Anatomy of Bavarian aluminum Officer helmet

J.LeBrasseur

J.LeBrasseur

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After reading Clovis 57 posts on Ersatz tin and aluminum helmets, I decided to show more detail of a rare Bavarian officer helmet I own.

there are several repo versions around the market from time to time on this helmet, but this is a good one.

so wappen, spike base all held on with split pins.

shell is cut out underneath spike base arms as well as behind the wappen to cut down on weight.

Believe it or not this entire helmet weighs 13 ounces, these helmets where made to be lightweight and they are. most of the weight comes from spike and base, wappen and chinscales, shell and visors are very thin aluminum and light.

Visors are held on with very small rivets on sides.

James



















 
J.LeBrasseur said:
shell is cut out underneath spike base arms as well as behind the wappen to cut down on weight.

Believe it or not this entire helmet weighs 13 ounces, these helmets where made to be lightweight and they are. most of the weight comes from spike and base, wappen and chinscales, shell and visors are very thin aluminum and light.
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Hi James,

Very nice helmet, just curious as to why you say that your helmet was cut out under the spike base arms and the wappen to cut down on the weight.

Is there any documentation for this? I would be very interested in learning more about them but can't find any information anywhere. Maybe in a book I do not have.

I have one in my collection and have always wondered how the wearer would deal with the heat generated by the wearing this type of helmet.

Maybe the owner had these cuts done to aid in the ventilation?? :unsure:

Mine does not have such cuts and looks like the maker made every attempt to reproduce the exact look of an officer's helm, to include painting of the visors and the simulated stitching. I do believe mine to have been owned by and made for Prinz Alfons due to the presence of his royal cypher in the silk liner and the unique quality of its manufacture. Or maybe it's one heck of an elaborate hoax either way I love it. regards John Josef
 
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James:

I've never seen one of these helmets. Until now, I didn't know they existed, although given the existence of the versions made for the enlisted ranks it shouldn't be surprising.

Thanks for sharing those detailed pictures.
 
As far as I'm concerned, these cut-outs were made by the manufacturer, as the paint covers the metal cut-outs.
So they were made before painting.
For me, 2 reasons:
---lightweight
---sweat ventilation
 
CLOVIS 57 said:
As far as I'm concerned, these cut-outs were made by the manufacturer, as the paint covers the metal cut-outs.
So they were made before painting.
For me, 2 reasons:
---lightweight
---sweat ventilation
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Hi Clovis, that certainly sounds possible and like mentioned those reasons would certainly top the list, but they could have been done by a master craftsman in Muenchen.

The Helmets are just so rare there just isn't any published reference material at least as far as I can find; I was hoping that Francis would have something in his library.

Maybe there is something but so far, I've only seen a few from other collections and a few that were in an auction a few years back that I wish I would have bought. I just would like to know more about how, who and when they were made.

Your Saxon em helm is the only one like it I've ever seen every single other example has been for a Bavarian Officer. I guess we will just hope there are more undiscovered helms out there and as they surface so will some more information.
 
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John Josef said:
Hi Clovis,
Your Saxon em helm is the only one like it I've ever seen every single other example has been for a Bavarian Officer. I guess we will just hope there are more undiscovered helms out there and as they surface so will some more information.
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Hi John Josef
It's true that helmets with aluminum tips are extremely rare? this alloy was “revolutionary” in 1914.
Aluminum Schneller-Breslau helmets are rare, but I know of one in a collection near me. (monocoque visor and nape protector, with steel wire around the rim).
Aluminium Hugo Baruch-Berlin are even rarer. When I found mine, and posted on the French forums, 2 collectors told me they had one too, and showed me a photo, which I can't edit because it's copyrighted. The other 2 are in very good condition, one is Saxon like mine, and the other is Prussian.
On the other hand, on this forum, our friend Zebedé has a very nice one, and I'm counting on him to show it to us here.

Since I entered this “Aluminium”, a well-informed collector has sent me an exceptional document from BING, ..dated October 1914!. It's in German, but I leave it to you to appreciate it in your own language. (you'll find many answers to your questions)

Alu Bombe Bing Libre de Droit.jpg
This was a proposal from Bing to the Minister, in the knowledge that BING was negotiating with the Bavarian Army ‘under contract’. The fact that I have never seen an aluminium BING means that the High Cabinet did not agree to its manufacture. In my opinion, this was because of the additional cost, aluminium being a ‘semi-precious’ metal, a new alloy, excessively expensive to manufacture, at this time of mobilisation, dictated by the imperatives of speed, simplification and economy. Aluminium had many qualities, but was not ‘cheap’ for the public purse.

Personally, I have a sheet metal BING, and I have a rare cardboard BING, but I've never seen an aluminum BING.
I'm really pleased to share this document with you.
Please note: this document may not be published in a book without permission from the Bavarian State Archives.
 
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Very interesting to see the wappen and spike base cut outs on these 3 helmets. At the best of times, any cloth or leather "Black Hat" heats up in the sunshine. I think any "Black Metal" helmet/hat would be even worse. Yes, you have the "lightness" but how about heat conductivity on your head ??? :( However, these are very rare and interesting hauben.
 
b.loree said:
Very interesting to see the wappen and spike base cut outs on these 3 helmets. At the best of times, any cloth or leather "Black Hat" heats up in the sunshine. I think any "Black Metal" helmet/hat would be even worse. Yes, you have the "lightness" but how about heat conductivity on your head ??? :( However, these are very rare and interesting hauben.
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Yes, all 3 are the same model, and all 3 are Bavarian Extra-Helms. Note the stamped DRGM, which stands for “Deutsches Reich - Gebrauchsmustern”, i.e. “registered design”. The manufacturer could well be BING-Werke, a Bavarian manufacturer of metal utensils, tin toys etc...
With regard to heat insulation, many “Ersatz” sheet-metal troop models feature a felt cap. In the Weissenburger, Schneller... Vonder Heyden 2èmetype.JPG
 
Fantastic and rare helmets James and Amy, thanks for sharing them here.

And thanks to Thierry for sharing the proposal document from Bing to the War Ministry, from the Bavarian State Archives.

Best Wishes,

Alan
 
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