TK Helm ??

[Robin Lumsden]

Anybody any idea what this is??

Photo is supposed to be of 30s vintage.

Looks like someone has attached a Leibhusar busby skull to his steel helmet!!

[Rick Research]

That would be the "Shoot Me First, I Make A Particularly Compelling First Target Selection Choice" Bund.

Anything else to go on from the uniform? My first reaction, despite the skull, is this is one of the weird Austrian or Hungarian post-WW1 paramilitary associations.

It is profoundly thilly looking!

[Robin Lumsden]

Rick.


Nothing else to go on, I'm afraid.

I found it on German ebay.

Sort of reminded me of.................................

[Gilles C.]

The unusual elaborated light (several strong light sources) makes me think about a picture from a film rather than a portrait by an average town photographer. This could explain the very strange helmet. Taken from a post ww1 German film with some Freikorps (or maybe Danzig) scenes?

Regards
Gilles

[Robin Lumsden]

Gilles.

You could be right. It looks very 'posed'.

Here's a Finnish helmet (repainted copy) showing the skull they used.

[Robin Lumsden]

This picture isn't too clear, but the Iron Division officer on the left, next to Major Bischoff, has a totenkopf painted on the front of his steel helmet. It's a smaller version of the one shown in post #3 above. It's actually quite difficult finding photos of Freikorps troops wearing the death's head on their helmets, even although it was a popular Freikorps badge. Anyone else have a similar photo?

[Robin Lumsden]

I resurrected this old thread because I've just found this period publication on eBay.

The skull helmet on the cover is identical to that worn by the man at the top of this thread.

[Patrick W]

It looks like the helmet on the book cover has actually been taken from the exact same photo and the guys face cropped. Same angle of pose, same lighting. Exact same helmet imo

[Robin Lumsden]

Patrick.
That's what I thought. Same photo with the face taken out. At least it proves that the photo dates to the 1930s or earlier.

[EvSalomon]

Hello!

The man on the first photo looks to me like Willi Fritsch in the movie Menschen ohne Vaterland.
The plot of this movie was about Freikorps fighting in the baltics, I bought a copied DVD on ebay.de, but unfortunately it
is not running on my computer, so I cannot give you any more details about the film.

Best regards,
Henrik

[Robin Lumsden]

Hello!

The man on the first photo looks to me like Willi Fritsch in the movie Menschen ohne Vaterland.
The plot of this movie was about Freikorps fighting in the baltics, I bought a copied DVD on ebay.de, but unfortunately it
is not running on my computer, so I cannot give you any more details about the film.

Best regards,
Henrik

Henrik.
THANK YOU!

You have solved the mystery.

Here is a photo showing Fritsch, from a cigarete card in 1937. He played Oberleutnant Maltzach in the film.

[EvSalomon]

He played Oberleutnant Maltzach in the film.

Which reminds me of Oberleutnant von Maltzahn of the Freiwilligen Battallion Maltzahn
fighting as a part of the 1. Garde-Reserve-Division 1919 in Kurland.
Coincidence? I don't think so.

[Robin Lumsden]

Which reminds me of Oberleutnant von Maltzahn of the Freiwilligen Battallion Maltzahn
fighting as a part of the 1. Garde-Reserve-Division 1919 in Kurland.
Coincidence? I don't think so.

[Robin Lumsden]

Another great TK helm picture....................

[Robin Lumsden]

................now up for grabs on eBay.