұрын

I have never seen Hauptmann abreviated as HM

@martinsiegbahn3720

15 күн бұрын

@@CrocodileTear Indeed, normally abbreviated "Hptm" but often soldiers forget about the "right way". The helmet was quite old, and in a pretty good condition, I would guess it could have belonged to a man that had not been in the very frontline until the very end, an officer. But this is just speculation.

Great piece! Glad you were able to purchase it. Very interesting camo pattern. I recently purchased a Heer M42 SD with a very unusual camo pattern. Individual strokes of red green and black with much of the factory field grey showing between the brush the strokes. Very thick paint, and there is a visible finger print in one of the streaks as well. Found in an old garage in my area of East Texas. I’d be happy to send you some photos if you would like to see it. Great video, thanks for sharing.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Sure, send me a photo if you can, it sounds interesting.

@Purpmaster

4 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear Will do, I’ll email you soon as I get the chance. Congrats on the helmet acquisition. That really is a fantastic piece. Authentic winter camo helmets are difficult to find, especially one with such a unique pattern. You have something special there.

@MercurySnake

3 ай бұрын

What do you think are fair prices for helmets, whether they be US or German?

@Purpmaster

3 ай бұрын

@@MercurySnake prices are quite high at the moment on most of this stuff. All these prices are assuming everything on the helmet is completely original and hasn’t been tampered with. A nice condition Luftwaffe or Heer M42, M40, or reissue M35 Single Decal is going to be around $1000 usd plus or minus a couple hundred for condition of paint, decal, liner etc. A no decal m40/42 may be able to be had for $700 or so. Double decal m35’s are going to start at $2500. Also any variant with a nice camo scheme is going to be around $2500, however they can exceed that price. Being Named will add value as well, especially if it can be identified. Kreigsmarine will add significant cost, and Paratrooper and SS are in a field of their own. A good all correct and all original M1 front seam swivel bail will start at $300 and fixed bail is going to be probably $500+. Add Hawley liners and other rare features such as frog pattern covers etc you can pay $1k + easily. Any time I find a nice German helmet well under these prices I buy it if I am able. The last two noteworthy helmets I’ve picked up were a M16 ww2 reissue single Heer decal for $450 and the camo Heer single decal mentioned in my comment for $1000. Prices are crazy, like all other collectables, however there are still deals to be had.

@CrocodileTear

3 ай бұрын

@@MercurySnake There is a market for them, and the prices completely depend on the condition and exact details of the helmet (with camouflage, for paratroopers, with unit insignia, etc). As I am in this for history, I personaly dont like all the buying, selling and trading that collectors do, for the most part ignoring where the items were initialy found, by who, etc, etc.

Such an interesting video

@CrocodileTear

2 ай бұрын

I am curious, are you interested in WWII objects, or did you stumble on this video randomly?

Perhaps a second Kronert joined the guy’s unit so he added his initials later.

Seriously interesting. Thank you for uploading!

Great searching job. Is so sad all the German soldiers looked already with malnutrition faces .

Very intresting!

Very interesting

Was the chicken wire modification official issue? It seems too common to be coincidental.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Certainly not official. But since it can be found anywhere in western Europe, it seems to be the most common type of wire improvisation. It is rare to see chicken wire on the eastern front though.

pretty fascinating. im glad you got this helmet. i love museums but some dodgey things happen at them sometimes. i was doing a display at a local museum years ago. and this vet walks up and says "damn, i wish id have known you were in here." because he had just donated a mint japanese helmet, uniform, breadbag, etc, that he had liberated from a warehouse on biak, and he said he wouldve preferred giving it to me instead. of course i agreed with him lol. anyway, later on volunteering for said museum i spent a pretty good amount time setting up a display with that helmet and gear. then visiting it again years later i dont see the display i set up with it. i asked about it and no one knew anything about any japanese stuff and there was none on the premises.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

I think stealing and dishonnest staff replacing real artefacts with copies is a huge problem in many museums. Also, as a general rule, the more people are responsible for something, the less personnal responsibility anybody feels.

About minute 4:30, below the strap anchor, there appears some letters and or numbers under the paint. Any significands?

@g.patton6872

4 ай бұрын

Factory/size stampings.

Is the forest it was found in an evergreen forest? Because an all white helmet would silhouette the wearer's head against the green background making a perfect target, the splotches like the WSS 1944 Erbsen camo pattern breaks up the distinctive Stahlhelm silhouette.

Jean-Loup another interesting video. It's a shame the name is too common for research.

an idea on possibly narrowing down items with common names. do they keep track of the soldiers sizing data in the soldbuch or other records? if they do and the guys hat size is 58 but the helmet in question is a 62 or 64, you know its likely not his. might not be useful info but you never know.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Yes, but in what percentage of the time is a soldier's Soldbuch availlable? Almost never.

@thurin84

4 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear true.

Maybe he added the initials later because it was a common name?

w/d croc great vid

I have a black 1943 helmet with a white eagle carrying the Swastika with the factory stamp inside, its been in the family for perhaps 80 years, My father was in the Royal artillery, I retired to Sisaket Thailand and thats where the helmet now is, but due Brexit and the pound losing its value due the mishandling by Terresa May PM, i am back in England, the helmet is in Thailand. There I own a Kawasaki Vulcan motorbike and did ride one day with the helmet on, the wind whistles to the point where you cant hear very much, The locals didn't take a blind bit of notice as they have crash helmets modelled on the German design, very impressive to see them out and about. Especially in a group !!!!! Once again a marvelous video, A shiny black helmet with a white eagle and swastika no SS markings Any ideas where it could be from ? the name unfortunately is long gone. Best regards Cheshire UK

@1220b

4 ай бұрын

Sounds like a single decal army m40 or m42 helmet. Value most likely around £700 mark. Bigger the size and better condition the decal the more it's worth.

@billywatts4689

4 ай бұрын

​@@1220bwhy is it worth more if larger size? Thanks

@1220b

4 ай бұрын

@@billywatts4689 they are rarer, and they just look better I guess...

@billywatts4689

4 ай бұрын

@@1220b oh ok thanks for the reply

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Basicaly every German organisation was represented by an eagle and swastica. Most probably it is either an air force (flying eagle) or army eagle (stylised/rigid, like the one shown under the paint in this video). It could also be something more obscure, such as police, or who knows what. A photo would help clarify.

You know museums often make videos of items in their collections. It's not an either/or thing between collectors or museums.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Indeed.

Did y'all see the helmet serial number stamped under the brim? It's difficult to make out, but it looks like LSoo. You could probably find where and when the helmet was produced.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

The serial number is not visible in the video, but the factory code and size are, though they are slightly obscured by the repaint.

@censorbleep3018

4 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear Yeah, I'm a layperson, so I was just pointing out the markings there . . . since they weren't mentioned in the video, maybe some such details have been overlooked . . .

The "HM" could also stand for the rank "Hauptmann".

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Yes but no. That is not the way the Germans abbreviated that rank at the time.

Super nice Stalhelm and condition. BTW does that teacher have a You Tube Channel? My Uncle's cousin Division fought at Arnhem....Hohenstaufen.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

No, he doesnt have a youtube channel.

@hansgruber650

4 ай бұрын

Thank You for there is a Dutch History Professor with a channel and thought it might be him,@@CrocodileTear

Hello at min 4,30 you can see the Manufacturers Markings NS66 -Nickelwerke Schwerte in The Neck Guard of the Helmet must be a produktion Number,can you read it? best regards

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

The number is no longer legible because of the thick repaint.

I know the frustration of finding an unresearchable name on a helmet. One of my helmets, which I purchased in the 80s, has an American or British name on it, probably written by the proud former owner himself. I was going to offload it to some nonpicky individual when prices skyrocketed on all original German helmets. One cardinal rule regarding German helmets: DO NOT EVER WRITE YOUR OWN NAME INSIDE.

11:35 there seems to be another badge that was painted over. (or i might just seeing things where there is nothing)

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Its a face in the clouds 😄

@No_Way_NO_WAY

4 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear Probably not from the factory then. *rofl

Because of the capitol T ad the end. Could the name be Kroner T. T. Kroner?

@suizod

4 ай бұрын

exactly my thought.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

I dont think it is a T at the end, and Kröner in any case is also very common.

@joh1732

3 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear I think its an F? "Kröner F" and since it is a kapital letter, the name can´t be Krönert.

Love your videos man thanks so much for the help about my great uncles

I think it is absolutely necessary and logical to paint the metal parts of the uniforms, especially in the desert - first it gets really hot and can burn if you touch it - imagine opening buttons and belt an getting blisters from that? Better not.. and second and more important are the reflections! Being spotted by the enemy because your accessories are shiny is a mistake for beginners 😅

Very good story about just one helmet of millions. Just a not about caomuflage: The germans sought to use their "Zeltbahn" (A multifunctional cloth for making a tent) as camouflage already before the war started.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

I know, and the italians made camp tente before the Germans. Bit that is not the theme of the video.

Maybe the name isn‘t Krönert at all. It could be Kröner,T. ;because Kröner is also a very common name in Germany.

Nice Video, and as you mentioned it bevore, the H M was added later on. But the Name Krönert looks to me more like a KRÖNER . T or .I. So i think, this belongs to a guy named I or T Kröner. Maybe you got the chance to look for those enitials.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Even if you are correct, the problem remains similar as Kröner is also a very common name, though the presence of one initial, and an unusual one at that, would narroy down the possibilities.

I think HM stands for Hauptmann... his rank

@otdosa

4 ай бұрын

yeah but the spelling looks really different.. and the spacing is off.

at 12:30 looks like an eagle to the right of the paint that has been scratched

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Indeed, I can see it.

charisma level 100

The Wehrmacht stuck with the field gray uniform. The troops who were issued the camo smock were Waffen SS. The soldiers of the Wehrmacht used to laugh about the spotted camo used by the SS. They used to say they looked like "tree frogs" running around but they gained a lot of respect for them later on where they saw they were a group of dedicated, highly motivated soldiers that fought their way out of a lot of tight spots. If you look at the underside of the leather finger shaped pieces where the adjustment cord is, they normally have a date stamped under there.

@rickyspanish9002

4 ай бұрын

The wehrmacht was issued with camouflage smocks in both "splinter" and "tan and water" camouflage. Additionally every soldier had a camouflage zeltbahn that could be worn for camouflage

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

What you are saying is probably true for before the war, but no longer for 1944-45. I tried seeing the liner band date, with no success.

Why are you so sure to say that it has nothing to do with the Battle of Arnhem (bridge)? The airborne landing was on the left of Arnhem and they had to go through that side to reach the bridge.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Because the helmet was found 7 months later and has winter camouflage. But you are right that anything is possible.

Would it be worth a more detailed examination of the names at some point?

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

what soldier was in Arnhem? HM or Krönert? You see how tricky this can quickly become?

@ThomasDrehfal

4 ай бұрын

@@CrocodileTear Yes. I see.

Have you been in Hartenstein airborne Museum at Oosterbeek?!

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

No, I have never visited any museums in Holland

Is there a site where I can go to find out details of my great uncle's death. He was in the US Army and died a handful of days after Germany surrendered (May 16, 1945) of a non-battle wound.

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

That information is not online, but you can order his IDPF (individual personnel deceased file) from the archives in Fort Knox or St Louis, depending on the name.

@mlhouse

4 ай бұрын

Thank you very much. Your work in making these young people's deaths be remembered is truly remarkable.@@CrocodileTear

The T in Krönert is a capital T. I find that very strange... Orthography was very important to Germans. I therefore think the name actually is Kröner and the T at the end could be the first letter of his first name.

@aramisortsbottcher8201

4 ай бұрын

Posibly. Also in some areas in Germany it is/was common to say the surname first. And in a certain context this can be true for all of Germany.

I live in ther wher the helmit whas found neer bij the landingzone Nice helmit gratiings from the Veluwe Nederland

the emblem with the black,white and red colour was the german flag at that time.

The photo you discus motorcycle rider didn't like the spots, I can see 20mm shadow around the transition from the neck flange to the crown where motorcycle goggle strap may have worn through the white paint not the rider himself deliberately chipping it off.

That's gotta be a WW1 production Stahlhelm

@rickyspanish9002

4 ай бұрын

Did you not watch the video, and do you not know what ww1 production helmets look like?

@sharonrigs7999

4 ай бұрын

@rickyspanish9002 I'm near totally deaf and the subtitles aren't usually too accurate. So yes I watched it.

@rickyspanish9002

4 ай бұрын

@@sharonrigs7999 its a 1940 pattern helmet. Fun fact, while collectors like to call them "m-1940" this is a misnomer based off American military nomenclature. The Germans just called it a stahlhelm; once in a while they updated the helmet design, but it was always just "steel helmet". US collectors started to use terms like m-40 or m-42 to tell the different patterns apart

@billywatts4689

4 ай бұрын

​@@rickyspanish9002yawn...

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

WWI helmets have "horns" that you cant miss, for attaching a special armored plate. check out any photo on google.

This is not a video film, is a PowerPoint one. :(

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

Interestingly, out of hundreds of thousands of viewers, you are the first one to point that out.

Were finger prints collected as part of a German soldier's record??

@CrocodileTear

4 ай бұрын

No. But they can be availlable on a soldier's POW records. These are things I am exploring right now.