The German Military Connections of Rudolf the Victorious in H.G. Wells's "Things to Come"

In the mid 1930's, noted writer, historian, and social commentator H.G. Wells, among the world's most famous men of letters of the day, teamed up with producer Alexander Korda and director William Cameron Menzies to produce what would become the world's most expensive film produced until the time, Things to Come (1936).

While Wells was present on set, his control over the film itself was far from complete. The film was, of course, produced for entertainment and not just for propagandizing in the name of Wellsism, although he believed the film served that end until his death in 1946. Cuts had been made by the time of release, and some scenes were simply not filmed. His novelization, or "treatment" of the script had been released a year earlier in 1935, complete with introductory notes, and offers a fuller picture of his intentions with this particular work.

In case you don't know, the story is of a catastrophic world war that collapses the world's economy and sends most areas back to a feckless feudalism governed by upstart warlords and despots. Redemption comes in the form of an international consortium of airmen intent on rebuilding a bigger, better, more orderly and peaceful world. 

Interestingly, the location of the film never actually leaves one place, Everytown. But around the Mediterranean, a group of these airmen calling themselves Wings Over the World, unite under a common order opposed to war, greed and wasteful competition, and spread their gospel of international brotherhood through a miraculous "gas of peace." A space shot is planned, which upsets Luddites among Everytown's citizenry to the point of violence, and the film climaxes with the ultimate triumph of progress in using the tools of science to stretch out man's vision and presence among the stars, closing with trademark Wellsian philosophic soliloquy.

But getting back to the point of this post, H.G. Wells had seen Fritz Lang's view of a possible dystopian future in Metropolis (1927), and thought it "quite the silliest film." I happen to love it. But so put off by Lang's vision was he that when it was his turn some eight years later, his production notes included the admonition that the production crew take Lang's film as a blue print for what not to do.

Wells described each character in good detail, but of course left openings for the costume department to "let their imaginations go." 

Regarding "The Boss" of Everytown, Rudolf the Victorious, played by the inimitable Sir Ralph Richardson, his description was thus:

The Boss can be a heavy, brutish-looking man of the condottiere type. He is in a rough costume between that of a boy scout, a Far West cowboy and a Cossack. A rosette is his symbol and it is everywhere present’ the last degradation of the English Tudor rose. He carries himself with a self-conscious swagger. … The salute is made by standing up stiffly, hands by the side and nose in the air. No hand lifting. The producer should bear in mind that the Boss is not intended to be a caricature of a Fascist or Nazi leader [emphasis added]. He is as much South American or Haytian or Gold Coast. He is something more ancient, more modern and more universal than any topical movements. There is a big flag with a rosette behind him.

But interesting it is to note that in the film, Rudolf's uniform, vaguely reminiscent of a German tunic, features the collar tabs of a German general, and shoulder boards of a German junior officer. 

A case can be made that these accouterments are the province of the nominally apolitical German army, so was this a test of Wells's eye for detail played by the costumers, a happy accident, or a purposeful symbolic stab at the rising threat emerging from the heart of Europe? It is this that I will attempt to expand upon for an upcoming H.G. Wells Society publication.

Stills from Things to Come courtesy of The Criterion Collection.

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Mystery Soviet Headgear from the Ethio-Somali War, 1977-1978?

My late father collected international police and law enforcement related headgear, and by the time of his death in April 2015, had amassed a respectable collection. His most exotic examples were a Baden Police spike helmet (circa 1900), a plumed Italian Carabinieri (national military police), Thai royal palace guard, Bahaman spiked pith helmet, and an NVA military police pith helmet.

Sometime around 2000 he also acquired at auction, by accident – meaning he was mildly intrigued and happened to win it for the minimum bid, a curious piece outside his usual law enforcement scope. At the time of acquisition, its vague attribution was a Somali death squad helmet. My thought is that it was simply military hardware repurposed by a local militia. Skeptic that I am, though, I’ve always wondered if a finer point may be put on it, and on a whim the other night began to look into it.

First, the anatomy of the steel helmet: The shell is clearly a stock Soviet M40 style. The liner rivets are copper, which some helmet experts believe point to a North Korean origin, though I cannot confirm it. This particular example lacks the liner, though traces of the steel band remain. 

The exterior is painted olive-grey with a light sand finish, and features a striking yellow stenciled horned and pointy-toothed skull and bones. The interior is heavily oxidized, but an Arabic number code “2 – 15” is visible at the back inside rim.

So what of this Somali attribution? Well, let’s check the historical record for clues. The “scramble for Africa” between European powers in the late 19^th century saw Britain appeal to Somali Christians, which of course caused friction with their Islamic countrymen, leading them to look to the Ottoman Empire for support. 

A series of military victories led by Mohammad Abdullah Hassan helped establish the Dervish state, though it had collapsed by 1920 after British bombardments. Enter Fascist Italy with its La Grande Somalia idea.

Italy consolidated political control over Somalia throughout the 1920’s – though never ruling without instability, and by the time Mussolini declared the Italian Empire in 1936, the Africa Orientale Italiana – or A.O.I., it included Ethiopia, Eritrea, and, of course, Italian Somaliland. By the end of 1940, Italy had pushed the British out of British Somaliland and the East Africa Protectorate.

Of course with the collapse of Italian power during World War II, the British regained British Somaliland and eventually conquered Italian Somaliland, which became protectorates until the Potsdam Conference of 1949 granted Italy trusteeship over their old portion. Britain retained theirs until 1960.

Eventually disputes would lead to the Ethio-Somali War, also known as the Ogaden War of 1977-1978, which is where I suspect this helmet came from. In an odd twist of fate, the Soviet Union had been supporting both countries – while the United States had been supporting Ethiopia. At the outbreak of hostilities – when Somalia invaded Ethiopia, Somalia broke ties with the USSR in favor of the USA, while the USA ceased its support of Ethiopia to side with the Somalis – though not militarily. 

Interestingly the USA stayed out of the conflict, which saw Ethiopia and her allies, the Soviet Union, Cuba, and South Yemen take on Somalia and her allies, Western Somali Liberation Front, China, and Romania – the brutal authoritarian Nicolae Ceausescu being one to break with Moscow’s official line when it suited him. 

War crimes against civilians were committed by both sides, and the conflict only ended when Somalia evacuated back across the border and a truce was declared – though an insurgency continued by the Somali National Army and Western Somali Liberation Front.

So, with both Ethiopia and Somalia having been given Soviet hardware at one time or another,  just whose side was this helmet on? I still can't say for sure. Historical research can be like that. Could be Somalian, could be Ethiopian. But I’ll let you know if I ever figure it out! 

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