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    Steel helmet cover - cloth and... wire?


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    Good day everyone!

    We all know that the german army of ww1 sometimes used covers for the steel helmet - but somehow pictures of these are quite hard to find unless you would want to pay a lot of money. You may imagine how happy I was (and still am) am when I recently found in a small group of post cards of a Unteroffizier in a saxon regiment - named and all - a group picture of his company, dated 5-1918, with different types of cover pictured! (at least I hope so but would ask for your expertise) ?

    I am quite sure that there is a cloth cover on one helmet and - perhaps - the rarely seen "chicken" wire on the other? Looking forward to your feedback! (btw even if you disagree I am really into the expressions on the faces of these very young men - they are on the way into action and they know it...)

    Best

    ArHo

    2019-12-14 18.12.35a.jpg

    2019-12-14 18.12.35b.jpg

    Edited by ArHo
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    Yes, interesting photos. The covers are not seen too often.

    Here we see Fernsprech-Abteilung 208 of the 208th Inf.Div.

    Note the stripe upon the left lower arm. The 208th was the so-called "Strich-Division".

    Each unit had their own geometric symbol above the stripe. If it was a unit of the staff, they only wore the single stripe.

     

    208.Inf.Div. (Fernsprech-Abteilung 208, Stahlhelm Überzug, Ovalabzeichen, Strichdiviaion).JPG

    Edited by The Prussian
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    Hey, thanks for your answers and these very interesting image-additions! I had some contact with units of the ID 208 - but the name "Strich-Division" was new to me. Do you have any ideas on the helmet in the first picture - could it be wire? I cant take a better shot unfortunately..

    Cheers

    ArHo

    Edited by ArHo
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    Just a little addition because I find it interesting: Strich-Division means stripe-division. In the summer of 1917 the men of the ID 208 were ordered not to wear any numbers on their epaulets /dont wear epaulets at all (compare the photo above) - the reason was secrecy. Instead they wore from June 1917 - as The Prussian already wrote above - on the lower part of the left sleeve of the tunic a horizontal stripe made from white cloth and above it different geometric symbols. IR 25 had a vertical stripe, IR 185 a slanting cross, RIR 65 a standing cross, FAR 267 a triangle, the foot artillery a square. The staff only wore the horizontal stripe. Source of the additional info: genwiki.genealogy.net

    Cheers

    ArHo

    Edited by ArHo
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    Yes sir, you are right - of course! But I was far from all my books at home (I know the Baer but would not have looked there!) and found it all so interesting, that I just switched off the brains and translated from Wiki... mea culpa ?

    Best and thanks for adding!

    ArHo

    Edited by ArHo
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    Very nice! Oberst Krause, Kommandeur IR 185 from 5.1915 to 9.1918! Here he is again from the regimental history. Impressive bar...

    Best

    Krause.jpg

    Edited by ArHo
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