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Pickelhaube helmet introduced in the Prussian Army

When
1842–1844
Where
Prussian Army
Episodes
3

The Pickelhaube, a spiked helmet, was officially adopted by the Prussian Army in 1842. King Frederick William IV approved the design, introducing it to infantry via a royal cabinet order in October. Although associated with Prussia, the helmet was widely imitated by other armies during this period.

Episodes

  1. 1842–43 · Prussian ArmyOfficial Adoption of the Pickelhaube

    The Prussian Army officially adopted the spiked helmet in 1842, following King Frederick William IV's approval of his brother's idea.

  2. 23 October 1842 · Prussian ArmyIntroduction to Prussian Infantry

    Frederick William IV introduced the Pickelhaube to the majority of Prussian infantry via a royal cabinet order in October 1842.

  3. 1844 · Prussian ArmyArtillery Helmet Modification

    Prussian artillery units modified the Pickelhaube in 1844 to use a ball-shaped finial instead of a spike.

Background and detail

Background. The Pickelhaube is a spiked leather or metal helmet worn by Prussian and German soldiers. While typically associated with the Prussian Army, which adopted it in 1842–43, the design was widely imitated by other armies during that period. The helmet's adoption followed the approval of King Frederick William IV, who endorsed his younger brother's idea after his father's death in 1840.

Official Adoption. Frederick William IV, King of Prussia from 1840, approved the spiked helmet concept. The Prussian army officially adopted the Pickelhaube in 1842, ahead of the Russian project which was still being developed. Russia eventually adopted the helmet in 1844. The introduction for the majority of Prussian infantry occurred via a royal cabinet order in October 1842.

People involved

Sources

  1. Pickelhaube Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
  2. Frederick William IV Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-09

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.