Helmet from dealer Weitze

Pontiac9999

Pontiac9999

Active member
Hi all, here's an interesting one, what does everyone think. I have never seen this before...

Preußen 1. Weltkrieg Stahlhelm Versuchsmodell für die Infanterie - Prussia - Imperial Germany & Weimar Republic: uniforms, spike helmets, etc. - Military Antiques

Preußen 1. Weltkrieg Stahlhelm Versuchsmodell für die Infanterie Um 1915. Flacher Stahlhelm mit Vorder- und Nackenschirm, aus starkem Eisenblech gefertigt, in der Form noch erinnernd an eine Pickelhaube. Olivgrün lackiert, die
www.weitze.com www.weitze.com
 
HIs description seems possible,

I've never seen one exactly like it before either. If I had unlimited Hobby Cash I'd blow the 3k US on it.

I like the texture of the steel, the color as well as the leather and felt in the top. Sure looks convincing ;)
 
I am seeing a von der Hayden (spelling?) Kit Helmet that has a round cap or disk on the outside top of the helmet where the ventilation hole on the top of the helmet shell is located. Something inside that ventilation hole is holding that cap or disk in place to cover or hide the hole when you look inside the area where the vent hole is inside the helmet. The back spine has been removed and the two small holes likely filled in as well. I can barely see what looks like the remains of the hole for the back spine attachment on the underside of the back visor. The angle of the photograph hinders seeing the trace of a hole on underside of back visor, I believe. I do not think my eyes are playing tricks on me when I am straining to look at underside of back visor and it appears to be a round circle where the lower part of back spine would be attached on a kit helmet.

This looks to me to simply be an Olive Drab or Olive Green painted von der Hayden kit helmet with the spike and back spine removed. The same color of paint that we see on the spun body helmets with the integral visors.

Like others here, I have never seen anything quite like this, but I can believe that someone would do it during the war. I guess it is possible in light of them experimenting with so many ideas and the fluidity of things changing rapidly.

Alan
 
The filled-in hole looks strange to me; in my mind it would either have been designed without the Spitze (in which case there should be no hole), or the Spitze is missing here.
Regards,
Lars
 
I agree with Alan and Philippe, in my opinion a test helmet is plausible. In wartime you couldn't just start from scratch, so it's quite possible that they took an existing helmet and modified it to see what a change would look like. It was certainly questioned whether the spike could be eliminated completely or if a quickly removable spike could be used, as it was done in 1915.
The workmanship looks absolutely period and plausible. Before a new helmet model was introduced, there was brainstorming in all directions. So this could very well be a rejected test model from the M1915 test series. However, this cannot be proven, as most of the documents were destroyed during the WWII. The purchase therefore comes with a high risk.
 
What I would question is why there are no ventilation holes in this helmet?

German engineering is very particular and there is often a vent hole on pretty much all of there headgear (except maybe pelzmutzes). The vent holes were designed to dissipate heat or relieve pressure from artillery shock. This helmet has no vents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top