The Pickelhaub that went around the world.

aicusv

aicusv

Well-known member
A few weeks back I posted on another thread about a friend acquiring a helmet from a WWII vet who brought it back from Guam. I have since purchased the helmet from my friend and now have it in my collection.
It is not the greatest piece I own but to me it may be the most interesting. It came with a Überzug that was with the helmet in Guam, both the helmet and cover show signs of an interesting life.
THE COVER
The cover has several different unit markings on it. The front is marked with an R over 36 (36th reserve regiment) inside the cover is a label for Grenadier Milk 7 company. Also inside it is stamped GR 6 4B, with the 4 written over in ink with a 2, also written in is a 7C. There is another stamp of 4B under which is stamped the date 19?1 in a box. Along side the date stamp is another 1. Under the GR6 stamp is another box stamp with ??40. ??16 over Inf?r. Re?? , this has had two heavy black line run through it making some of the markings unreadable.
THE HELMET
On the helmet as well there a a few differing marks. The left rear visor it is stamped 19RJR over IB. On the right rear visor the stamp is so light as to be almost non-readable, the first can’t be made out, but it appears to include the date 1906. Painted in the bowl of the helmet in large white letters is; 1WGR61B 81. Also in the top of the bowl is paint in small red letters GR.6. over 4K III.
Grenadier Regiment 6 wore a Wappen of a grenadier eagle, I can find no shadow or any marks of one on the helmet. However there is a very clear impression of a line eagle plate .
The helmet is missing a few parts, most of which I believe I have in my parts box. It is my intention to clean the helmet up a little (it is dirty, I’ve have had dug items that were cleaner) and put it back together. One last thing the spike is a two part spike.

Anyone have a safe way to clean the cover without damaging the markings?
I invite comments and questions. Now here are some photos.

frt%20uz_zpsyygugvdm.jpg

frt%20helm_zpsk9kwtw67.jpg

lft%20side%20helm_zpswftv86qb.jpg

inside_zpsx4w2d5wj.jpg
 
Thought it best to split up the files, posting was get too large.
side%20uz_zpsakz3ahmn.jpg

milk_zpsckysa9bw.jpg

uz%20stamp_zpscshvo8r6.jpg

wht%20mark_zpsz6cetp0b.jpg

rJR19_zpslo8126qa.jpg

red%20mark_zps3ctsiq79.jpg

rear%20helm_zpsyagpyeyz.jpg

rear%20uz_zpsevs05utu.jpg

R38_zpsbfm0ok6m.jpg


The first 4 times I looked at this helmet I thought that the R36 were just dirt marks. It wasn't until I got it out in the sun light I could see them.

BTW - this is the first helmet (pointy ones) I have purchased in over 35 years and I think it cost me more that what I paid for all the ones I still have put together.
 
13trawniknocloth.jpg


The design is not so unique but the ventilation holes is quite interesting. It is a great example and I really need to update.

http://www.pickelhauben.net/articles/Uberzug.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
this is a helmet with a history behind it
very nice with all those markings
to dig into for knowing its total background

as for cleaning the uberzug
i wouden't toutch it
it has it age
but that's my opinion :oops:

jonas
 
I guess I may have to leave the cover alone, but it is so dirty that I don't even like to touch it, I have wash up as soon as I'm doneR36 once was.
 
Hi,

very interesting stuff that you are showing us!

As far as I can see, we have here a screwable spike.Please confirm, this is important! That would make this helmet a grenadier helmet according to the GR6 stamps.

Second thing: the GR6 did not wore the big grenadier eagle until 26.8.13. So till this date, it wore the old pattern grenadier eagle (with FWR on the chest). This old grenadier eagle had the same form as the classic line eagle, this is the reason because you can not see any other traces on the front of the shell. I am assuming that this helmet was a Garnitur III (red stamp in the shell), so it makes it pretty old around the year 1913. I think it never has seen the new big Grenadier eagle on it and already was in duty in the RJR19 before 26.8.13 with a classic line eagle, or maybe even with its old FWR grenadier eagle. It makes sense as the RJR19 and the GR6 were both parts of the V Armee Korps.

During war, it is very possible that the wearer who first was in the RJR19 was then muted in the RJR36, by example after be wounded and reconvalescence. This happened times and times during the war.

Philippe
:D

PS: 1WGR6 means: 1. Westpreussisches Grenadier Regiment 6
 
Yes it does have a screw off spike. Thanks for explaining about the eagles, make it clearer to me now. As there is only one set of plate holes and there is no way the big eagle plate would ever fit them ( I tried 4 different ones). As of now, I have not found any date earlier than 1906 and that is a stamp on the rear visor (too light to photograph) and I associate it with the 19RJR stamp. This would mean that the helmet had already had a service life with GR6 by then. Also thanks for the relationship info on GR6 and RJR19. Now to figure out how it got to Guam.
 
Philippe has it down very well. After his career in GR6 the helmet was stored in a depot. Upon mobilization bingo! Picked up by RJR 16. Interestingly, RJR 16 was actually mobilized by JR 16. – GWD page 286.

aicusv Can I use the pictures of the markings for the list? Thanks.
 
joerookery said:
Philippe has it down very well. After his career in GR6 the helmet was stored in a depot. Upon mobilization bingo! Picked up by RJR 16. Interestingly, RJR 16 was actually mobilized by JR 16. – GWD page 286.

aicusv Can I use the pictures of the markings for the list? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Thank you Joe!

But RJR19 in this case, not RJR16 :wink:

Philippe
:D
 
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