Caroline asked:
In WW1, why did the german helmets have spikes? Were they just decorative or did they have a practical purpose?
In WW1, why did the german helmets have spikes? Were they just decorative or did they have a practical purpose?
Tags: German Helmets, Germans, Ww1
The Pickelhaube (plural Pickelhauben; from the old German Pickel = “point” or “pickaxe”, and Haube = “bonnet”, a general word for headgear) was a spiked helmet worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by German military, firefighters, and police. It is most closely associated with the Prussian army. (Note: Prussia unified Germany and created the German Empire in 1871. The Prussian Army formed the core of the Imperial German Army, which was replaced after World War I with the Reichswehr.) The spike was used as a holder for a horsehair plume in full dress, a practice also followed with some Prussian models