A general question about the introduction of felt helmets
- Thread starter argonne
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Hi Philippe,
I do not claim I know as much as Joe and Glenn but I assume that one of the first intrusions of felt onto german infantry helmets was on test helmets (Versuchshelme) around 1905. See one pictured below, and note that the (original) chinstrap is dyed green to match the colour of the felt that covers the leather shell (felt covered leather helmets were already worn by troops stationed in China since about 1901). These earlier test helmets were of course used in WW1.
But I suppose you were mainly referring to all-felt helmets. According to Larcade, these were produced as early as 1914... that's all I know. Bruno
I do not claim I know as much as Joe and Glenn but I assume that one of the first intrusions of felt onto german infantry helmets was on test helmets (Versuchshelme) around 1905. See one pictured below, and note that the (original) chinstrap is dyed green to match the colour of the felt that covers the leather shell (felt covered leather helmets were already worn by troops stationed in China since about 1901). These earlier test helmets were of course used in WW1.
But I suppose you were mainly referring to all-felt helmets. According to Larcade, these were produced as early as 1914... that's all I know. Bruno
