Interesting videos

colin111008

colin111008

Member
Most of us think of the days of the pickelhaube ending in ww1 following the helmet becoming obsolete in 1916, yet still being used until 1918 as a ceremonial helmet and even into weimar germany with the firehelmets and of course Hindenburg’s pickelhaube he would wear at civil events.

Interestingly enough, GDR of all places decided to bring it back one last time seen here:


Even after that, the Berlin Military music festival Bundeswehr used pickelhauben with plumes in 2010, seen here, and I believe I saw a video of the same thing from 2008 and I would assume they did it again after


Occasionally you also see reanactors using pickelhaube in Berlin or Czechia or other places where Prussian battles happened.

There is also a video here of some guys visiting a Frederick the great memorial with Prussian crown prince Georg Frederich


Wonder if Georg owns any pickelhauben
 
If you ask me seeing the helmet used in parades by the Bundeswehr would be cool like how they do in Chile or Sweden but the helmet is seen as a symbol of German militarism which is a sensitive topic in Germany today. Who knows maybe if just the officers wore them
 
Germany puts a lot of thought into how to handle its military heritage. That honor guard appearance is interesting. Germany has always tended to emphasize the 1813 Wars of Liberation as a founding tradition that heralded a period of remarkable achievements in arts, architecture, natural sciences, archaeology, and anthropology as well as some significant social and political changes. I find this Saxon musical group of that time inspiring for example.

 
Yes so those are napoleonic era uniforms them
I have seen a few videos of the Germans in north Germany (Prussian) and bavarians doing similar style ceremonies and I have even seen one or two where they are wearing those tall golden pointy hats
 
I'm not up on the development of the Bundeswehr since reunification. I wonder if the honor guard photos you posted with plumed helmets imply that today's army is beginning to link specific regiments back to 19th century antecedents as other countries do.
 
Maybe I'm going way out on a limb with my opinion on tradition and culture.
What has happened to our culture and tradition here in Germany lately is incomprehensible. Maybe because I and you maintain and respect this tradition. Everything military is demonized. History is also no longer taught. My daughter came to me after her history lesson and asked who Charlemagne was. I asked her, don't you know who he was? He was .........She said, he really lived? That's a story. My child, that's our German History is not a story, not a fairy tale. Monuments to fallen German soldiers from both wars have to be dismantled because they are too close to the kindergarten. What should parents tell their children? Maybe your great-grandfather's name is on it.Find an old field postcard from WWI where you sent your loved one home that they were okay.And then never returned.But everyone in uniform is warmongers.Quick that Burn the photo so no one sees it.
I still have my grandfather's uniform. With his military record from WWI. He was there all 4 years and came home. He lost his brothers. He HAD to go. HE just wanted to come home. The whole passion for collecting began with this uniform. And the RESPECT for all these people who had to take part in these terrible wars.
Thanks to all collectors around the world who share this tradition.
I just had to get this off my chest. Sorry
 
That is completely fine and your right. In Germany they are afraid to recognize anything that has to do with military because of the horrific events of the second world war. Even the days of the Kaiser are rarely recognized in Germany.
 
Kaisersammler said:
Maybe I'm going way out on a limb with my opinion on tradition and culture.
What has happened to our culture and tradition here in Germany lately is incomprehensible. Maybe because I and you maintain and respect this tradition. Everything military is demonized. History is also no longer taught. My daughter came to me after her history lesson and asked who Charlemagne was. I asked her, don't you know who he was? He was .........She said, he really lived? That's a story. My child, that's our German History is not a story, not a fairy tale. Monuments to fallen German soldiers from both wars have to be dismantled because they are too close to the kindergarten. What should parents tell their children? Maybe your great-grandfather's name is on it.Find an old field postcard from WWI where you sent your loved one home that they were okay.And then never returned.But everyone in uniform is warmongers.Quick that Burn the photo so no one sees it.
I still have my grandfather's uniform. With his military record from WWI. He was there all 4 years and came home. He lost his brothers. He HAD to go. HE just wanted to come home. The whole passion for collecting began with this uniform. And the RESPECT for all these people who had to take part in these terrible wars.
Thanks to all collectors around the world who share this tradition.
I just had to get this off my chest. Sorry
Click to expand...
I fully agree with you. My greatgrandfather also had to go to war in 1914, he also survived. 4 years of hell, but came home in one piece.
The fact is, that today most of these things cannot be spoken about, just like they never happened.
Also, I have a lot of postcards, like the ones you mention, soldiers writing home, and mothers and fathers writing to their loved children, who went through all that.. I still have a photo of my greatgrandfather, visiting his son, when he and his wife had a small baby, that baby was my mother.
In that picture, I see a happy veteran of WW1, wearing his EK2 ribbon on his civilian jacket, I cherish that picture. The picture was taken in 1943.

The past should never be forgotten.
 
I'm very interested to hear about history and contemporary Germany. But this is going on all over the world. Its a fashionable trend. But the notion of purging educational curricula of major historical events that may not reflect the ideals or goals of a contemporary society is an extremely questionable if not dangerous practice. As an educator I know that a lot of this trend is driven by the interests of self-promoting institutional administrators and politicians with ambitious personal, social, political and economic agendas. They have just discovered a pathway to power by designating themselves as cultural enforcers and knowledge gatekeepers. I hope we will all come to our senses soon.
 
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