Uniforms and Equipment of the Old Army - Cavalry - Cuirassiers - The Helmet of the Regiment of the Gardes du Corps or the Guard Cuirassier Regiment

Since 1843 the cuirassiers generally wore helmets of bright-polished iron with brass fittings and arched scale-chains.

However, the Regiment of the Gardes du Corps, like the Guard Cuirassier Regiment and Cuirassier Regiment No. 6, wore helmets and scale-chains of tombak with mountings of nickel silver.

However, the helmet of the aforementioned units also followed the development of the cuirassier helmet itself.

From the year 1853 the front peak of the helmet was riveted on the inside.

With the model introduced on 07.10.1862 the helmet became lighter.

In this context the previously protruding screws were also dispensed with and replaced by slotted screws.

In the year 1867 a new, lower and again lighter helmet model was introduced.

In 1889 a new helmet was introduced whose front peak was only bent once. The rear ridge over the back of the head was also omitted, though not for the officers.

The scale-chains were now held by a brass button rather than, as before, by rosettes.

From 22.03.1897 the imperial cockade was worn alongside the provincial cockade; the latter was now mounted on the left.

The helmet peaks were painted (inside), namely green at the front and black at the rear.

The two guard formations carried on the helmet as a parade piece, in place of the disk and spike, a crowned eagle of nickel silver with outstretched wings.

The crown of the silvered eagle was gilded for the officers.

The eagle stood on the same plate as the usual spike. For the officers it was the cross leaf.

As a helmet ornament, moreover, a nickel-silver guard star was used with the surrounding motto ribbon: Mit Gott für König und Vaterland 1860 and a medallion.

The medallion was made of copper, on which a black eagle was depicted. Around the medallion the inscription "suum ciuque" was placed.