Braunschweig skull. Original?

[panzer_erc]

Jacques, Thank you for the picture. All period pictures that I found, allways the nose line is present. In collar tabs and caps.

[Leibhusar]

I'm not sure in the following photos (the photo quality is not good!). Possible skulls without a complete nose....

[Leibhusar]

..

[Leibhusar]

...

[Tom M]

Very interesting thread! These skulls are in much need of more research. Does anybody know when they were issued with them? Were only successful long serving applicants to the 17th issued with them?
Here's the skull on my visor. It's a well worn salty Erel (Complete nose )

[Tom M]

I thought I may aswell share the rest of the grouping to Uffz. Nagel to keep this interesting thread alive.
In the albumn there is only one portrait photo of him actually sporting the skull on his cap. The regimental photo and much of the rest of the albumn shows nobody else wearing the Brunswick skull?

[Leibhusar]

To Tom :

Some nice IR17 items . I'm very interested to get some new informations about Brunswick skulls. Can you tell me something about the materials the skull was made? The skull looks like a golden skull? Is it right and the skull was gilded? I own a golden Brunswick skull and I know in the Imperial Germany golden skulls existed.... The question is in the Wehrmacht too?
(It is possible some soldiers in the IR17 wore golden skulls too!)


To all :

And an other try to post a photo of the not complete nose skull.....

[Tom M]

Hello Leibhusar.

Thanks. It is definately gilded and there are remains of the gilding on the skull. The pictures you have shown with the hollow nose skull look fairly early, possibly pre war. Maybe an early issue, later replaced by the more commonly found silver complete nosed skulls?

[Leibhusar]

Hello Leibhusar.

Thanks. It is definately gilded and there are remains of the gilding on the skull. The pictures you have shown with the hollow nose skull look fairly early, possibly pre war. Maybe an early issue, later replaced by the more commonly found silver complete nosed skulls?

Thank you for your informations and your comment!

I will try to answer some of your questions too ("Does anybody know when they were issued with them? Were only successful long serving applicants to the 17th issued with them?") .

The soldiers of the 1.Bataillon IR17 (not the 2.Kompanie!) started to wear the skull (to remember the Imperial IR92!) in 1921. Not all soldiers of the IR17 were allowed to wear the Brunswick skull in this year. I think in 1939 the soldiers of the 2.Bataillon and the soldiers of the 13./14. Kompanie of the regiment were allowed to wear the skull too.

The cavalry soldiers of the 4. Schwadron (cavalry regiment 13) wore the same skull (to remember the Brunswick cavalry regiment 17). In 1939 the 2. Abteilung of this regiment wore the skull too.

[panzer_erc]

Is know this skull was used by Inf. Reg. 17, but do you know exactly when was used in the panzer wraps collar patches? Normaly it******180;s found in yellow piping collar patches (traditional cavalry unit, I suppose), but in the picture that I posted the waffenfarbe of the colllar patches are pink or red. Because is a panzerjaeger tunic. Could be the soldier was in the aufklarung unit before and he still used the same insignias in his uniform changing the pipig?

[RUHL13]

Maybe this will help some. K.R. 13, slight line down the nose.
Regards,
Gary

[RUHL13]

13 Kalvarie Regiment

[RUHL13]

skull

[Glenn McInnes]

This one came from a Canadian Veteran.




Glenn

[Leibhusar]

To panzer_erc:

Sorry, I have no informations about the use of the Brunswick skull in the Panzer troops. I think one possible reason to use this skull on Panzer collar tabs was, that the Prussia skull wasn't available or the Panzer troops were from Brunswick??? I don't know... Possible another collector can help us to answer our Panzer questions....

To Gary and Glenn:

Thanks for posting these beautiful caps!

To Tom Mumby:

A photo of a golden skull in wear in the Imperial cavalry (Brunswick KR17).