7. Thüringisches Inf.-Regt. Nr. 96 III Btl.

Lost Skeleton

Lost Skeleton

Well-known member
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt!

Though I saw this at the SOS, I passed it over when I fell in love with the L.I.R. 115, which I shared HERE recently. Nevertheless, the more I thought about it, the more I felt this helmet also deserved a good home. #-o As ever the case with regiments bearing a FUERST Adler, the concern is being duped by a modern electroformed Wappen. Thankfully, this specimen proved to be 100% legitimate.

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The M95 Pickelhaube is a small size — I would say 54. For the most part, it has retained its shape well

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M95 rear spine with Hinterschiene Schiebeklappe. I have a story to tell about the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Landeskokarde should anyone inquire

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The elaborate, overlapping regimental and unit stamping: IR 96 III B – I C – MGK – 1895

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Helmet sans Wappen — brass grommets present

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Macro detail of the Wappenadler, which retains all of its original gilt

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Macro of the reverse. I have no explanation for the black coating, which appears to be carbon. The lead solder retaining the left loop is sloppy, but appears to be contemporary. It may be indicative of a Kammer repair

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Extreme macro of the eagle's head and right wing. There is no question the Wappen is stamped brass

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The Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt heraldic star. Worn by a single battalion of one regiment, it is a bird of great rarity

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The star is two-piece construction. Having had a few unfortunate experiences with solder fatigue, I see no need to disassemble it, as everything else checks out to my satisfaction.

Chas
 
More than nice i would say
Nothing to comment
Even very nice marked inside

Trully a nice helmet

Jonas
 
Nice to see that elusive Wappen photographed so close up in detail. Thank you Chas. I would kill to find an example of that Wappen.

Literally :-x

Unlike your your helmet, unfortunately, any rare loose Wappen gets slapped on a helmet faster than I can blink.
 
Question ;
Kammer
MGK
Could that be Machine Gun Komp. ?
Did they have them that early ?
or could one be in a single Batl ?
Just asking I don't know
If not then what does that Kammer stand for ?
Nothing was said about it
I thought Tony would comment
another Weitze purchase ?
It looks super as does your I R 115
so I thought maybe that that came from the same place
looks like a nice old collection showed up
2 great ones for you
Thanks
Steve
 
Steve:

I purchased the helmet from Malcom Fisher's REGIMENTALS. Had I purchased it at the SOS, I would have saved a bundle on shipping, but who knows what the show price would have been.

I have no doubt this helmet ultimately saw service in a Maschinengewehr Kompanie. My understanding, per the August 1914 composition of a German Infantry Regiment, is that each Bataillon had one machine gun company consisting of three Zug (platoons). Each Zug was equipped with two M1908 Maxims for a total of six machine guns. The MGK Kammer is bolder, and partially stamped over the 1895 date, which leads me to suspect the helmet was reissued after having been originally issued to the 1st rifle company (I C).

Given some of the recent revelations provided by Philippe (argonne), it is also possible the helmet entered service as a M1891, and was subsequently modified with a vented rear spine and M95 Wappen grommets. It is not readily apparent in the photo, but there is an incused "I" just to the left of the rear spine (beneath the "C"), which I take for the highest Garnitur classification.

Perhaps someone else will shed light on the subject.

Chas
 
One of the factors motivating my acquisition of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt helmet was to complement my 7. Thüringisches Inf.-Regt. Nr. 96 II Btl. Reuß M95. The 1st Battalion of IR 96 was equipped with the standard Preußen line infantry Pickelhaube with KOENIG Adler, and, therefore, not terribly impressive.

At first glance, the Wappen stars may appear identical, but they are, in fact, quite unique. The photo also illustrates the appreciably smaller size of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt helmet. I doubt it would fit a three-year-old child of the present generation.

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Macro photos of the Reuß FUERST Adler (front and back) can be viewed HERE (scroll to the bottom of the page for additional pictures of my helmet).

Chas
 
Very nice helmets, very scare to see together.

I have a classic prussian helmet M 1891 which was too modernized in M 1895. In its cas too, the grommets which were put create a kind of weakness of the leather. I will put a picture when I have time.
 
Excellent Chas, it does not get any better than that sweet little helmet, great markings to boot!! :thumb up:
 
Great info
Special to me is to see the M G K Kammer
not sure that I have ever seen that
outstanding helmet and purchase .

Thanks for the info

Steve
 
Chas,

Your helmet seems to come from the January 2017 auction in Soissons (France). A "big" collection has been sold there, with good things but less good too......

Regimentals was there too and bought a bunch of helmets to sold them (much expensive) a few weeks later. If I am right, this helmet has been sold 1800 EUR in Soissons.

I have the same opinion as festwagner about a M91 modernized in a M95.

Now to the markings. I think that this helmet has first been in the III bataillon, in the 10 company. Marking is 10C, not 1C.
It may have been later transfered to one of the regiments MGK as they were created in almost all infantery units between 1908 and 1913.

Philippe
:wink:
 
Thanks, Philippe.

If the hammer you quote is correct, Regimentals realized a tidy profit on the helmet, but not exorbitant. Naturally, I had no knowledge of the Soissons auction. Bidding against a dealer presents its own perils as they have deep pockets and sometimes force one to overbid. C'est la guerre… At least this helmet represents one of the "good things" from the auction.

I was able to improve the Pickelhaube in one respect. The Landeskokarde was Preußen. However, more than a decade ago, I acquired an original Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Kokarde with a scrapper M95 Garde Pionier helmet. I joked with J.LeBrasseur that I was buying a helmet to complete a Kokarde. :wink:

Chas
 
You had the last laugh Chas....we collectors love those situations where you buy something "ordinary" which comes with a special bit of "extra rarity" that can be used later. In my case at this year's SOS, it was buying a scrapper Prussian M95 OR's helme with an Ulanen officer neusilber wappen on it. That made my show!! :D
 
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