Reproduction Normandy Era Helmet Net "large hole"

This listing is for the net only.  Helmet and stand are not included.

This net is a reproduction of one of the most common style nets seen in the European Theater of Operations from 1942 through D-Day.  

This particular helmet net is the 1/2"-5/8" net used by the 101st Airborne, 29th Infantry, 1st Infantry, 2nd Armored Division and many other units during the invasion of Normandy.  This style net was also used extensively in Italy and Africa in 1942 and 1943.  After Normandy the larger hole helmet nets, such as these, were more commonly replaced by the smaller 1/4" helmet nets (Operation Market Garden) or even smaller mesh shrimp nets (Operation Varsity). 

Some of the features that set our helmet nets apart from most other reproductions are:

1.  100% cotton construction (no post war synthetic fibers)

2.  Proper olive drab color (not forest green, black, florescent green, or bright tan)

3.  "Thin knots."  Thin knot nets allow for helmet liners to sit deeper into the helmet shell, keeping the rim of the liner more flush with the rim of the steel shell.  While there are plenty of original helmet nets that had thick knots, this is a feature that allows for a more visually pleasing "finished helmet" when compared to most other nets on the market.  See second picture in listing for details.

For those that own an original helmet net, these reproductions may not match your specific original perfectly.  A brief internet search will show you that there were many different manufactures of these nets in both the United States and England, all of which used different size stings, knots, hole sizes, and colors.  These helmet nets are an extremely faithful reproduction of one of the most common nets used during the war. 

Note: While the thin knots of these nets make for a better fit of the liner inside the helmet shell, it does not guarantee that the rim or the liner will sit completely flush to the rim of the shell, especially when using a post war helmet with a post war/reproduction helmet liner. Post war m1 helmet shells are slightly smaller than WW2 shells and most post war liners and reproduction liners are slightly larger than most original liners.  

Note: These helmet nets were made with natural white cotton string then dyed.  As a result if the net is stretched very tightly around the helmet, the knots on the net will tighten and expose a small amount of the undyed cotton string.  This is seen in the areas of the net that are stretched the most, namely at the very top of the helmet and around the bails.  This is not a defect and does not qualify for a return.  This feature is even seen in some originals.  Any exposed natural colored sting is easily coved up with a little bit of dirt.