Wyliecoyote
New member
I was recently reminded of this thread about M15 Artillery helmets, and thought it might be fun to resurrect the thought behind the thread -helmets minus their spikes.
http://pickelhaubes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1430&sid=7d82aa0d813259429ad0cf6a2314ae66
We all learned that the M15 was developed to make the soldier less identifiable as a "target" from allied soldiers with the introduction of the removeable spike, on 28 June 1915. An AKO of 21 September 1915 required all helmet tops to be the bayonet style. All troops were ordered to remove their spikes in September 1915 (same AKO?).
Joe posted these pics for me of P.O.W. guards with no spike bases showing from under the uberzugs & one even appearing to blow empty in the breeze:
I came across this one that is dated 15 Sept. 1916 of a German rumaging thru airplane wreckage, looks like the hollow spike cover also blowing in the breeze.
I came across a couple of photos I have to add to this thread. The first man has no apparent spike base at all. He is from the bavarian 3rd Inf. Regt., date 1 Jan. 1917.
Recruits from I.R. 19 dated 17 January 1917.
An old Landsturm gent from a 50th Inf. Btn., undated but possibly between Sept '15 - Oct. '16, before soldiers were ordered to remove regimentals from their helmet covers, his base protrudes from the helmet cover.
The next fellow was in the last thread, undated, he was from the bavarian 6th I.R. with M15 cover and M15 spike base showing.
The next two are unidentified in the photo, but the date is 1 May 1917.
Seems 1917 was a big year for spikeless pickelhauben. From past threads, it appears that perhaps non-M1915 helmets had their spikes broken off at the base or just removed to be with-in regulations.
OK guys, whose next?
Geo
http://pickelhaubes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1430&sid=7d82aa0d813259429ad0cf6a2314ae66
We all learned that the M15 was developed to make the soldier less identifiable as a "target" from allied soldiers with the introduction of the removeable spike, on 28 June 1915. An AKO of 21 September 1915 required all helmet tops to be the bayonet style. All troops were ordered to remove their spikes in September 1915 (same AKO?).
Joe posted these pics for me of P.O.W. guards with no spike bases showing from under the uberzugs & one even appearing to blow empty in the breeze:
I came across this one that is dated 15 Sept. 1916 of a German rumaging thru airplane wreckage, looks like the hollow spike cover also blowing in the breeze.
I came across a couple of photos I have to add to this thread. The first man has no apparent spike base at all. He is from the bavarian 3rd Inf. Regt., date 1 Jan. 1917.
Recruits from I.R. 19 dated 17 January 1917.
An old Landsturm gent from a 50th Inf. Btn., undated but possibly between Sept '15 - Oct. '16, before soldiers were ordered to remove regimentals from their helmet covers, his base protrudes from the helmet cover.
The next fellow was in the last thread, undated, he was from the bavarian 6th I.R. with M15 cover and M15 spike base showing.
The next two are unidentified in the photo, but the date is 1 May 1917.
Seems 1917 was a big year for spikeless pickelhauben. From past threads, it appears that perhaps non-M1915 helmets had their spikes broken off at the base or just removed to be with-in regulations.
OK guys, whose next?
Geo
Ron