Pickelhaube officers 1st year volunteer, turned into a M15 pickelhaube with cardboard visors.

[Kaikun2001]

Here is a interesting pickelhaube for you all colletors.

it has a depot marking which reads BJAXVIII F, aswell as a faint stamp inside the dome which reads 1915 with some other text.
The pickelhaube has the typical M15 hardware, the hardware is painted in a light olive green, the pickelhaube has alot of wear. aswell as signs of being a officer helmet in its past life, the holes were filled most likley at the depot station. The visors are made of cardboard or fiber, which I find super interesting. Have you experts seen other examples like this?, and are they rare?

 

[b.loree]

XVIII is the Hessen Army group so consequently we see filled in holes for the Hessen cruciform spike base. Cardboard visors are fairly common on revamped M15 helmets. Originally the piece was Hessen, sent in for repairs and converted to M15 Prussian, there are probably filled in holes behind the wappen. It was never an officer helmet which were privately purchased. This is government issue. The oval ink stamp is the manufacturer’s stamp.

 

[Kaikun2001]

Thanks for the swift answer, I also suspected it could have been a old hessian pickelhaube aswell, but since the officer enlisted helmets also has a simular spike base. I was unsure what to make of it. I am quite new to the hobby in this regard, and I am hoping to learn more along the way. English is not my first langauge, so apologies for any spelling mistakes.

 

[USN]

Good to see my initial thought was accurate Patrik you have quite a nice helmet here.

 

[coert65]

Brian is right, a Hessen helmet turned into an M15 Prussian one. But what I noticed, the rear spine doesn't have the ventilation slot and cover usually seen on M1985 and M15 helmets. Really interesting helmet!

Regards, Coert.

 

[Kaikun2001]

Good to see my initial thought was accurate Patrik you have quite a nice helmet here.

Yes it was spot on , it was hard to tell from the pictures, before I had it in hand, if it was made out of cardboard.

 

[Kaikun2001]

Brian is right, a Hessen helmet turned into an M15 Prussian one. But what I noticed, the rear spine doesn't have the ventilation slot and cover usually seen on M1985 and M15 helmets. Really interesting helmet!

Regards, Coert.

I wonder why this one is missing the vent hole compared to the other versions. Below attached is my other version showing the vent.

 

[coert65]

I wonder why this one is missing the vent hole compared to the other versions. Below attached is my other version showing the vent.

Well, since all the hardware is painted olive green, I think this one was built up, or better said recycled into an M15 using parts from an ersatz steel pickelhaube. There are metal/eisenblech ersatz helmets using olive green painted hardware. These also do not have the vent hole and cover. I think they just used parts available at the time to recondition these helmets.
But that's just my thoughts about this.

 

[Sandmann]

I have no Ersatzhelm and saw not many, but is the eagle plate ok? The letters, especially the „Für“ look to be pressed very careless. Is it common for wartime helmets?

 

[Kaikun2001]

I have no Ersatzhelm and saw not many, but is the eagle plate ok? The letters, especially the „Für“ look to be pressed very careless. Is it common for wartime helmets?

I think that can be due to the olive green paint filling in the letters also with a combination of wear on the wappen. Making it less detailed. I think if the paint was removed the details would show much better. But Imo I think its 100% genuine.

Downbelow is another Pickelhaube example. Showing ”Für”

 

[b.loree]

Many M15 wappen lack the crisp details as we see here. The accepted explanation at least the one that was told to me years ago is that the stamping dies wore out as the war progressed and were not replaced. There are M15 wappen with very crisp details of pre war quality though.

 

[Lars13]

cardboard or fiber

Hi Kaikun,
I have a similar revamped helmet also from BJA XVIII, with Vulkanfiber visors: https://www.pickelhaubes.com/xf/threads/original-m15-restoration-conversion.11302/#post-79653
Regards,
Lars

 

[Kaikun2001]

Very interesting helmet, they must have been made during the same time frame, does your example also have evidence of being a hessian Pickelhaube?.

All the best Patrik

 

[Steve Nick]

Many M15 wappen lack the crisp details as we see here. The accepted explanation at least the one that was told to me years ago is that the stamping dies wore out as the war progressed and were not replaced. There are M15 wappen with very crisp details of pre war quality though.

Brian:

I've always attributed the lack of detail on the steel Wappens as being due to even mild steel being a considerably harder material than brass and less easily deformed. In adition, you're right to think that the wear on the die would be also be accelerated by repeated stamping of steel vs. brass.

 

[Lars13]

does your example also have evidence of being a hessian Pickelhaube?

Hi Patrik,

No, mine is an older (Prussian) model that was rather roughly cut down to M95 size, holes for an earlier Wappen were properly filled, but no extra holes for a different spike.

Regards,

Lars

 

[Sandmann]

Thank you for the explanations Gentleman. I really appreciate it.
Btw, welcome to the forum Patrik. You are right, it‘s an interesting helmet

 

[Bobted]

That’s really interesting , it’s what makes these things so fascinating all the period repairs . Rob

 

[b.loree]

A comparison photo showing an M15 wappen on the left with crisp details and on the right, another example of a poorer quality stamping.