Recognising decals in Second World War camouflage German helmets

This study shows the results of pulse thermography on WWII camouflage German steel helmets with the intent to visualize the decals covered by the camouflage paint and also to distinguish between the army and navy decals. Navy and army decals both had the same shield shape, with a figure inside comprising an eagle and a swastika. Most of the navy decals, however, were produced with a multilayer technique resulting in a different thickness for the eagle and the swastika inside the decal. Many decals were visible behind the paint and a multi-layered navy decal could be spotted too.