WW1 State Cockades-- And Photos

[Rick Research]

Here is the cockade worn by enlisted men and NCOs of the infantry regiments from Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck. Despite the similarity to a LANDWEHR cockade (see below), this is the same Hanseatic Cross that the three Hanseatic Cities used for their awards. Normally, only officers had a felt insert like this, but there were no "Hanseatic" officers-- they wore PRUSSIAN cap badges.

[Rick Research]

What did Landwehr troops from the 3 Cities wear? I have no idea!

Here is John Candy, before his "Saturday Night Live" days, in Bremen Infantry Regiment 75--

[Rick Research]

Just to make things difficult, here is a case where officers did NOT wear felt cockade inserts, because of the colors-- here, as worn in the photo following, are Reichs above Württemberg state colors. Note that each cockade is made out of a flat pressed fiber background, low relief metal ring-- and while the Reichs has a red felt center disk, the state cockade makes due with showing the flat black backing through the center hole!

[Rick Research]

Note that in photos, a Württemberg cockade generally looks all dark, like this. This is a commander of Infantry Regiment 125, but his scrawled signature is beyond me:

[Rick Research]

Here are two Reichs cockades (red felt centers), a Prussian officer's in the center (no felt center, just like the Württemberg above), both Mecklenburgs officer's lower left (red felt center), and a M1916 Baden officer's lower right (red felt center).

The main difference between a Imperial Reichs cockade and a Third Reich period one is that the black fiber backing is flat on the Imperials, while they are generally metal and 3 dimensional on Third Reich ones, and all Imperial cockades have much lower rings than later ones.

[Rick Research]

Here is a Prussian Landwehr NCO's cockade, two pieces, no felt center, slightly smaller than a senior NCOs/officers cockade (as above, for regulars)

[Rick Research]

This senior NCO is wearing officers' cockades-- note that his landwehr cockade is a variant with a completely separate cross inside the center:

[Rick Research]

Of course, mere privates (in this case, first term officer cadets) universally had very cheap one piece cockades, with the same brittle paint found on Feldmützen cockades , secured (unlike the two sewing holes on those cockades) by a flimsy brad through the center--note the center "dome" in each cockade from the head of the brad.

[Rick Research]

And here is a Saxon private's visor cap state cockade, probably never issued since it is in almost perfect condition--

the black showing through is NOT from a Prussian repaint, the entire cockade was apparently dipped in a black undercoating and then the relevant colors were painted on the front.

[Rick Research]

Here is a 1919 (Imperial cockade removed and "Bolshevik" style cap crown shaping) Bavarian youth wearing the pre-1916 white-blue-white state cockade (note the privates' brad dimple in center), and M1916 Bavarian collar edging:

[Rick Research]

In 1916, that style cockade was ordered replaced by the "universal" colored center with mock bullion outer ring as seen up top with the Baden cockade (in the case of states with only two colors). My scanner has made these look almost black, but the centers are dark blue-- felt for the officer's type on top, and paint on the one piece enlisted type below--

[Rick Research]

And echoing the old and new mixture insignia of the post-war private above, here is a reserve officer (killed in 1918) wearing the M1916 state cockade with his M1910 tunic--but no Bavarian M1916 collar edging!

Note that in ALMOST all cases, the same old three piece Imperial colors cockade was worn. A type exactly matching the M1916 two color state cockades (red felt center, silver center ring, too-wide black painted outer ring) WAS used, but not popular:

[Tom Y]

Here's a 1 piece Hansa cockade with Landwehr for comparison.

[stogieman]

Hey Rick

Do I sense another massive article in the undertow??

[McCulloh]

great thread!

Rick:
You have the ability to make the pedestrian seem sublime and interesting. I never paid any attention to cockades before-now I'm hooked.
Great stuff!
Cheers,
JeMc