I had to go down south a couple days ago to a family funeral. My aunt died last week at 82 years of age. I wasn't that close to her, but my father who is 85 felt he couldn't make the trip and asked me to go in his place to pay respects to his brother’s wife. Anyway, while I was there my cousin took me aside and told me he had something of my father's that he wanted to return.
My cousin takes me into another room as he explains, that my dad had given my uncle some war trophies that he brought back from WW-II. So my cousin hands me a bayonet from a K-98 and a Fallschirmjager helmet. The bayonet and its leather sheath are in very good shape, but the helmet isn't as well preserved. The leather liner is deteriorated and falling apart, as are the chinstraps, and the top of the steel shell has a large area of surface rust. The Luftwaffe eagle on the left side is faded and scratched but still is clear. I'm sure that when the helmet was first brought home from the war it was in much better shape and the resulting damage is probably more from improper storage over the last 60 years. It's still a nice piece of history despite the damage.
My question is: does anyone know where I might be able to research some of the markings that remain on the liner? Also, should I look into possibly restoring the helmet, or just find a way to keep it from deteriorating any further. Soon as I can I will take some pictures of the helmet to share and hopefully get some ideas of how to save it.