Personal item circa 1914. Elegant helmet made of vulcanized fiber, complete with all fittings. Front features the Prussian line eagle with the battle honor “Waterloo”. The eagle damaged on the right side by a projectile hit or saber strike, with the crack running across the right half of the helmet shell. Slightly curved chin scales made of substitute material attached to rosettes, brass-colored lacquered, both cockades present. Interior with brown leather sweatband and olive-colored silk grosgrain lining. Handwritten size “55” in the shell, label in the left half of the shell reading “Helmet of Colonel Friedrich Wilhelm Prince zu Lippe, Commander of Inf Rgt. 74, killed in action before Liège on August 6, 1914”. Condition 2.

Colonel Friedrich Wilhelm Prince zu Lippe served as regimental commander from August 17, 1913 until his death on August 6, 1914. A helmet of historical/museum significance, clearly illustrating the losses at the beginning of the World War.

The 1st Hanoverian Infantry Regiment Nr. 74 was an infantry formation of the Prussian Army. The regiment was established on September 26, effective October 30, 1866, following the end of the Austro-Prussian War and the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by Prussia. With the outbreak of World War I, the regiment mobilized on August 2, 1914. As part of the 38th Infantry Brigade of the 19th Division, the regiment marched into neutral Belgium and initially participated in the conquest of Liège. This was followed by the further advance into France. Subsequently, the unit fought at St. Quentin, on the Marne, and at Reims. During the trench warfare on the Aisne, the regiment was subordinated to the 37th Infantry Brigade from March 28, 1915, and transferred to the Eastern Front at the end of April 1915. Here it participated in the Bug Offensive, among other operations. In mid-September 1915, it was briefly redeployed to the Western Front and participated in the autumn battle in Champagne. From mid-October 1915 to mid-May 1916, it was again employed in trench warfare on the Aisne. The regiment then transferred again to the Eastern Front and was expanded on June 15, 1916 with a 2nd and 3rd Machine Gun Company. After fighting on the Stochid, the unit returned to the Western Front and remained in action there until the end of the war. There the regiment participated in the Battle of the Aisne, the fighting around Verdun, the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the Battle of Noyon, as well as trench warfare in Lorraine and the retreat from the Vesle front behind the Aisne. During the course of the war, approximately 3,100 men of this regiment were killed in action.

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Prussia World War I Pickelhaube of Colonel Friedrich Wilhelm Prince zu Lippe, Commander of the 1st Hanoverian Infantry Regiment Nr. 74, Killed in Action before Liège on August 6, 1914

The Pickelhaube, introduced on 23 October 1842 by King Frederick William IV for the Prussian infantry, became one of the most iconic symbols of Prussian and German militarism. This particular helmet belonged to Oberst Friedrich Wilhelm Prinz zu Lippe (1858-1914), a member of the princely House of Lippe-Biesterfeld, who served as regimental commander (Regimentskommandeur) of the 1. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 from 17 August 1913 until his death on 6 August 1914 before Liège.

The 1. Hannoversches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 74 was established between 26 September and 30 October 1866 following the German War and the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by Prussia. With the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment mobilized on 2 August 1914. As part of the 38. Infanterie-Brigade of the 19. Division, the regiment marched into neutral Belgium and first participated in the conquest of Liège.

The Battle of Liège (5-16 August 1914) was one of the first major land battles of World War I, where German forces attacked neutral Belgium. German casualties by 8 August totaled approximately 5,300 men. During these opening days of combat, Oberst Prinz zu Lippe fell, representing the high officer casualties at the Battle of Liège. The visible battle damage on the helmet—a projectile impact or saber strike to the eagle plate and a crack extending across the right half of the dome—provides physical evidence of the combat that claimed his life.

The helmet is constructed from Vulkanfiber (vulcanized fiber). Before World War I, helmets were manufactured from hardened (boiled) leather. During the war, material shortages from the Allied naval blockade led to the production of helmets from substitute materials including vulcanized fiber, pressed felt, paper mâché, synthetic fiber, cork, and stamped tin from 1914-1915 onwards. The helmet features brass fittings, with slightly curved scale chains made of substitute material and lacquered in brass color.

The front eagle plate displays the Prussian line eagle (Linienadler) with the honor banner inscription “Waterloo”—an honorary distinction for regiments with historical ties to units that fought at Waterloo in 1815. The eagle plate is damaged on the right side by projectile impact or saber strike, with the crack running across the right half of the helmet dome. Both cockades are present: the Imperial German cockade (black-white-red, introduced 1897) and the Prussian state cockade (black-white).

The interior features a brown leather sweatband and olive-colored silk lining. Inside the dome, the size “55” is marked in handwriting. In the left half of the dome, a label reads: “Helm des am 6. August 1914 vor Lüttich gefallenen Kommandanten des Inf Rgt. 74 Oberst Friedrich Wilhelm Prinz zu Lippe” (Helmet of the Commander of Infantry Regiment 74, Oberst Friedrich Wilhelm Prinz zu Lippe, killed on 6 August 1914 before Liège). This label was added to document the helmet as a memorial artifact.

The Pickelhaube was gradually phased out during World War I. Leather models were first replaced by ersatz materials (felt, fiber, tin) from 1915, then by the Stahlhelm (steel helmet) from 1916 onwards due to inadequate protection against shell fragments and shrapnel. After September 1915, spikes were ordered removed when in the front lines. The Model 1914/1915 officer's Pickelhaube featured gilt or silvered metal fittings, though this example has brass. The M1915 variant introduced removable spikes and dulled metal chin scales to make officers less conspicuous targets.

Following the fighting at Liège, the regiment continued its advance into France, fighting at St. Quentin, on the Marne, and at Reims. Throughout the war, the regiment was repeatedly transferred between the Western and Eastern Fronts, participating in numerous battles including the Bug Offensive, the Autumn Battle in Champagne, the Battle of the Aisne, the fighting around Verdun, and the German Spring Offensive of 1918. During the course of the war, approximately 3,100 men from this regiment were killed.

After Germany's defeat in 1918, the Pickelhaube ceased to be part of military uniform, though police briefly continued using it until adopting shakos. This particular helmet was preserved as a memorial artifact and possesses exceptional historical significance as testimony to the early losses of World War I and the heavy casualties among senior officers in the opening engagements of the conflict.