Blood testing - KIA/battle damage helmet

http://www.gk43forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2493

I used a Bluestar Forensic Hexagon OBTI test on the stains on the liner on the above helmet. This test is sensitive to human blood traces and will not cross-react with animal blood types (except for primate, ferret, and skunk; who'da thought). I wanted to confirm via OBJECTIVE test what 60 year old blood on a helmet liner looks like. Here is the information on this test:

http://www.bluestar-forensic.com/gb/hexagon.php

Note that perspiration will not yield a positive result on this test. Now for the test and results....................

Below is the area of the liner tested. You can see the minute size of the sample I used in the post with the collection bottle and tweezers. The test flake was removed from the inside edge of the liner:

LINK NOT WORKING

Here is the scraping I used, along with the sample bottle and testing device. The scraping is dropped into the test media bottle and gently shaken up. The tip is broken off the media bottle and two drops from bottle with the media and chip are placed on the far end of the test strip, where the "S" is located. The chip is to the far right.

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If the test is working, one blue line will appear at the "C" mark on the test strip. Negative for human blood is NO line at the "T" mark. A positive test for human blood is either a very visible line, or a weak line at the "T". The instructions state that "even a weak test line indicates a positive result. Different intensities between Test (T) and Control © lines may occur but do not affect the interpretation of the results."

Below is the test, which produced a positive result for human blood, albeit with a weak Test line. The strip marked with the "1" was a control I tested what was a NON blood stain with for control. The strip marked "2" shows the weak line indicating positive for human blood.

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It isn't easy to see, but the line is definitely there. I had the neighbor and wife look at the test and both identified the second line at the T.

What I would do different: Probably use a larger sample! The sample was a 60+ year old blood stain soaked into a leather liner on a chip of liner the size of a pencil lead, stored in a hot attic with dust, etc. I'm sure a larger sample and longer soaking in media would have produced a "stronger" positive result.

What this proves: Well, it conclusively shows what blood stains look like on a 60+ year old helmet. The entirety of the dark staining you see around the edge of that liner is blood staining.

The way the chinstrap is curled and stiff, and the pooling inside, it is obvious that Behrens fell face down, with his helmet strapped on, and stayed that way for a long time until the helmet was removed. The blood seeped around the outside and long the sides of Behrens' head and face. Grim stuff.

This was interesting and confirmed some of my prior observations of bloodstained artifacts. Note that modern human blood will test positive just like 60+ year old blood. However, I would bet new blood would produce a "stronger" test result and of course, would look different than 60+ year old blood!
Cheers,
Hambone

Excellent research! Hard to argue with science. Now all you have to do is trace a 'Behrens' and determine his KIA date and personal info. Much more fun than just owning a silent artifact.

Thanks Scott. I prefer things with some identifiable history. This post is perhaps a tad OT, but I want the guys here to see what bloodstained artifacts from WW2 actually look like, as opposed to sales hype and fiction.

As for Obergef. Behrens, there are alot of them listed in the German Graves Registry. I printed out five killed in France, Belgium, and Italy in 1944 and 1945, then just quit. Common name. Without more information, such as a unit or AO, I doubt I will be able to pin it down. This assumes of course that he was killed and his grave is registered.

[Stevo]

Superb detective work HB! Even though the bullet damage and subsequent wound looked to be the cause of the staining in the helmet, without testing one couldn't say for sure say it wasn't oil or something else.

Named artifacts are certainly more interesting for me, regardless of condition, due to their personal historical significance to the previous user.

[Tyler870]

Quite interesting Hambone. Where do you come accross a test kit like that?

[robber3]

Can you give me a link or web address of the German Graves Registry for WW2?

Thanks,Rick

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by robber3

Can you give me a link or web address of the German Graves Registry for WW2?

Thanks,Rick

http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuche/content_suche.asp

[Haz-Boy]

Nice CSI work there HB.

Most interesting & informative.

Hope all your research leads you to the 'correct' individual.

Take care......