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Garde Kp 5 Camo Twins
Hey guys, got in a few new helmets over the past couple of months and have some time today to post one or two.
Here is an old one and a new one, with many grateful thanks to the seller.
It is hard enough to find a Garde helmet. A real one that is. It is even more difficult to find one that is a camo. I would guess that the odds would be fairly stacked against one to find two of them.
But....to find two of them to the same company? I think the odds are better to be hit by lightning in the Antarctic.
So when I was shown another Kp 5 Garde camo, exactly matching the one I already owned, I knew I had to have it and reunite two helmets that in my opinion were painted by the same hands at the same time, then separated by war and time for nearly 100 years, to be reunited once again.
I bet the painters of the helmets never thought that two of their creations would land in a collectors room in Canada 100 years later. And I hope they survived.
Both are M16s, with original pads but missing the chinstraps as is oft the case with WW1 helmets. One is a Q66, the other an ET64. There is some red writing on the back of the Q, which is hard to decipher but it looks to be the same on either side of the numeral 5, and the number 23 at the bottom. The red writing is very old and with a fine patina that matches the helmet but Ive no idea what it is or if it is wartime or postwar, who knows. The ET has red writing on the interior rim of the helmet as well, a strange coincidence?
In any case, I was stoked to come home to find a helmet box awaiting and have a pair of undisputed WW1 camo twins, from the Gardekorps and same kompanie no less.
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06-16-2014 12:20 AM
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Fantastic! I love these, and am green with envy! Congrats, Jim G.
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Great twins congrats.
Eric
[h=3]e plu·ri·bus u·num[/h]
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Historically a really nice reunion. I just love it.
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The English language lacks the words to describe how much I love these. They are certainly among the few worthy of your collection. Do company numbers only appear on garde helmets? I've never seen them any where else.
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Astounding score, my jaw dropped looking at the photos...
cheers, Glenn
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Yes company numbers are atypically only painted on Gardekorps helmets but not always. Here's a period pic of WW1 camo's being unit painted at the same time by one or two soldiers (note the few paint brushes drying ) Thanks guys for the compliments. It's an honor to have true twins in the collection from the Great War.
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Thanks Doug, the reason I asked was because I just got an m16 camo with a 2nd company red number two painted on the back. It hasn't arrived yet, so I'm not sure if it has the Gardekorps shield or not.
What I find very interesting about these two helmets is the difference in wear between the two. They had to have been painted at the same time, but the right one looks to have seen way more action.
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Sir Payne
Thanks Doug, the reason I asked was because I just got an m16 camo with a 2nd company red number two painted on the back. It hasn't arrived yet, so I'm not sure if it has the Gardekorps shield or not.
What I find very interesting about these two helmets is the difference in wear between the two. They had to have been painted at the same time, but the right one looks to have seen way more action.
I think the ET suffers from a less desirable storage condition over the past 10 decades than the Q. Both have scuffs and scrapes aplenty, but then who knows what these saw, if only they could speak.
Like I said in the reply, atypically was painted for Gardekorps but other units did paint Kompanie numbers on the back side on occasion. If yours is a Garde it will certainly have the Hohenzollern Crest painted as these did. I would love to see it when it comes in, WW1 camo's are very special indeed and I feel very under appreciated.
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