The German Pickelhaube Helmet
This piece of originally Prussian headgear is probably the most distinctive item worn by the German army in World War I. The helmet itself was designed by King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV of Prussia in 1842. Two years later the artillery adopted the ball topped helmet officially called a kugelhelm. The soldiers’ slang term for it was Pickelhaube, which literally meant “Pimple Hat”.
With the growing dominance of Prussia and the emergence [...] Click here to continue reading.