Found another M16 shell

MG34NZ

MG34NZ

Active member
I managed to find another M16 shell, I find the battle damage interesting and Im sure the helmet would have quite a story to tell
 
Very nice, yes if only these pieces could tell their story. Unusual that the camo is in such good shape while the liner is gone. Congratulations!
 
From what I have seen over the years most of the Imperial German steel helmets that have been at gun shows have had missing liners ( that's New Zealand shows pre internet days!). It was not uncommon to see a $40 shell at every show, the camo's were never as prolific and I had only seen a few before the internet opened up the accessibility for collecting.
I have one more battle damaged camo that I hope to get later this year when it is sold, I missed that particular helmet 30 years ago when it was sold for $35 (school kid then with no money back then, now just a big kid with no money). It has nice paint, no liner and I have a suspicion that it belongs with the damaged bayonet I have just posted. "when" I buy the helmet (being optimistic) I will be talking with the guy that sold these items back in the 80's and see what he remembers about them as they are "local" items from my perspective. I will certainly post it here if and when I manage to secure it.

Maybe the damaged helmets liners were broken out when hit or "contaminated" and therefore removed?

Andy
 
Nice helmet! If this one was being worn when it was hit, then the fellow was laying pretty flat with his head forward, assuming those are bullet creases in it. He'd have been hit in the shoulders and probably killed. If removing a spattered liner was common in NZ, it wasn't in the US, as I've had at least two with that type of staining to the liner. Yup, a lot of stories in these helmets, not all good ones I'd bet.

:D Ron
 
Years ago Tony Schnurr offered up a theory to me as to why so many stahl helmets and tin pickelhauben lost their liners. He felt that the weight of the liner tongues and the pads pulling down, caused the liners to split along the rims and eventually fall off or tear. He told me to make a ball of bubble wrap and place it up inside the shell to keep the pads etc in proper position and stop the splitting of the liner. I have done so with mine ever since. This of course does not explain a completely empty shell.
 
Realistically it has been a very long time since this helmet was manufactured and worn in the field before being damaged, its been around way before we even thought about collecting so anything could have happened between then and now. It could also depend on weather the helmet was held in much regard at the time depending on who owned it and when, being damaged could have made this helmet a second class collectable or not even worthy of being in a collection to some people. Maybe the liner was removed to upgrade an undamaged helmet. I can recall meeting a lot of collectors that would buy only complete, mint or near mint items and shy away from anything damaged as it was considered ruined. It is definitely different today as battle damaged items do create a lot of interest.

Andy
 
I would agree with Tony's theory. Add in that many of these helmets ended up not on shelves but in garages, basements and other places where the leather probably didn't last long.

I think in some cases the leather could have been repurposed as well for use to repair old shoes or in a workman's helmet, etc.
 
At one time I had an M'16 with battle damage, it also had a tag from the US Signal Corp. The tag identified where the helmet was recovered and that the wearer had been killed. This piece still had the liner in it when I got it. The liner had a lot of blood staining. The bloody leather pieces became very brittle and just fell apart. The only part of the liner that remained was the thick leather band, but the stitches that held it together rioted away.

During the war Germany had an issue with getting good quality leather. The liners in these helmets were not made to last for ever. Being exposed to the weather, dirt, and the human body did not help maintain the liners. Besides I know of at least one that had the liner removed so the helmet could be used to carry coal ash (my Dad).
 
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