66th Infantry Division Soldier Northern France Mailed German Combat M40 Camouflage helmet. The M40 was produced from 1940 until mid-1942 (with the exception of the Quist factory) and as can be seen, the air vents are pressed into the sides of the shell during the manufacturing process. The helmet for sale was mailed back by a US soldier who served in the 66th ID for the US during WWII. This helmet has a hand applied camouflage paint that is a dull brown color that wraps around the entire helmet with more prominent paint texture applied to the back. The helmet has all the original 2 side rivets along with the back rivet in place and solid condition. The liner is in good originally condition and is just missing the inside sting to hold the middle liner together. The lot of pictures was also found inside the helmet line and were mailed back with the helmet. They have the date of 1942 written on most of them. YOU WILL RECEIVE THE HELMET AND PHOTOS. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO STAY TOGETHER. History of the 66th Infantry Division. They trained and prepared for deployment until 24 December 1944, then transferred to Southampton before crossing the English Channel to Cherbourg, France. Two Belgian transport vessels, the Cheshire and Leopoldville carried the 66th across the English Channel. However, only 5 miles from the port of Cherbourg, the Leopoldville was torpedoed by a German U-Boat and sunk, taking the lives of 14 officers and 748 enlisted soldiers. Primarily involved with destroying the German troops left behind by the retreat from Northern France, the 66th Infantry Division relieved the 94th Infantry Division of control of the Brittany-Loire area on 29 December 1944, and collaborated with French forces as well. The 66th carried out its objective by harassing German installations, limited objective attacks, and running reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence. The use of artillery shelling many German positions also played a major part in the advancement of the 66th through the region. In total, there were about 100,000 German soldiers that remained in the ports of Lorient, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux and La Rochelle. Notably, a heavy German attack near La Croix was repulsed on 16 April 1945 and several strongly fortified enemy positions were taken from 19 to 29 April 1945 in a series of counterattacks. These battles played a pivotal role in ending the Nazi occupation of Northern France. The remaining German soldiers surrendered to 66th Infantry Division officers and French officials in a small cafe near Cordemais on 8 May 1945. Ordered to change to an occupational-oriented mission 14 May 1945, the 66th made a 700-mile trek into Germany where the Black Panthers occupied 2400 square miles of territory and the city of Koblenz. As a security force, the division was charged with establishment of a military government and control of all German affairs. Tasks included the dischargement of prisoners of war, inventorying of ammunition and supplies, and organizing civilians. And formally inactivated, sailing for home 27 October 1945. The item “WWII 66th Infantry Captured Northern France Mailed German M40 Camo Helmet Relic” is in sale since Wednesday, July 17, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\WW II (1939-45)\Original Period Items\Germany\Hats & Helmets”. The seller is “curio_artifacts” and is located in Algonquin, Illinois. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Country/Region of Manufacture: France