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STALAG LUFT III GERMAN HELMET

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,200.00 USD
STALAG LUFT III GERMAN HELMET
STALAG LUFT III GERMAN HELMET
German M1935 "Heer" (Army) helmet, the standard issue for most German soldiers during World War II, excavated from the site of Stalag Luft III where a German guard undoubtedly discarded it just before the area was taken during the Soviet advance. The helmet is heavily oxidized throughout, with two approx. 1" holes on the left side. The liner and chinstrap are missing, though the metal band securing the liner and chinstrap bales remain present. The helmet also still bears substantial amounts of original green paint, especially on the crown and in the interior. Part of the eagle and swastika decal on the left side remains intact. Stalag Luft III was a German POW camp in Silesia, now western Poland, which was operated by the Luftwaffe. It held captured British and American airmen. It is best known for being the site of the massive breakout of 76 men, depicted in the film "The Great Escape". The camp was bulldozed at the end of the war. Very good excavated condition. Includes a COA issued by The War Museum, a private non-profit foundation which has provided items to the Smithsonian Institution, the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and the U.S.S. Constitution, among many others.