BACKGROUND: After the winter of 1941 on the Russian front the OKH saw the need for heavier winter clothing and testing began in the spring of 1942 to develop suitable garments. In April 1942 Hitler approved the chosen design, and the first models were issued in the autumn of that year, in the reversible mouse grey/white colorations, which was soon changed to camouflage pattern/white combinations. The camouflage helmet covers were manufactured in both a non-reversible model and a camouflage/white reversible model for winter usage. The mouse grey helmet covers are very scarce as they where soon phased out and replaced by the splinter pattern versions.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Second pattern, water-proofed, cotton duck construction, helmet cover in mouse grey, reversible to white. The cover consists of five, machine sewn panels with two vertical panels to each side and a large, central, rectangular panel to fit the contours of the helmet. The sides of the cover have seven machine stitched on foliage loops with one to each of the side panel sections and three to the central rectangular panel. The white side doesn’t incorporate the foliage loops as they were deemed unnecessary in winter terrain. The bottom edge of the cover has a folded over, stitched seam, creating a tunnel loop for the retaining drawstring. The drawstring is constructed from the same mouse grey cotton duct as the rest of the cover. The white side of the cover is well marked with a faint, black inkstamped, RB number. Of Note: The RB numbers, Reichsbetriebnummer, (National factory code numbers), were introduced in late 1942 and were intended to replace the manufacturers marks on garments and equipment to conceal the manufactures name and location from the allies, to prevent bombing raids on German industrial factories. The cover is in overall excellent, condition with minor age toning. On the white side, there are rust stains from where the cover had been sitting on a helmet for a long period of time, most likely an M42. The cover has no visible size markings but looks to be a large size. Nice!

GRADE ****                             PRICE $2,975.00