Gildwiller1918

I went to the London Museum in 2014 and 2015, they had a great many items from the war on display, lots of items I will never get...

There are not many making fakes of these helmets, but I did find one source in eastern europe that did make them at one point, below is a picture of this helmet. However all the internal parts, such as the liner and chinstraps are all faked and easy to come by.

Here is a current reproduction of the attachable brow plate.

During WW1 the Austrians used several Steel helmets, with the most common being the German made M16 and variants of them. They also made their own version of the German helmets that had unique heat stamps, liners and chin straps. Additionally the Austrians made another steel helmet that have was very different from the German M16 type. This was the Berndorfer Helmet model 1916 (M16) which was made by Arthur Krupp A.G.Berndorfer and had a limited production run from 1916 to 1917, in which approximately 140,000 were produced. It had a 3 leaf leather pad liner, which was similar to the German helmets, but had a canvas chinstrap of a off white to a khaki color. The helmet shape was bell like and had a vent on the top of the helmet, unlike the germans which had them on the sides. This helmet also had a sniper plate which could be added on like the german models however for this helmet the steel plate was attached to the helmet by the use of straps. The last picture shows this set up, as the straps wrap aroundf the helemt and attach to the cent on the top. These are very rare and there are reproductions for sale. (Source: Internet)

In early 1942, the US was rapidly trying to mobilize and equip its forces for the conflict it was now in. Initially a lot of raw materials were were needed elsewhere, and the production of standard issue canteens which were made from aluminum was halted as aluminum was needed for other uses, such as aircraft production. So to make up for this the US began to make canteens from low grade metals and covered them with a porcelain enamel coating. The M1942 canteen was born, however it was short lived, by the end of the year, it was removed from production as raw materials became more accessible. In field use, there were a lot of complaints, such as the enamel/porcelain coating chipping off and debris getting into the canteen's interior. The black coating would take on a battered look from all the chips, and was quickly removed from service. This canteen also had a black coated canteen cup the canteen sat in while in the carrier, this also had problems with chipping. While the canteen is still available, the cup is much harder to find. Below is a example from my collection. Over 5 million canteens were made in 1942 from the following manufacturers: Bellaire Enameling Co. (B.E.Co.) - also cup M1942 Fletcher Enameling Co. (F.E. Co.) - also canteen M1910 Geuder, Paeschke & Fray (apparently unmarked) Republic Stamping and Enameling Co. (REP or R.E.P.Co.) - also canteen M1910 Strong Manufacturing Co. (S.M. Co.) - also cup M1942 U.S. Stamping and Enameling Co. (U.S.S.Co.) - also canteen M1910 Vollrath Co. (VOLLRATH) - the standard aluminum cap was assembled to early Vollrath canteens that damaged the enameling on the threads, and the plastic cap was assembled when it became available. Landers, Frary & Clark (samples only)

New item, 1917 dated US Red Cross bandage still sealed in original container.

Not surprised, everything is being reproduced nowadays. For movies and TV I like the authentic look, but for collectors it's a nightmare. Only thing I have not seen reproduced in the last photo is the smoke grenade, and I am sure it will be soon.

Leutnant of the Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment wearing the M.1910 Waffenrock with the officers' Totenkopf badge embroidered in silver bullion. He holds a smoke grenade used in training, the can for this grenade was painted red.

Below is the WW1 German Wechselapparat or "exchange apparatus" was introduced in 1916. It was spherical, with the outermost portion filled with fuel (12 liters) and the smaller center sphere filled with propellant. The handheld wand could fire up to 100 meters, though normally it would fire off ten flame surges up to 30 meters. The model was so sound it was updated for use in WW2 as the M35. Incidentally the British copied the design is WW2 which was called the Flamethrower, portable, No. 2. However by this point the Germans had retired it in favor of the newer model M41.

Good stuff Fritz, any and all information is appreciated.

Here is a really good photo of a WW1 rifle grenade launching platform, in which rifles were arraigned in a battery by fixing them to moveable mounts. These mounts were made from steel and could perform a limited traverse to hit different targets. Another advantage was that they could be fired from a safe distance, so if there was an accident, the person who fired them was not hurt, versus the handheld option, where the user was often killed if there was an accident. In this photo the launcher has the G98 rifles which were loaded with blank cartridges. The rod grenade was then inserted down the barrel, once in place the safety pin was removed from the grenade which armed fuse which was a percussion type. The grenade is the M1914 which was an improvement on the M1913 design which was considered too aerodynamic. The M1914 also came with a braking disc that could be added on to slow the velocity by up to 50%. Below is an example of the M1914 from my collection. Last picture shows the braking disc attached to the rear of the grenade.

Here is a group of Austrian Assault troops, bearing a strong resemblance to its German counterparts. They are pretty well armed with a variety of grenades to include the German M16 and 17 model stick grenades, also seen is a Austrian Rohr grenade (ball shaped top) as well as the Zeitzünder grenade, this one has the fuse on the top end of the grenade, some models had it in the handle area. Wire cutters, flare pistols, flashlights, and steel helmets that look like both the M16 and M17 types judging by the chinstrap placement. Overall a good representation of late war Austrian gear.

Here is a group of Turkish soldiers, who relied heavily on its allies for logistical support. In this photo, you can see they are wearing the visorless M16 helmet. They all seem to have the German style binoculars and mauser ammunition pouches. They are also wearing an assortment of grenades, from the M17 stick grenade to the French F1 type of fragmentation grenades (the turks had a good supply of French and English gear captured from Gallipoli campaign). Nice view of the mauser 98 and the bayonet as well.

Nice grouping on decorated Austro-Hungarian troops. The are armed with the Mannlicher M1895 rifle as well as the Zeitzünder M15 grenade which is hanging from their belts. They are wearing the german made M16 helmets and their own version, the M17, the Austrian models had a cloth chinstrap and the helmet was more of a mustard brown color. They also appear to have the Austrian made gas mask cans (tapered at the bottom) and the German made gas mask cans as well. Most of the Austrians gas mask came from Germany, although they did make their own out of rubberized silk, but it was not strong enough for field use. Note the leggins, some leather and the rest canvas.

Nice photo showing early war trench fighting on the Eastern front. Note the shallow ditch and the two entrances to underground areas for protection. All the rifles are up on the bank of the trench at the ready. They are all wearing the Pickelhaubes with their covers, note the troops standing, good showing of the M1895 pack, blankets, mess kit, extra boots, bread bag and canteens. You can also see a bayonet troddel on soldier laying on the ground close to soldier standing on the right.