Need help with 2 helmets
- Thread starter bruv
- Start date
I took some pictures to add. The Uhlan frontplate without the starburst front has two holes showing if starburst isn't applied. That isn't correct, is it. Someone said the eagle is correct on the Uhlan without the starburst. It was hard to get a good shot of the chinstrap attachments, so I hope you can tell if right or not. Also, the front brim was attached by prongs also, but shorter.
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I feel like Sherlock Holmes tracking down a mystery! 
Thanks for the extra photos. So, here is what I see and Bruno et al feel free to correct me. First brass grommets in the tschapka holes suggests to me that original manufacturing was brass fittings. If it were a true M15 these grommets would be steel. Hopefully, I am not seeing things and the grommets are brass?? The inside pics of the side posts look good, prongs are tight and tin washers look proper. The brass trim looks original to me, proper patina and typical wrinkles from the visor expanding and contracting.
The tschapka M15 plate looks original, the wire loops are correct gauge, loops were soldered on and then plate was painted so solder is painted too.
I believe the silver Garde star is a repro, it is also too large for this plate, and does not belong. In 40 years of collecting, I have never seen an M15 tschapka plate with proper M15 small star. The ones I have seen have the slots but no star. James and I bought tschapka plates at the last SOS, never issued NOS, straight from the factory, no stars and solder is painted.
Last, the M15 Dragoon style wappen (helmet plate). The right hand loop is original, proper and solder is painted. The left loop is the correct gauge but I believe it was a period repair or add on. The solder is puddled as it should be and the 100 year patina looks good but no paint. No big deal in my opinion. I believe that old time soldering irons were used on these fittings so solder is always “puddled”. If I am mistaken in my analysis, above please comment.
Thanks for the extra photos. So, here is what I see and Bruno et al feel free to correct me. First brass grommets in the tschapka holes suggests to me that original manufacturing was brass fittings. If it were a true M15 these grommets would be steel. Hopefully, I am not seeing things and the grommets are brass?? The inside pics of the side posts look good, prongs are tight and tin washers look proper. The brass trim looks original to me, proper patina and typical wrinkles from the visor expanding and contracting. The tschapka M15 plate looks original, the wire loops are correct gauge, loops were soldered on and then plate was painted so solder is painted too.
I believe the silver Garde star is a repro, it is also too large for this plate, and does not belong. In 40 years of collecting, I have never seen an M15 tschapka plate with proper M15 small star. The ones I have seen have the slots but no star. James and I bought tschapka plates at the last SOS, never issued NOS, straight from the factory, no stars and solder is painted.Last, the M15 Dragoon style wappen (helmet plate). The right hand loop is original, proper and solder is painted. The left loop is the correct gauge but I believe it was a period repair or add on. The solder is puddled as it should be and the 100 year patina looks good but no paint. No big deal in my opinion. I believe that old time soldering irons were used on these fittings so solder is always “puddled”. If I am mistaken in my analysis, above please comment.
As an economy measure, the M15 Garde Tschapka plates had the slots like this but no star. I have never seen an M15 plate like this with no slots and no star. All of these helmet plates were stamped out using dies. The original dies had the slots so they did not bother to change them. All Garde units....Dragoon, Infantry, Artillery and Cavalry had this style of swept wing eagle. The Garde tschapka wappen though, is smaller. Do some exploring in the restoration section and you will find photos of a Garde tschapka that I worked on, this one though was silver not brass or M15. Check out the wappen/ helmet plate section and you will see examples of the larger Garde Infantry plates.
coert65
Well-known member
Would you mean this one Steve?
www.weitze.net
I saw that one too, as I am checking the Weitze updates every friday..
Baden 1. Weltkrieg Helmwappen feldgrau für die Pickelhaube für Mannschaften Infanterie bzw. Artillerie - Baden - Kaiserreich & Weimarer Republik: Uniformeffekten, Ausrüstung, etc - Militaria / Helmut Weitze
Baden 1. Weltkrieg Helmwappen feldgrau für die Pickelhaube für Mannschaften Infanterie bzw. Artillerie Eisen feldgrau lackiert, um 1915, rückseitig mit 2 Befestigungslaschen, Zustand 2.<br>
www.weitze.net
Why does a grey metal M15 eagle mean it's an M15 Tschapka?
If it has brass trim, brass M94 posts, to my eye, that is an M94 Tschapka. What is incorrect, is the eagle Wappen.
If so, this is what that Tschapka probably looked like (with the M94 posts and scales of course).
If it has brass trim, brass M94 posts, to my eye, that is an M94 Tschapka. What is incorrect, is the eagle Wappen.
If so, this is what that Tschapka probably looked like (with the M94 posts and scales of course).
Naturally, it does not, however, if the grommets were steel then this would suggest/indicate to me an M15 with some brass parts. As I believe the grommets here are brass as seen in Dave’s photo then, the beautiful example provided from your collection does show exactly what wappen belongs on it.
Yes brass bird with silver star. However, there are regiments where that bird would be silver to match the star. I would highly recommend Dave, that you go to Tony’s website.....The Kaiser’s Bunker and spend some time there. The photos and information are excellent, the best English resource on the internet that I know of! This site will answer your questions and give you a better grasp on Imperial German helmets.