The L'Eplattenier helmet was a prototype military helmet designed for the Swiss Army by Charles L'Eplattenier in 1916. Deemed too expensive to produce en masse, it was shunned in favour of a simpler design.
The L'Eplattenier helmet was a prototype military helmet designed for the Swiss Army by Charles L'Eplattenier in 1916. Deemed too expensive to produce en masse, it was shunned in favour of a simpler design.
The outbreak of World War I was deemed important enough for Switzerland to enact a general mobilization on 3 August, 1914. Three divisions were raised, reinforcing the border defense in order to prevent a possible spillover of the fighting into Swiss territory. The introduction of the steel Stahlhelm and Adrian helmets by Germany and France respectively, prompted the Swiss Army to commission Charles L'Eplattenier, a patriotic sculptor, to develop a suitable counterpart. By 1916, Swiss entry into the war was becoming increasingly improbable, enabling L'Eplattenier to draw upon romantic paintings of Swiss battles. The Swiss War Department was concerned with obtaining a steel helmet comparable to foreign models in function, while also distinguishing it from the rest of the world by achieving aesthetic superiority. [1]
The end result resembled the 1916, Franco-American, Dunand helmet, being however deeper on the sides and longer on the brow, while also bearing the characteristic Swiss cross which is embossed on the forehead. The detachable lining, is held on a carrier made of rattan, above it, two intersecting arches house a small cushion, which supports the main weight of the helmet. The helmet was first presented to the public on 15 September 1917, when divisional commander Tretoyens de Loys posed with it, in an unauthorized photo shoot which was included in an issue of Schweizer Illustrierte. The helmet was praised for its beauty, originality and Swiss character. A second version of the helmet was produced in 1918, reducing the visor's size. It was rejected due to its difficult manufacturing process and replaced with a simpler model, designed by First Lieutenant Paul Boesch. The new helmet removed the visor (deemed redundant) and the embossed cross, making it possible to manufacture it from a single plate of nickel-steel. [2]
L'Eplattenier renounced the new model as a poor imitation of the Stahlhelm, while also filing a lawsuit against the Swiss government which brought him 30,000 swiss francs. The helmet's only deployment came on the day of the Armistice, when troops oversaw the progress of a general strike organized by revolutionary socialists. A second lawsuit was filed in 1930, by the German company Tarfwerke, which alleged that the Swiss had illegally plagiarized a patent in their possession. The lawsuit was dismissed by the Swiss Federal Court, however Tarfwerke pressed on, filing for violation of cultural properties and eventually winning 5,000 reichsmarks. [3]
The Pickelhaube, also Pickelhelm, is a spiked helmet worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military, firefighters and police. Although typically associated with the Prussian Army, which adopted it in 1842–43, the helmet was widely imitated by other armies during that period. It is still worn today as part of ceremonial wear in the militaries of certain countries, such as Sweden or Colombia.
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes worn. Soldiers wear helmets, often made from lightweight plastic materials.
Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten, commonly known as Der Stahlhelm, was a German First World War ex-servicemen's organisation existing from 1918 to 1935. It was part of the "Black Reichswehr" and in the late days of the Weimar Republic operated as the paramilitary wing of the Monarchist German National People's Party (DNVP), placed at party gatherings in the position of armed security guards (Saalschutz).
A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock. Suspension bands inside the helmet spread the helmet's weight and the force of any impact over the top of the head. A suspension also provides space of approximately 30 mm between the helmet's shell and the wearer's head, so that if an object strikes the shell, the impact is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull. Some helmet shells have a mid-line reinforcement ridge to improve impact resistance. The rock climbing helmet fulfills a very similar role in a different context and has a very similar design.
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The Stahlhelm is a specific type of German military headgear made of steel, which is primarily intended to provide protection against fragments of grenades. The term Stahlhelm refers both to a generic steel helmet, and more specifically to the distinctive German military design.
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Charles L'Éplattenier (1874–1946) was a Swiss painter and architect who created the Swiss version of Art Nouveau, called Style Sapin.
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The Luftwaffe was the air force of Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II. Luftwaffe styles of uniform and rank insignia had many unique features between 1935 and 1945. By Hitler's decision on February 26, 1935, the Luftwaffe was to be officially the third branch of the Wehrmacht as of March 1, 1935. The new Luftwaffe was faced with the problem of uniforms, as they wanted a uniform distinct from those of the other two branches of the Wehrmacht and also wanted a clear differentiation in dress of military and civilian flyers.
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