Description:

A very rare SS relic, an excavated, badly crushed SS helmet presumably from the 12th SS Panzer Division 'Hitlerjugend', uncovered near the city of Caen - where the division served throughout Operation Overlord and suffered great casualties during the Battle of the Falaise Pocket. The helmet appears to be a M40 model based on the folded rim and the punched vent hole on each side. One side bears the remnants of an SS decal, clearly visible. The dome bears heavy cracks and oxidation from years of burial, yet has since been varnished and preserved. In relic condition. Sold with a handwritten note of provenance by Xavier Derule, written in French, who writes in the city of Caen on Feb. 2, 1983: '...This is proof that the helmet was found on a part of a land near La Guigne, Erecy, Caen. It was dug up, treated and preserved. The SS-Mark, still visible, points to the 12th SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend which fought near the town of Caen in the month of June 1944. This helmet I sold after conservation to Mr. Jean Carstres...' Numerous other D-Day excavated relics found by Mr. Derule are also offered in this sale. The 12th SS Panzer Division 'Hitlerjugend' was named such since a majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth. On D-Day, the division, along with the 21st Panzer Division, was the closest Panzer division to the landing beaches, and committed several war crimes while en route to and during the early battles in Normandy, including the Ascq and Ardenne Abbey massacres.

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May 22, 2021 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000