Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice "salty" example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Infantry Officer's Schirmmütze (visor cap), and it really looks the business. The cap has a lovely "Crushed" or "saddle-form" shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It features lovely feldgrau (field gray) "doeskin" wool construction with a dark bottle-green (flaschengrün) "badge cloth" band and a traditional high forward crown. The cap also has matching Weiß (white) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer.

The cap definitely looks to have seen long service, and has a somewhat rumpled appearance overall., with wear and oxidation on the insignia. It also is missing the entire sweatband portion of the liner, with some of the stitching still remaining. It most likely completely rotted out over the years due to use and staining.

The insignia on this cap are both the very early fully hand embroidered aluminum bullion type, and show a great oxidized patina, with some "white rust" present overall, along with wear from service. The peak eagle is woven onto a forest green background, and shows some fraying and oxidation of the aluminum bullion, especially in the center. The green threads that hold the bullion tight are still present, and there are some loose threads around the edge. The oak leaf wreath is also very well executed, woven onto the same green background, and surrounds an embroidered tri-color cockade, which has a red felt insert in the center. There is overall oxidation of the wreath, and also some loose strands in areas, giving it a great service worn look.

The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear around the edge, and is brown on the underside with a cross-hatched pattern. The black finish on the top has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, which only happens after decades of age. There is also some wear on the bottom and around the edge, showing the red fiber material. The chin strap is present, with the correct pebbled buttons, however the bullion is worn away in several areas.

The inside of the cap is lined with what looks to be black brushed cotton, which shows wear and staining from use, as well as some small tears. The top celluloid sweat shield diamond is almost completely missing, with most of the stitching missing as well. There are no maker markings we can see, and as mentioned before, the sweatband is completely missing, with only some stitching remaining around the edge.

The exterior shows light staining and fading, as well as a good amount of wear from service, which has degraded the nap of the "doeskin" fabric. The very bottom of the cap is worn, and there is some moth damage to the cap band on the right and right rear.

A great "salty example of the classic hat worn by German Army Infantry Officers in WWII. Very impressive and 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.