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9

911car

Well-known member
From our series "It's not always as written in books", here is a puzzling find. I think I showed it a long time ago but I made new pictures and I would like to submit it to the sagacity of more recent members:





On the left side of the rear visor is written JR74 and a name: Heine:



On the right: RJR74 2B



Inside the Uberzug one reads JR74, RJR74 2B and Heine:



So far no problem. The surprise comes when you take the Uberzug off. The front plate is from Oldenburg, and the state cockade from Prussia:



Knowing the history of the helmet, kept in a family since WW1 till I found it, it is virtually impossible that the eagle was changed.





So what do we have here? Part of the reserve of OJR91 was indeed with RJR74 but, according to Larcade, in the first battalion. Was Larcade partly wrong? And if this was the case, would a soldier be allowed to keep his Oldenburg plate in RJR74 (Joe? Jim?..)?.. (and without a reserve cross).
Any suggestion welcome...
 
But of course! From chapter 16 The Great War Dawning.

In 1914, after the war started, 113 reserve regiments were mobilized. These were already assigned to their corps in the mobilization calendar (Mobilmachungsplan). For administrative purposes, the reserve regiments were usually allocated the same regimental numbers as the respective active regiments (e.g., Infantry Regiment 118 and Reserve Infantry Regiment 118). This was not usually a case of active parent regiments and reserve dependent regiments. This numbering was purely for administrative purposes. Active regiments within the Landwehr-Bezirk provided the cadre personnel. The active regiments also provided arms and clothing. Artillery depots—depots storing weapons were generally called Artilleriedepots, even if storing only small arms—and garment depots could also provide arms and clothing.
Click to expand...


RIR 74
IR 74, IR 91
37 Inf. Brig.
39 Res Inf. Brig.

It is no interest to anybody however do you realize that the 38th infantry brigade was one of the unlucky few in the Handstreich? The active 74th was in the middle of it. – Political announcement about what I'm working on.
 
Thank you Joe, this is useful information. I am still surprised that a soldier would migrate from OJR91 to RJR74 and keep the Oldenburg plate. Was it by personal attachment for his former regiment? Was this tolerated by the hierarchy as long as the Uberzug was worn?...
 
Bruno,

This is not a migration. This helmet had two possibilities. It might have been the issue helmet on a member of the RJR 74 Cadre that was pulled from OJR91 AT the start of the mobilization. He would keep his original helmet and put a new Uberzug from RJR 74 on it.

The next possibility is that he was a reservist and drew a helmet from the Artilleriedepots that had been deposited there by OJR 91.

Both of these would be totally normal. However, many collectors would focus on the mismatched numbers and not understand the reserve system. You really help us by providing such great examples of original helmets to reason through. Thank you! :bravo:
 
The cadre phenomenon sometime show up in pictures where an officer is wearing a shako with an uberzug numbered to a spiked helmet regiment. I have some pictures around here somewhere.
 
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