the luftwaffe helm here is from an antique dealer in ventura, california, a scouser, who’d emigrated to the US in the 60s or 70s and set up shop. He had a very robust collection which he dealt from from the back of his surplus store. this is from his lot.

the m35 has a better story. a dear friend of mine from Wuerzburg Germany had this in family possession since the war. When the RAF destroyed Wuerzburg in March 45 and gutted the city center there were only a few buildings left standing, one of which, due to its location at the end of an alley escaped the fire storm. It belonged to the grandparents of my friend. This house became a "swap meet" so to speak; soldiers returning home from the front would go there for soup and look at the board for notes regarding the whereabouts of loved ones, etc. After the war, the house became a de facto center of civic life and during the reconstruction many people stayed there, visited, came and went etc…. and one of them left this helmet.

Knowing my passion for helmets and collecting militaria, he gave it to me in 2012.

Click to enlarge the picture