Steve Nick
Well-known member
For my first post on this forum. I chose a helmet almost identical to one that was previously posted by by Alan S.
I acquired this helmet many years ago. It’s always been a bit of a puzzler to me.
On the surface ,this Private Purchase (Eigentums-Helm) appears to be an Officer’s helmet given that it has an officers’ voided crown front plate, chin scales secured by rosettes, a tall (very tall, over 5 inches) spike, star studs securing the spike base to the helmet, an officers quality rear spine and an officers style silk lining and coloured red and green visor interiors.
On closer examination though, the officer’s quality spike has no “egg and dart perlring” which it should have although it does have the two parallel etched lines indicative of officer spikes. The front visor trim is of the thicker enlisted ranks variety. The kokarden are a mess, in that the Reichs kokarde is an officer’s example (two silver rings) while the Landeskorde (Prussia) has the NCO style single silver ring. The Prussian kokarde I suspect has been added/replaced at some point as it is a M91 pattern meant to have been mounted on an M91 enlisted ranks post.
Back in the 80’s the “accepted wisdom” was that a helmet exhibiting these inconsistencies was a “One Year Volunteer” because (as the thinking went) One Year Volunteers could get away with just about anything they wanted to do and if a helmet such as this one didn’t comply with the regulations for Officers and Enlisted Ranks then it must be a One Year Volunteer helmet.
The understanding of the regulations has improved considerably over the years and is laid out as concisely as possible given the very confusing regulations governing what Sr. NCO’s, One Year Volunteers and Officer Candidates were allowed to wear on Tony Schnurr’s exceptional “Kaiser’s Bunker” website.
I’ve now come to the conclusion that this piece is most likely a Fähnriche (Officer Candidate) as it displays virtually the same features as an officer’s helmet, although this one’s owner for some reason opted for the thicker Enlisted Ranks visor trim and no perlring.
Your thoughts are welcomed.
I acquired this helmet many years ago. It’s always been a bit of a puzzler to me.
On the surface ,this Private Purchase (Eigentums-Helm) appears to be an Officer’s helmet given that it has an officers’ voided crown front plate, chin scales secured by rosettes, a tall (very tall, over 5 inches) spike, star studs securing the spike base to the helmet, an officers quality rear spine and an officers style silk lining and coloured red and green visor interiors.
On closer examination though, the officer’s quality spike has no “egg and dart perlring” which it should have although it does have the two parallel etched lines indicative of officer spikes. The front visor trim is of the thicker enlisted ranks variety. The kokarden are a mess, in that the Reichs kokarde is an officer’s example (two silver rings) while the Landeskorde (Prussia) has the NCO style single silver ring. The Prussian kokarde I suspect has been added/replaced at some point as it is a M91 pattern meant to have been mounted on an M91 enlisted ranks post.
Back in the 80’s the “accepted wisdom” was that a helmet exhibiting these inconsistencies was a “One Year Volunteer” because (as the thinking went) One Year Volunteers could get away with just about anything they wanted to do and if a helmet such as this one didn’t comply with the regulations for Officers and Enlisted Ranks then it must be a One Year Volunteer helmet.
The understanding of the regulations has improved considerably over the years and is laid out as concisely as possible given the very confusing regulations governing what Sr. NCO’s, One Year Volunteers and Officer Candidates were allowed to wear on Tony Schnurr’s exceptional “Kaiser’s Bunker” website.
I’ve now come to the conclusion that this piece is most likely a Fähnriche (Officer Candidate) as it displays virtually the same features as an officer’s helmet, although this one’s owner for some reason opted for the thicker Enlisted Ranks visor trim and no perlring.
Your thoughts are welcomed.
