M15 Dragoon

U

USN

Well-known member
Good Morning Gentlemen,

I recently picked this up off of ebay and now that my family has it they were able to send me a few good photos. It is and seems to have always been an M15 dragoon helmet with the proper spine and spike base but at some point the visor had either been cut to fit a round visor or the visor was replaced at a depot. You can see the stitching is old and tight to the helmet so I'd love to hear some people's thoughts on this one. All the hardware minus the visor trim matches as well, even the studs appear to have been painted the same color as the spike. If anyone happens to have a wappen that would match the spike id be very interested in it.

Thank you,
USN
 
USN said:
Good Morning Gentlemen,

I recently picked this up off of ebay and now that my family has it they were able to send me a few good photos. It is and seems to have always been an M15 dragoon helmet with the proper spine and spike base but at some point the visor had either been cut to fit a round visor or the visor was replaced at a depot. You can see the stitching is old and tight to the helmet so I'd love to hear some people's thoughts on this one. All the hardware minus the visor trim matches as well, even the studs appear to have been painted the same color as the spike. If anyone happens to have a wappen that would match the spike id be very interested in it.

Thank you,
USN
Click to expand...
No pictures here yet.
 
Also waiting for photos, but I’m pretty sure I recall it being on eBay; I was an under-bidder. I questioned the rounded visor, but as you say, all else looked correct. One of my M15 Prussian dragoon helmets has the same brownish grey colored fittings. My opinion on the visor is that the original was damaged during the war, and the regimental repair shop replaced it with what they had available, a rounded one. That is assuming the stitching all looksperiod done. When you have it in hand, you should be able to tell.

Ron
 
I agree with Ron, but it’s important to note that the Ersatz Battalions of the D.R., especially when they were “on foot” in the trenches, wore infantry helmets.
That’s why it’s interesting to look at the detailed photos.
Here is a photo of Dragons on foot, from an Ersatz Squadron of DR13, garnison in Metz (Lorraine) in the front line; DR13 E-EsK casquesIR.jpg



Another one from DR7. Only the leather M94 helmets are regulation; the felt ones are “infantry” models.

DR7 feutre & cuir 0livier57.jpg
 
Merci pour les photos. C'est un beau casque de dragon ; on distingue encore l'aigle, emblème des Dragons, ailes déployées. Il possède bien une visière ronde… Notez que le bord n'a pas la même patine que le reste des garnitures, qui sont plus rouillées. Le double perçage à l'avant est également problématique. Mais comme on peut le voir sur cette photo d'époque (Somme), les doubles trous étaient courants à l'avant.

Double perçage (anglais-Somme) -.JPG

Avec un lion sur le devant et une pointe cannelée, cela ferait un magnifique casque de dragon hessois.😁
 
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They did make grey hessian dragoon helmets however i am in agreement with Clovis you can see where the prussian dragoon eagle once sat on this one. There are faint markings on the rear visor as well but I will likely have to take some better photos of this one myself once I am home to show certain details. However on the fight side of the visor you can see some light in between the front visor and visor trim which to me shows that the visor may have been modified to fit round trim at some point or it may have been damaged and then someone decided to make it round so it would display better which would explain the difference in trim as well.
 
CLOVIS 57 said:
Yes, Ron, and in this particular case, it was almost a Hessian infantry helmet. Only the rear spine was different!!!
Click to expand...
So if I understand correctly, there was an m15 Hessian with round spike base and conventional spike, m15 Hessian with cruciform base and fluted spike, and m15 Hessian dragon with cruciform base, fluted spike, and the additional elongated domed brad on the neck guard?

Ron
 
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