Item:
ONJR21015

Original German WWII Relic M38 Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Paratrooper Helmet Recovered from the Corinth Canal in 2001

Item Description

Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a genuine "Battlefield Dug" relic condition example of a German WWII M38 Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger (Paratrooper) Helmet. It was recovered from the Corinth Canal area in Greece relatively in 2001, as it requires clearing of the channel and surrounding areas periodically. The shell is definitely in "relic" condition, showing the effects of decades of exposure to moisture white buried. The shell is somewhat deformed, and the liner is completely gone. No markings are visible, but is undoubtedly an M38 helmet, one that has survived harsh conditions to become this lovely relic.

There is an included tag that gives more information on the history of the helmet, recovered from the Corinth Canal area:

Relic Fallschirmjäger Helmet From The Corinth Canal. April 26 41.
This relic once belonged to a para. with the FJR2. NO3 CO.
These men from NO3 CO. had been dropped into the sea by mistake where they all drowned. 63 men died that day.

Recovered Spring of 2001.

 

During WWII, serious damage was caused to the Corinth Canal, both when Greece was captured by Germany, and when it was later liberated. On 26 April 1941, during the Battle of Greece between defending British troops and the invading forces of Third Reich Germany, German parachutists and glider troops attempted to capture the main bridge over the canal. The bridge was defended by the British and had been wired for demolition. The Germans surprised the defenders with a glider-borne assault in the early morning of 26 April and captured the bridge, but the British set off the charges and destroyed the structure. Other authors maintain that German pioneers cut the detonation wires, and a lucky hit by British artillery triggered the explosion. The bridge was replaced by a combined rail/road bridge built in 25 days by the IV Railway Engineer Battalion, of the Royal Italian Army's Railway Engineer Regiment.

Three years later, as German forces retreated from Greece, the canal was put out of action by German "scorched earth" operations. German forces used explosives to trigger landslides to block the canal, destroyed the bridges and dumped locomotives, bridge wreckage and other infrastructure into the canal to hinder repairs. The United States Army Corps of Engineers began to clear the canal in November 1947 and reopened it for shallow-draft traffic by 7 July 1948, and for all traffic by that September.

German Paratrooper helmets are highly desirable, and they are rare on the market in any condition. This battlefield pickup really IS a piece of  history. This would be a great way to fill that missing spot in your German helmet collection. Ready to display!

  • This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
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