Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a great well-marked example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Pioneer Combat Engineer EM/NCO Schirmmütze (visor cap), and it really looks the business. It still has the original crown stiffener installed, so the sides have not sunken down over the years, giving it a lovely gently swept back shape. It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) "whipcord" weave wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) "badge cloth" band and a traditional high forward crown. It also has matching Schwarz (Black) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band. This is the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Pioniere (Combat engineers), as well as Assault, Armored, Fortress, and Railway engineers.

It is decorated with a well detailed stamped aluminum Wehrmachtadler eagle on the peak and and an open aluminum wreath surrounding an aluminum tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia are all in very good shape, still bright, though the red insert in the cockade has definitely faded to a dull orange color. The cap has the correct black patent leather EM/NCO chin strap with double buckles, which shows just a bit of the "melting" sometimes seen due to age. The vulcanfibre visor / peak has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear and chipping along the edge, and is checkered light brown on the underside. It also has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking on the black enamel finished top, which happens as the material degrades over the decades. It is still firmly attached to the body of the cap.

The cap is lined with orange "service cloth" type material, which is in very good condition, showing light overall staining from use, though it has detached from the sides of the cap in many areas. The celluloid diamond sweat shield is fully intact with complete stitching, and the size is marked a 55½ underneath, and there is another stamp to the left of the shield, which we cannot identify. The brown finished leather liner is in very good condition, and still attached over the entire circumference. The leather is still supple, with the only discrepancy being some wear around the edges on the rear. It also has a lovely maker marking on the underside, which reads:

Clemens Wagner
Braunschweig
1938

There is also a supplier stamping, with a depot issue stamp below as well:

Landes-Lief.-Genossenschaft
Kürschner u. Mützenschaft
Mitteldeutschland      [37]

E 38

This translates to "State Supply Cooperative Furriers and Hatters", and we assume that 37 may be a date. The "E 38" indicates 1938 processing through the Heer Army clothing depot in Erfurt, Germany. Definitely some great markings on this cap, more than worthy of further research.

Overall condition is just lovely, with a fantastic "broken in" look. The colors are very well retained save for the cockade insert, and there is no major staining on the exterior. The crown has really slumped down over the years, giving it that fantastic classic look.

This is a very nice, high quality German Heer Pioneer EM/NCO peak visor cap, offered for sale in very good condition. Ready to display!

The German Schirmmütze Visor Cap:
The visor cap (Schirmmütze) was an important part of the headgear worn by German uniformed military, civil, paramilitary and political organizations during the Third Reich. This was the standard cloth headgear worn as a part of the service uniform. Visor caps were worn outdoors as well as indoors, and were often required to be worn by all personnel on duty. Visor caps were made in versions specific to each organization and were often further differentiated through the use of insignia, colored piping, or style of chin cord, to indicate rank, role or branch. The insignia used on these caps ranged from simple stamped metal emblems, to elaborate hand embroidery. Visor caps were issued to enlisted soldiers and NCOs in the military and in some other organizations. Officers had to purchase their own hats, and lower ranks could choose to purchase caps that were of a higher quality than the rather basic, issue examples. The private purchase caps were generally made in very high quality, with fine materials. A wide variety of fabrics were used, from Trikot and doeskin, to heavy wool, or even lightweight white fabric for summer wear. In the military, issue of these caps was generally suspended shortly after the outbreak of the war, but they continued to be worn by some troops until the end of the war.