| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL/00993 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Helmet |
| Physical description | Leather, Steel |
| Location | Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Western Front 1916: Pozieres Losses |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Damaged M 1916 German steel helmet : Mouquet Farm
Description
Battle damaged M1916 German steel helmet. The helmet has been badly damaged by artillery shrapnel to the top front left of the crown. Marked on the inside lining is 'OG2 1-9-1916 MOUQUET'. The helmet is painted field grey.
History / Summary
Mouquet Farm was the site of nine separate attacks by three Australian divisions between 8 August and 3 September 1916. This helmet was taken from a German soldier killed during the fighting on 1 September, at O.G.2 (Old German Trench 2).
The farm stood in a dominating position on a ridge that extended north-west from the ruined village of Pozières. Although the farm buildings themselves were reduced to rubble, strong stone cellars remained below ground which were incorporated into the German defences. The attacks mounted against Mouquet Farm cost the 1st, 2nd and 4th Australian Divisions over 11,000 casualties, and not one succeeded in capturing and holding it. The British advance eventually bypassed Mouquet Farm leaving it an isolated outpost. It finally fell on 26 September 1916.
The Model 1916 was the first pattern of chromium-nickel steel pressed helmet introduced by the German Army, developed to counter the alarming number of head injuries suffered by troops in the first two years of the war. It differs from later models in having a leather liner band, rather than the later steel band.