Pickelhaube

[911car]

Not many Pickelhauben on Pickelhaubes.com lately...
Here is one that came my way recently. I show it because it sports a particular Reich cockade. The central white ring bears two rows of antiparallel striations, but not on an added metal ring as on an officer cockade; here the striations are printed directly in the cockade. I cannot remember seeing this before. The state cockade is of the regular enlisted type.

 

[USN]

Lovely helmet and very well marked!

 

[Sandmann]

Very interesting, it’s also the first time I see this. A beautiful helmet, congratulations

 

[b.loree]

Excellent helmet with great markings! I must agree, I have never seen that style of kokarde either! Amazing how even after all these years of collecting and restoration there is always something new.

 

[Zebedeus]

The reichkokarde is really particular. Never seen another one like this. Congrats Bruno, I like the pickel also.
Zeb

 

[911car]

Many thanks to you all! In the meantime, a friend who has acute expertise in Saxon WW1 militaria confirmed this is a fully legit Saxon NCO cockade. I also learned something...

 

[Jeff R]

Interesting stuff! Not especially common on helmets, but the pattern is very typical of officer cockades on Saxon cloth headgear. Those wacky Saxons...marching to the beat of their own drum.

~Jeff

 

[ccj]

Ill have to check my Saxon Pickelhaube kokarden. I do know my Saxon visor has the same kokarden as the above cap.

Nice Spike

 

[JohnS3rd]

Bruno,
That is a fantastic looking Saxon Pickelhaube. I agree that it has a unique and interesting NCO cockade. Is the Saxon cockade an NCO cockade as well? Thanks for sharing this information.
John

 

[911car]

Bruno,
That is a fantastic looking Saxon Pickelhaube. I agree that it has a unique and interesting NCO cockade. Is the Saxon cockade an NCO cockade as well? Thanks for sharing this information.
John

Thank you, John. A regular enlisted cockade for Saxony.

 

[911car]

Interesting stuff! Not especially common on helmets, but the pattern is very typical of officer cockades on Saxon cloth headgear. Those wacky Saxons...marching to the beat of their own drum.

~Jeff

View attachment 21312

Thank you, Jeff. I was not aware of these variants, not knowing much about cloth headgear.

 

[argonne]

Bruno,
This is the special saxon pattern for Portepee cockades worn by following ranks: Vizefeldwebel, Feldwebel, Vizewachtmeister and Wachtmeister.




And the same in small for the FR108 Tschako:



I am really wondering you still did not encountered such a cockade before! But you are right, they are seldom seen.
Philippe

 

[argonne]

Interestingly, the spike base of your helmet seems to be some kind of Eigentum pattern: a little bit thicker as the typical Kammer helmets.
For comparison, here is mine from the same Bataillon:







Philippe

 

[JohnS3rd]

Boy, when it rains, it pours on this forum. Bruno, thanks for the additional picture of the Saxon cockade, and Philippe thank you for sharing photos of your pickelhaube from the same regiment.
Best regards,
John

P.S. Jeff, thank you for the pictures of the officer cockades found a Saxon Officer cap. It is fascinating to see the various details during the Imperial German era compared to the standardization of headgear insignia in the Thrid Reich hats.

 

[b.loree]

Good observation John, one thing you can count on with Imperial German is no standardization! I suspect that this was the case with most during the Victorian era.

 

[911car]

Interestingly, the spike base of your helmet seems to be some kind of Eigentum pattern: a little bit thicker as the typical Kammer helmets.
For comparison, here is mine from the same Bataillon:

View attachment 21330
View attachment 21331
View attachment 21332
View attachment 21333
View attachment 21334

Philippe

Thank you for the useful details on cockades, Philippe, and pictures of your nice example. You are right, I probably saw these models before, but did not pay attention.
Did your helmet "speak"?..

 

[argonne]

.
Did your helmet "speak"?..

I am trying to let it speak for already a few years... It has indeed a penciled name in the shell but till today, I was not able to decypher it...It´ s almost gone Really a pity, cause behind it, I can perfectly decypher 8/100...

Philippe

 

[911car]

I am trying to let it speak for already a few years... It has indeed a penciled name in the shell but till today, I was not able to decypher it...It´ s almost gone Really a pity, cause behind it, I can perfectly decypher 8/100...
View attachment 21343View attachment 21344
Philippe

Too bad. I think mine is signed too. Will see if I can make it out. Dated 1900 and in excellent condition, it was probably still in use in 1914.

 

[argonne]

Too bad. I think mine is signed too. Will see if I can make it out. Dated 1900 and in excellent condition, it was probably still in use in 1914.

After your message, I spent again yesterday a big part of the day trying again and again and again to decypher the name with all sorts of brightness and lighting angles. Now I think I have it! Because the helmet is made 1913 (stamp in the shell) and that it has not been worn a very long time (still in very good condition inside and outside), it could have only been worn by one guy. This helmet is for sure a bring back trophy of the first days / weeks of war.
Only the last part of the short name in the shell can be red (---ßler). So by searching in the Verlustlisten of the 8/LGR100 for the first weeks of war of movement, there are only one name that responds to all those parameters. But to confirm that, I have to make some more research in the Regimentsgeschichte of the LGR100, especially for the day of 23.8.14 in Dinant....

During this sad day, the LGR100 was involved in the conquest of this city and in the following massacre of belgian civilians...Germans always said, they were attacked by belgian Franc-Tireurs....Legend or not?

One thing is sure: from all of the 12 companies of the LGR100, the 8.th suffered this day by far the heaviest cases of losses of the unit with 6 KIA and 42 wounded soldiers for a total loss of 113 soldiers this single day in Dinant for the LGR100. Something special must have happened to the 8/LGR100 during the street combats...I have to search more... The LGR100 fought its entry in Dinant by the south, so there must have been some big confusion during the street fighting in this south suburb of Saint-Nicolas, near the jail. Some german equipment could have been lost in the streets in the total confusion and then picked up as victory or revenge symbols by belgian civilians.



Bruno, try to make some picts of the name in your Haube. Because this helmet was worn by a Vizefeldwebel or Feldwebel, it is also possible that the guy, if he could return home at the end of the war, brought his helmet home too because it was his Eigentum. Do you have some more informations about where the helmet came from? A german family found?

Philippe

 

[nieuport]

911car and Philippe, you have amazing pickelhaubes, congratulations. Some day I hope to find one like yours' to complement my 100R. 6 Kompanie marked Dreyse pistole, perhaps carried by Hauptmann Gunther von Hingst himself. Please forgive the hijack ;-)