East asian helmet with unusual ventilation

[Robert]

There is a nice east asia helmet on http://www.militaria-online.de with devices to close the front holes plus an extra ventilation beneath the plate. It seems the helmet was intended to be used without the front plate in hot weather.

First time I saw this so I thought `d post it. Was this standard on the cloth-covered helmet type? A while back there was a thread about east asian felt helmets and these did not have this ventilation feature.

 

[reservist1]

Robert: That is a very interesting helmet you posted, however, it is not an East Asian helmet. The helmet is one of several different experimental helmets produced between about 1905 - 1910 and based on the East Asian helmet. A brief discussion of these helmets can be found in The German Army in the First World War Uniforms and Equipment 1914-1918 by Juergen Kraus, page 23. The same text also has good photos of an actual East Asian helmet on pages 18 and 19.

Reservist1

 

[Robert]

Reservist,
thanks for the info! The same seller had an exactly identical helmet for sale a few years ago, I wonder what quantities were produced but this helmet type must be rare like snake feet. I have a picture which I always thought showed an east asia helmet and wondered why the prussian plate was used instead of the empire eagle (it looks like both kokards are also present) - perhaps this is the same type and not east asia at all.