Polish Exile helmet Eagles

[Gary J]

Always a subject which stirs great debate is the originality of painted Eagles on Exile Polish Forces helmets.

I've had a brief run through some period photo's and below have started a list to show the variety "on offer".

If you have any clear period photo's, please feel free to add to the thread.

In order.
1) Adrian helmet - 2nd rifle Division - France 1940
2) AFV helmet - 1st Armoured - Breda 1944
3) French Tanker helmet - Polish Parachute brigade - 1st pattern "sponged" type eagle - Scotland 1941
4) Polish Navy
5) Polish Parachute Brigade - Bungee 1942
6) Mk2 "Brodie" - Scotland 1940

Regards

Gary J.

[Gary J]

7) Polish Para 3rd pattern Eagle (Hooked Shoulder type) - Leather Strap helmet - Circa 1943
8) Polish Para 3rd pattern Eagle ? (Hooked Shoulder type) - Leather Strap helmet - Germany 1945 -1947

[Adrian Stevenson]

Not period I know. But here is the well known one on the Airborne helmet from the Hartenstien Airborne Museum, Oosterbeek.

Cheers, Ade.

[Gary J]

Cheers for posting that one Ade !!

Yes .. I remember seeing this one in the Hartenstein, ... personally, I think this eagle was painted on post war, possibly by a Pole who was serving in the BAOR.
The Eagle certainly "makes a statement" ! .. imagine a Pole wearing this on German soil after the end of the war ...

Gary J.

[dorava]

some others...
the one in the window case is on display at the Sikorski Institute

[Gary J]

Excellent ! ..
That eagle I class as the 1st pattern used by the parachute Brigade.
it tends to look as if it was "sponged" onto the helmet through a template.
I gather than the description given with the helmet at the Sikorski, states that this one was picked up off the battlefield at Driel after the battle, and donated by a resident of the village.

Gary J.

[wadowicznic]

G
I have this hemet in my collectin
What do You think?
i am not sure if it is orginal.
a

[A.J. Zawadzki]

It’s high time for this topic to be covered. Needless to say, helmet collecting it’s a segment of the hobby that is wide open to easy counterfeiter abuse, and as such the vast majority of helmets on the market are fakes. In addition to the outright fakes I’ve even heard of movie props from the 1977 movie A Bridge Too far, and perhaps other films, occasionally still cropping up on the market as genuine helmets.

Anyway, to start off my contribution I’d like to post this wonderful example . . .

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . In all seriousness though . . . that sad attempt is but one example of many from my archives that have been floated on the market, some of which have fetched astronomic sums.

. . . .
it tends to look as if it was "sponged" onto the helmet through a template.

. . . one of these templates - a surviving example now stored at the Sikorski Museum in London which was used to to apply the eagle by the 'sponging' technique Gary mentions:

[A.J. Zawadzki]

And here’s one for the 1SBS connoisseurs – a very interesting period pic showing another eagle type that appears to be spray paint applied, along with unit insignia. Perhaps Gary or someone else can privide additional comments on this.

Regards,
Tony