Exceptional Battlefield-Recovered Helmet Courland Pocket Latvia (ALHISTORYTEAM)

This is a truly remarkable battlefield recovery from the legendary Courland Pocket in Latvia, discovered by the well-known ALHISTORYTEAM.

The helmet remains exactly as found—untouched, unrestored, and uncleaned—which preserves its authentic historical character.

The steel shell shows natural corrosion from decades in the ground, yet still retains traces of original paint on the exterior. With careful treatment using oxalic acid, it is very likely that significantly more of the original finish will emerge.

One of the most unusual and appealing features is the rubber band still attached around the helmet. These improvised bands were used by soldiers to secure camouflage materials such as cloth strips or branches—a rare survival on a ground-dug relic.

The interior is largely gone, as is typical for helmets recovered after so many years in harsh soil conditions. Please check the photos for a clear impression of its condition.

About the Courland Pocket

The Courland Pocket was one of the final and most desperate battlegrounds on the Eastern Front during WWII. From late 1944 until May 1945, nearly 200,000 German troops were cut off by the advancing Red Army and encircled in Latvia’s Courland region. Despite repeated Soviet offensives, the German Army Group Courland held out until the unconditional surrender, fighting in brutal conditions and leaving behind countless relics that today serve as silent witnesses to their final stand. Helmets recovered from this area are highly collectible due to their dramatic history and the intense fighting that took place there.