I need a little ID help

R

richesz28

Member
I recently purchased a wartime officer 'haube off eBay. Incomplete and in need of a total resto, my typical modus operandi, but interesting nonetheless. It has solid stitching, rear spine and visor trim that are rusty. Fortunately, I have a zinc officer spike and base. I need some chin scales and if anyone has a set they want to part with please let me know. Also, the spacing for the helmet plate posts is wide at 95 mm but the impressions from the plate look like a typical Prussian line eagle.

The helmet also sports a complete liner, which is where it gets fun. Upon arrival I did a quick inspection and found a name and regiment number embossed in the sweatband and inked on the front visor. It may be written on the rear visor as well but time and smudges have rendered it illegible. I was able to photograph the sweatband but could not get a good picture of the front visor marking. It appears to read "D. Ljiefs 2/233". I'm probably wrong on the spelling and need a little help with the regiment too. As always, any help is very much appreciated. Here are some photos:





 
Here is the best photo I have of the front. Difficult to see the impression, but a Prussian line eagle fits the markings perfectly. The 95 mm spacing is throwing me off. Also, does anyone have information about RIR 233? I have found some info on the internet but would like anything related to the 1914-1918 Rangliste. I would really like to track the owner's name down if possible.

 
I think that the name means: Lt Spieß 2/233 (Leutnant SPIEß, 2. Companie RJR233). Or maybe 2. Batterie Feldartillerie Abteilung 293.

There were a few other units with number 293, but with no sub-units like Kompanie or Batterie:
Leichte Minenwerfer Abteilung 293, Flieger Abteilung 293, Pionier Kompanie 293, Magazin Fuhrparkkolonne 293, Fußartillerie Batterie 293 and Fernsprech Abteilung 293.

But no trace of this officer in the Verlust-Listen...

Philippe
:wink:
 
Thanks for the photo of the impression. It shows up quite well and you're right, those posts are very far apart. Prussian plates are usually in the 70 mm range, give or take some mm's. (From what I've seen)

:D Ron
 
Thanks to everyone for weighing in on this one. First, it is definitely marked to RJR 233. I think the Lt. Spieß ID is pretty close. I wish I could decipher the letter in front of Spieß. I don't know if it's an O, D, or something else entirely. I would love to track this gentleman down.

I have tried numerous wappen and neither Garde nor Baden is a match. The impression left by the former helmet plate most closely matches Prussian. The 95 mm spacing is weird but, like most things in this hobby, not totally unexpected. Perhaps the maker had some oddball wappen lying around. Who knows.

The rear spine and front visor trim are fairly rusty. The zinc spike I'm using for this helmet is not rusty, just lost its gilding (except for the perlring). I would like to have these fittings match but am afraid if I clean them up they won't match. I have to do something though as the rust is pretty active. I also need to do some blocking on the helmet shell to push up the top so the spike will fit properly. I will post more as this project moves along.

Richard
 
Hello Richard,

I thought I should mention that Der Spieß is an Unteroffizier rank (proper title: Etatmässige Feldwebel) in the German Army. The equivalency would be a company sergeant major (Commonwealth Army) or first sergeant (U.S. Army).

Chas
 
We have discussed an excellent product here on the forum called Evapo Rust. You have to be careful with it and watch it work when applying to zinc. It will do the job.
 
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