U.S.WWII BATTLE DAMAGED AVIATORS M.34 FLAK HELMET.

A fabulous item found some years ago on the deserted airfield of Thorpe Abbots in Norfolk, which was the wartime base of the American 100th Bomb Group, nicknamed because of their devastating casualties The Bloody Hundredth. The helmet has lost its paint finish, it has been laying probably in one of the deserted building, which is still present at Thorpe Abbots, it has suffered from shrapnel damage to the left hand side of the helmet, one of the earpieces is dented, there are two major dents to the skull and a crack to the steel just below one of the shrapnel hits. This was more than likely taken from a U.S. airmen after successfully returning from one of the extremely dangerous missions over Germany in WWII. The interior liner cradle has rotted away and the chinstrap is missing. After the removal from the aircraft of the possibly injured aviator this was more than likely just cast aside and left in one of the buildings. Thorpe Abbot was left by the U.S. Army Air Force at the end of WWII and was never used again for operations either with the U.S.A.F. or with the Royal Air Force. The helmet at present is mounted on a mannequin head with a type B6 sheepskin lined flying helmet, which has the label ‘U.S. Forces U.S. Army Property’ with its contract numbers. A highly evocative battle damaged helmet of one of the most bloody campaigns of WWII.

Code: 80848