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Imperial German Pickelhaube Evolution 1842-1915
 
Introduction
This essay is an on-line guide to the evolution of the Imperial German Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube (Spiked Helmet) worn by the soldiers of the Kingdom of Preußen from 1842 to 1915.
 
Dedicated to the memory of
Jean-Louis Larcade and Didier Lainé.
Je ne les oublierai jamais.

Ils m'ont aidé à voir.
 
This essay is not designed to replace good, quality reference books. The list of references at the bottom will supply substantially more information for the serious researcher/collector, but I hope this effort will serve those who do not have access to extensive references. All of the helmets in this essay are photographed in much greater detail in the Artifact Galleries in Kaiser's Bunker.

[2022 Edit] A very tenacious researcher of Imperial helmets, Sandy Michael Heineman has researched, and translated into English original documents such as AKO (Allerhöchste-Kabinetts-Ordre - All Highest Cabinet Order) a directive issued by the Kaiser to proclaim an approved article of clothing or equipment for general issue.

Sandy has correlated this original research approach in his web site Historien-Kabinett. For information on helmet modifications and evolution in great detail, this is an excellent resource. In 23+ years of running Kaiser's Bunker, this is the first direct link I have offered in a reference section, as original documentation provides direct evidence of helmet issues and modifications.

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List of References