Garde zu Fuss 2nd. regiment II batallion

[vonkluck14]

Gents,

Found this one at the Ciney Militaria in Belgium a month ago. It came without the chin sales, but I was lucky to find this pair on the Bay that fits quite well ! Mannschaften chin sales don't come by that often do they?.. It is stamped "G.R. 2" (although no "BAG", and one can see a faint "1" before the "2"?), "II B.", and "1910". The leather is in fine condition, as is the eagle. No double holes and a genuine "ghost". The spike neck is the correct more rounded one supposed to stabilise the socket and to make it easier to screw on the spike or plume (Herr/Nguyen 'The German Infantry part 1 page 303). The Landes Kokarde is a replica, still have to change that!

Regards,

Marcel

 

[badener]

Good show Marcel!

 

[RON]

It's always a good feeling when you complete a nice old helmet... It feels like you brought it back to its former glory!

I recently bought a pair of M15 EM Cavalry Cockades and can't wait to get them on my M15 JZP helmet, so I can relate to what you must've felt when the chinscales turned out to be a perfect match. :thumb up:

 

[poniatowski]

:bravo: :bravo: :bravo:

Ron

 

[edwin]

Nice find and I agree with Ron that its a great feeling when you restore a helmet to its former glory. Thanks for sharing! In addition, I was wondering what units had chinscales on their helmets instead of a leather chinstrap?

Best regards :wave:

Edwin

 

[Spiker]

Nice project! :thumb up: Thanks for sharing.

 

[argonne]

Cool helmet with especially cool and interesting unit marks!!!
The faint "1" stood for something else before the "G.R 2" stamp has been placed there.
Never seen before the GR2 mark staying for the 2nd Garde zu Fuss Regiment. Could it not also stay for the 2nd Garde Grenadier Regiment?

However a beautiful helmet!!!! =D> =D>

Philippe

 

[vonkluck14]

According to Larcade (1 st. book page 153) G.R.2. is the abbriviation of 'Garde-Regiment zu Fuss Nummer 2'. As stated my helmet has no 'BAG' marking.

As for the yellow chin scales: the Foot Guards regiments wore the leather chin straps in times of mobilization/war. The line Grenadier regiments also wore the yellow chin straps.

 

[Glennj]

I don't know if this is being simplistic, but I would think it is more likely to have been a former Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Carl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12 helmet with the later addition of a Guard Star Eagle.

Regards
Glenn

 

[argonne]

it is more likely to have been a former Grenadier-Regiment Prinz Carl von Preußen (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 12 helmet with the later addition of a Guard Star Eagle.

I must say I even had this though myself as I first saw the marking on this haube. But there is absolutely no evidence of refilled holes at the front of this helmet... But it would really be a great coincidence that both, the grenadier old regiment wappen (worn by the GR12) and the actual Garde Wappen on this helmet, would have had the same distance between the fixation loops.... :-k
Maybe this helmet has been first worn in the GR1 (1st Garde zu Fuß Regiment) and changed then to the GR2. The BA tried to faint the "1" and only stamped the "2" near the GR ???

Philippe

 

[poniatowski]

I have a Grenadier helmet that was converted from the earlier type eagle. It's very easy to see where the old holes were filled in and the new ones punched and gromited. So, if there are no filled holes behind the plate (there would be square patches inside to indicate where they were), then it's doubtful there was a line type plate at one time.

Ron

 

[vonkluck14]

Hi Ron,

There aren't any double holes, the Garde Wappen has been 'born' on this helmet!

Regards,
Marcel

 

[KAGGR 1870]

Hello
For me GR is for Grenadier regiment (GGR for Guard grenadier)
(GR was used for guard grenadier before 1897, date when the grenadier wappen was changed )
In this case GR 12 is grenadier regiment
the wappen was changed to Guard Grenadier wappen
There are two type of grenadier wappen according to the distance between the two loops
1- the most common with distance like infanterie standard wappen
2- wappen with distance like guard grenadier wappen
So no difficult to change wappen with guard grenadier wappen
Regards

 

[stephane_avesnes]

It's a nice Grenadier Regiment 12, I have a field cover for that regiment, nice helmet;

why does it bear a guard plate .... nobody knows, can be from the war period, anyway a Guard or a Grenadier helmets that's equivalent in terms or rarity;

congrats !