Glenn, you've done it again it seems! :bravo: =D> \
/
I've been trying to find some sort of clue as to what this helmet was exactly including period photos but no luck so far. With not enough reference books yet, all I had was the internet and the Forum.
I would need more help in the identification process if you don't mind:
Helmet Background:
From the net, "Wachtmeister' (German for master-sentinel; watch-master) was a German, Austrian and Swiss military rank of non-commissioned officers". Across the German Empire, a Polizei-Wachtmeister corresponded to an Army Vizefeldwebel (Sergeant)...
> If so, shouldn't there be an NCO Reichs cockade instead of a regular EM/OR on my helmet?
> Was such a helmet worn in Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine only or the colonies too?
> Any idea where these 'Schutzmänner' stood from the
Gendarmerie (zu Fuss or zu Pferde),
Reichsgendarmerie,
Landgendarmerie (peacetime MPs),
Feldgendarmerie (wartime MPs), etc., in terms of hierarchy/flowchart if any? :-k
Helmet Fittings:
> Was/should the Reichsadler wappen be nickel silver same as the rest of the fittings (spike & base, visor trims, side posts & chinstrap fixations, rear spine)?
> Noting the M1891 posts + leather chinstrap + rear spine ventilation on one hand and the older style pre-1891 liner on the other, would you have any clue as to helmet period or model?
> What about the Schutzmannschaft Helmets with 'open-wing' Reichsadlers? Where did these fit vis-a-vis the ones with 'regular' Reichsadlers?
Period photos:
> There's plenty of Prussian Königliche or Elsass-Lothringen Schutzmannschaften on the net but so far I haven't found any with my helmet... Here's the closest I found so far but I'm not sure if some of these wappens are not just Prussian Adlers instead of Reichsadlers:
http://www.seitengewehr.de/dornach.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Come to think of it, most of the answers to my questions could be in this document, only my German is limited to Goggle Translator!)
