I know this is a huge long shot, I’m sorry if this is stupid. I’m American. My great great grandfather brought home a German helmet and some leather pieces that came with it, including a fabric piece (lapel?) with a stitched 242 on it. There are parts of the leather pieces that appear to be blood-soaked. He wrote a note saying he “found it in the Belleau Woods.” Anyways, are there any special marks on these fabric pieces or the helmet itself, such as a serial number, that I could potentially use to return it to surviving family? If not, is there anything important or interesting we can extrapolate from the 242, or the helmet itself? Thanks, please let me know if wrong sub.
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!