VERY ODD BADEN PICKELHAUBE

D

DPW

New member
Hi,
Can anyone help with this? I have a very nice Baden M15, stamped for IR114 (plus tag for the owner having done his training with the Replacement Bat. of IR111.). It has however a spike that is part brass, part steel, with an M95 spike on a steel M15 detatchable base. A metel fabricator has said this is a genuine factory-made item, very high quality manufacture, with the brass part being 'old' brass of a type not made for years, which seems to rule out a 'fake' job. Both the M95 brass spike and the M15 steel base are genuine, which is very odd indeed. Is it possible, however unlikely it seems, that IR114's guard detail at Burg Hohenzollern retained the brass spike on the detatchable M15 base just to 'look good' when the helmet was worn uncovered after 1915? A fake would still be made correctly I should think, that is either all brass or all steel, and the fact that both componants are 100 percent genuine and superbly joined seems to indicate that it was made for the army for some reason. If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd be glad to hear from them. A very strange item indeed.

Denton P. Walter

e-mail: [email protected]
 
Wow; how bizarre.

I would love to see a photograph of that. It would be the type of item that would open the door to a ton of speculation.

S/F

Bryan.
 
The spike may be an M15 officers type (gilt) that somehow found its way onto an enlisted helmet. Can you post pictures?
 
I have uploaded two of the images that Denton sent me. On first guess, it looks like a detachable top for a Trichter that received an incorrect (but original pre-1915) brass top to me. But I really completely lack the references. I hope that another foum member is able to tell the story.

baden2.jpg


baden1.jpg
 
Thanks Robert. I sent photos to Brian as well. As you can see, the brass and steel componants of the spike are obviously 'genuine' in themselves. I suppose one could say its just wartime use of whatever parts were to hand, or speculate on IR114's Royal guard status at the castle, though in either case I would have expected more examples to be in circulation. I know there are examples of WW2 helmets that defy explnation, with what seem to be 'one-offs', such as the famous Blue Helmet, painted in a bright blue which nobody can explain the reason for, though the helmet is 100% genuine. Could this fall into that group? All suggestions welcome!

Denton
 
This helmet is a wartime helmet so IMO anything is posible. Look at visors an indication of a cover would be expected and then question answered.
:D :D
Jerry R.
 
yes, I suppose anything is possible. No sign of cover marks on the visor, though there arn't any on a few dozen other M15's I have either. I'll get a close-up photo.
 
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