Prussian M1915 Feldwebel Pickelhaube

J

JohnS3rd

Well-known member
Hello All,
I apologize for not sharing anything in a while, so I will attempt to compensate for the lost time. I picked this Prussiand M1915 Pickelhaube with an NCO Cockade on one side. You will notice it is pretty dusty, as it arrived in the mail Wednesday. It looks unissued with all multiple manufacturer stamps in the helmet and B.A. XV (Bekleidungs Amt XV Corps) on the left rear visor and the year 1915 or 16. However, the unit identification on the right side of the rear visor is blacked out. Because of the condition, I believe this helmet was a War Bond Drive trophy that the AEF found in their occupation sector.
Best regards,
John

Prussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube F.jpeg
Prussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube RS.jpeg
Prussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube LS.jpeg

Prussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube B.jpeg


Prussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube IS RV.jpegPrussian M1915 NCO Pickelhaube IS FV.jpeg
 
Hi John,
Nice helmet! If the unit marking has been blacked out it means it was issued :)
The Prussian cockade is not for enlisted men, but NCO or officers (others on this forum will know).
Regards,
Lars
 
Nice M15 John!
The kokarde is indeed NCO, as it has one silver ring, an officer's would have had 2.
The unit marking being blacked out was done, so if the helmet would have been found on the battlefield, the opposing troops wouldn't know
what german unit they were up against.
So, I do believe it was used and issued. But I have my doubts if it was issued with the kokarde, it might be a later add on.
Congratulations! I have a soft spot for M15's, as many members here know.

Regards, Coert.
 
Lars13 said:
Hi John,
Nice helmet! If the unit marking has been blacked out it means it was issued :)
The Prussian cockade is not for enlisted men, but NCO or officers (others on this forum will know).
Regards,
Lars
Click to expand...
Guys, Thanks for the positive comments; I, too, think it is a keeper.

Lars, I agree that it may have been worn for a short while or only back in garrison. I am toying with the idea of using ultraviolet or Night Vision lighting that may pick up a hint of something identifiable underneath or using some solvent to remove the blackout.

I have two questions from the more experienced collectors, have any of you seen a similar M1915 with Feldwebel cockade, and the other is what might the "f" signify on to the left of the Bekleidungs Amt XV Corps and date stamp in picture 5 above?

Best regards,

John
 
John, I have never seen an M15 with NCO kokarden before, this is why I stated it might be a later add-on by a collector before you.
Also, if it was original, the Reichkokarde would also have 1 silver ring. Not that the kokarde isn't original though.
But an enlisted Reichkokarde, and a NCO Prussian kokarde were never mixed like on your M15, or on any haube in fact.
 
Hello,
This helmet was received in 1916 at the Bekleidungs-Amt of the AK15, Alsacien, of Strasbourg. On this date the effects should no longer be identifiable by the enemy. I confirm the "F" for Feldbrauchbar. Regarding the Landkokarde, it is indeed that of an Unteroffizier-Portepee, ie for Feldwebel or Vize-Feldwebel. The Gefreiter guarded the "troop" cockade. On the other hand it is very mismatched with the Reichskokarde. On this point, you have to choose either 2 "troupe" cockades or 2 "Portepee" cockades. Another small anomaly, the trunnion pin, Landkokarde side is not well positioned, because the jugular is triggered in the rest position as here. The other side is correct.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top