ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
Hello,
I just acquired this odd Wartime manufactured Officer Tschapka for the 2nd Guard Uhlan Regiment. Uncleaned condition, dirty and dusty. Helmet body & mortarboard are "fogged" a bit. Unfortunately the chinscales, rosettes, and visor trim appear to be made of zinc, and most of the gilt has come off those parts. The eagle looks to be high quality pre-war brass. The wartime guard star enamel is very nice on the eagle, and the wreath and berries are enameled with a little bit of chip damage to them.
Tshapka body is like that on the Depaheg Patent pickelhaubes. No maker marks or labels that I can find. It has a metal, removeable mortarboard, which is secured inside the helmet shell with a wing-nut and a large washer plate. Mortarboard is vented on the right and left side, and underside corners of the mortarboard have holes to accept a parade rabatte which was not present. A nice tarnished officer feldzeichen came with the tschapka. There is a horsehair parade plume that came with the tschapka, but I did not photograph it yet. Odd part about the plume is that it is white hair only, and does not appear to have had any black hair on it to indicate officer grade.
Liner has a very nice calfskin sweatband, and the salmon color silk liner is in very nice condition as well. Backside of the shell needs a bit of reshaping, as sat on a shelf on the visor for approximately 55-years with the same family. I am in the process of carefully reshaping it with an adjustable head block.
Certainly not the prettiest 2nd Guard Uhlan Officer Tschapka around, but I am happy to have found it.
Helmet has been with a family since 1957 or 1959, when they acquired it from a WW1 officer friend of theirs who brought back 4-helmets from the Great War. The other 3-helmets they still have are: Prussian ersatz "kit" helmet, Prussian wartime infantry e.m. leather pickelhaube, and a wartime jaeger zu pferde helmet.
I look forward to your comments.
All the Best,
Alan
I just acquired this odd Wartime manufactured Officer Tschapka for the 2nd Guard Uhlan Regiment. Uncleaned condition, dirty and dusty. Helmet body & mortarboard are "fogged" a bit. Unfortunately the chinscales, rosettes, and visor trim appear to be made of zinc, and most of the gilt has come off those parts. The eagle looks to be high quality pre-war brass. The wartime guard star enamel is very nice on the eagle, and the wreath and berries are enameled with a little bit of chip damage to them.
Tshapka body is like that on the Depaheg Patent pickelhaubes. No maker marks or labels that I can find. It has a metal, removeable mortarboard, which is secured inside the helmet shell with a wing-nut and a large washer plate. Mortarboard is vented on the right and left side, and underside corners of the mortarboard have holes to accept a parade rabatte which was not present. A nice tarnished officer feldzeichen came with the tschapka. There is a horsehair parade plume that came with the tschapka, but I did not photograph it yet. Odd part about the plume is that it is white hair only, and does not appear to have had any black hair on it to indicate officer grade.
Liner has a very nice calfskin sweatband, and the salmon color silk liner is in very nice condition as well. Backside of the shell needs a bit of reshaping, as sat on a shelf on the visor for approximately 55-years with the same family. I am in the process of carefully reshaping it with an adjustable head block.
Certainly not the prettiest 2nd Guard Uhlan Officer Tschapka around, but I am happy to have found it.
Helmet has been with a family since 1957 or 1959, when they acquired it from a WW1 officer friend of theirs who brought back 4-helmets from the Great War. The other 3-helmets they still have are: Prussian ersatz "kit" helmet, Prussian wartime infantry e.m. leather pickelhaube, and a wartime jaeger zu pferde helmet.
I look forward to your comments.
All the Best,
Alan
