By Ignacio "Iggy" Rubalcava
U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Baumholder Military Community Public Affairs Office
A piece of history was recently unearthed by construction workers digging near the Warrior Zone on Smith Barracks. A Dutch helmet dating back to about 1927 and a piece of a porcelain dish bearing the Nazi eagle and swastika was found by Mary-Jane Spreier, lead recreation assistant. Workers had discarded the artifacts after having dug up the two historical pieces behind the building. The dish has a date stamp of 1937 on it.
The helmet appears to be an m27 model, produced from late 1927 up to 1929 by a Dutch Artillerie Inrichtingen (artillery devices) company. A heraldic Dutch lion crest from the house of Nassau is imbedded on the front of the helmet. The lion is holding a sword, which is patterned after a sword that appears on the crest of Charles the V's seal as "Lord of the Netherlands." In his other paw, the lion is holding a bundle of arrows, symbolizing unity.
How the helmet got to Baumholder is puzzling. There is no record of Dutch soldiers ever being stationed in in the area. A possible theory could be that it was a war trophy taken by a German soldier during the occupation of France. The helmet may have been brought to Baumholder and later discarded. This of course, is purely speculation.
The factory that produced helmets like this has roots deeply imbedded in Dutch military history. In the 1800's the Dutch saw a need to produce artillery pieces to fend off any intrusion by the French. Initially focusing on artillery pieces, the company in Delft, Netherlands, expanded into the production of all sorts of military equipment, to include helmets like the one found on Smith Barracks.
The factory in Delft was not the only factory dedicated to producing military equipment. There was a gun factory in The Hague as well as a rifle factory in Culemborg.
The piece of porcelain was made by K & A Krautheim of Selb, Bavaria. Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
During World War II, the company produced numerous pieces or porcelain and China decorated with Nazi emblems or crests. The company is still in existence.
Note: Background information was taken from online sources.
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