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I am a baby boomer, born in a wrong place of other side of the globe; my Grandfather decided to moved his base East. When I was very young my uncle always brought me to watch war movies, I was amazed of the smart appearance of WWII German soldier, ever the American always won I was always eager to own a German helmet, when I was in primary five I saved my pocket money to purchased German Uniform books but totally unable to read and write English. These books are still with me and in good shape.
Not
until a decade later I got a plastic German helmet from Japan, I wore it
outdoor during typhoon season felt that I was safe by the protection of the
helmet.
Not
until I found my first job and got paid, and happened Universal Toys (now UML)
imported dozens of repainted German helmets from Unique Import, I bought a M35
helmet from them with original liner and chinstrap, even found a pinch of brown
hair inside the liner. Later I bought a M42 from the same source. I was stupid enough to hit one of the helmets
by a hammer and no dents found, then I notice the supreme German technology
decades ago, nothing better.
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Those days I was depended on the mail ordering list posting from UK by a dealer Barry Smith, which had no photos only descriptions or sometime drawings. Or order for Unique Import by their monthly colorful catalogs and WWII Ltd small black and white pocket size booklets from USA. Many original items still available in good prices as well as West Germany items pretended as original, but when these listing arrived, most of the goodies were already gone. The repainted original German helmet was $19.90 each and have difference discount when buying three, six to a dozen.
Huge trouble to make payment to the other end of the globe,
only two way I tried; to pay by postal
orders purchased from post office or by demand draft from the bank with a
handling fee and need to wait for hours in the bank, when posted the payment by
registered mail, needed to inform the dealer by fax, tried once to made a long
distance call at Cable & Wireless to place a reserve on an item.
Other source to search for the goodies was the small
classified advertisement on the Guns & Ammo magazine, always found some
individual dealers of the period items, one of them was named Bud O’Toole, he
was hand printing repro Heer and Waffen SS camo fabric, which started a
friendship for decades, and he came to my home during his Asia trip, we wrote
inch thick letters, discussing uniforms and camo details, however later years I
was busied on my Army training, business, divorce and chasing women, and too
lazy to write to him, but when I tried to contact him all letters bounced back,
and he was not using internet at all.
Later form one of the forum feedbacks to me that Bud was
very old and unable to recognize people. Oh that’s hurt; I was not used to lost
friend and not notice that we are getting older and older everyday.
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During my finical hardship caused by a woman, I had to sold my entire collection, but still busying on my business, soldiering and shooting,
not notice that the hobby had already imprinted into my soul. Every time when I
looking back to my old collections, it is really really hurt.
When the internet era came and the east Europe opened up,
the period items keep coming out from individual and dealers, its so easy to
settle a transaction within minutes.
But the price are shooting up to sky high, a reprint helmet
is $300 not $19.9 any more. On January 2008 I started to purchase a repaint M35
helmet and selected my size from a dealer stacked up with whole size range of
original shells and repro liners, how nice to have a helmet good fit my head,
my recollection had official started in rapid speed.
This was my favor TV show in my childhood--Combat, as American infantry squad always won the German. Looking back now was just a cartoon, but their squad tactic are identical when I was in the Army. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8HtP6DYnJs&feature=related  This was my other favor TV show of the same period--The Rat Patrol where the German was ill equipped ans lost every time!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZcbifYqpGc  I was happened to growing up at the birth place of the vantage G.I. Joe, and all my childhood friends all playing G.I.Joe, this toy made me joined the Army when grown up and I had recollect them at 90s, now I own almost completed 10964 to 1969 vintage Joes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zgCeCCfpHg  |
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