Bavarian Freikorps and Reichswehr Helmets

[Chris Boonzaier]

Has anyone ever seen one of these, either in pictures or in the flesh?

[Bayern]

What can I see on the pic are : a man with bavarian officer pickelhaube, behind him what appears a stahlhelm with some design painted on the front and the Bavarian shield on the left side and a man with stahlhelm moustache and Bavarian borte over the collar of his tunic 

[Eric Stahlhut]

i think the semi-hidden decorated (freikorps?) helmet is a very rare visorless m18 model. not sure if or why the lugs are decorated

[Chris Boonzaier]

Indeed... the guy in the middle has the Freikorps von Epp lion badge in the front of the helmet! I have never seen that before...

[Eric Stahlhut]

you think his helmet is cool, you should see his garford-putilov armored car parked around the corner!!!

j/k

[bolewts58]

Two Epp helmets. The one in the top left has a faded lion symbol in red on the front.

 

[Bayern]

Most desirable certainly . 

[bolewts58]

The helmet in the first picture also has the Bavarian shield on the side as worn by Freikorps Epp when it was in the Reichswehr.

Here a picture of the Drum and Bugle corps of 1. bayer. Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 41 (Freikorps Epp) showing a similar Bavarian shield on the side of their helmets.

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by bolewts58

[Eric Stahlhut]

this guy must have been a royalist, as his has a wittelsbach crown above the wappen. perfect headgear for a fahnenweihe or appell! no idea if it is real, but description stated it came from a canadian military museum

 

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by Eric Stahlhut

[bolewts58]

7 hours ago, Eric Stahlhut said:

this guy must have been a royalist, as his has a wittelsbach crown above the wappen. perfect headgear for a fahnenweihe or appell! no idea if it is real, but description stated it came from a canadian military museum

 

 

This version was, I believe an early pattern of the Reichswehr helmet from somewhere around June to September 1919.

[Eric Stahlhut]

so, an approved provisional emblem instead of a street-fighting-type unit emblem?

[Bayern]

In fact was one of two variants weared by Freikorps von Epp when it was transformed in the XXI Brigade of the Provisional Reichswehr .

[Eric Stahlhut]

thank you!

 

[bolewts58]

19 hours ago, Bayern said:

In fact was one of two variants weared by Freikorps von Epp when it was transformed in the XXI Brigade of the Provisional Reichswehr .

I believe this was the first type from, as I said June-September 1919, as in the first half of 1919, at least the Bavarian Freikorps and Einwohnerwehr were ardent royalists and anti-Weimar republic who wanted to restore the Wittelsbach dynasty to the throne in Bavaria. Thus, the crown.

[Bayern]

Eric My pleasure ! bolewt 58 , its true , the Bavarians remained monarchists and I think that not was until 1921 that the crown was discarded . 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here are some pics.... on the one with the musicians you can see a bit of variety with the shields....

[Bayern]

I see and the date is October of 1921

[dante]

Here are two from my collection

[Bayern]

Nice pieces Lucky Gentleman !