USMC HELMETS

[Subdeacon Joe]

#ArtifactHighlight - When Marines “Looked German”: The Full Dress Helmet of 1892

 

Through the ages, military uniforms of all nations follow distinct trends and styles. The men (and women) who wore these uniforms tended to think the patterns were purposeful or pragmatic, but the truth is uniforms are more often the result of fashion. 

 

Armies have long copied the dominant powers of their day and the styles were illustrative of this fact. During the U.S. Civil War, uniforms from both sides leaned predominantly on French designs. France was the dominant land power of Europe and armed forces across the world borrowed liberally from them. Here in the United States, the Marine Corps was no different. Regulations of 1859 saw the first use of French kepis and the quatrefoil. Following the resounding defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian War however, Germany became the undisputed champions of Europe. Many aspects of their military were studied and adopted. 

 

By 1892, this influence crossed the Atlantic and appeared in Marine Corps uniform regulations. A new black felt dress helmet was adopted. Within the ranks, enlisted men and company grade officers wore a brass spike atop their headgear. Field grade officers wore red plumes. These American picklehaubes (spiked helmets), gave a very distinctly German look to the U.S. Marines and were also worn by U.S. soldiers. The black helmets were not worn in combat however. These were purely ceremonial headgear worn as a part of the Marine's special full dress blue uniforms. The helmets were phased out by the early 1900s, guaranteeing them one of the shorter life spans of any Marine Corps uniform. In later years, large numbers of these helmets appeared in surplus catalogs and were reassembled by collectors, sold to foreign governments, or used by well-dressed bands. This makes the discovery of complete, original Marine Corps helmets quite rare. Fortunately the National Museum of the Marine Corps retains a number of these in our permanent collection. They serve as unusual and unique reminders of when Americans “looked German”. 

 

#USMCMuseum #USMC #USMCHistory

 

 

This is a company grade officer's helmet from the regulations of 1892. It differed from the enlisted men's helmet because it has a bi-metal (silver and gold) Eagle, Globe, and Anchor helmet plate attached to the front. Enlisted men's helmets had a large all brass emblem. (National Museum of the Marine Corps)

 

 

Members of the USS New York's Marine Ship Detachment stand ready for inspection in 1892. (Official U.S, Navy Photograph)

 

 

 

Spike helmeted Marine musicians pose with their detachment's pet goat in this early 1900s photograph from Leatherneck magazine. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph)

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

1812

https://www.1812usmc.com/uniforms-of-the-1812-marines

 

[watab kid]

that was interesting , thanks