Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Officer Schirmmütze visor cap, with a lovely "saddle-form" shape. It has had the crown stiffener removed to give it a lovely "crushed" look, which was quite popular. It features the typical feldrgrau (field gray) "whipcord" weave wool construction with a forest green band and a traditional high forward crown. The cap also has matching rose-pink (rosa) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band. This is the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Panzertruppen (Armored Forces), as well as Kraftfahrkampftruppe - Kraftfahrtruppen (Motor Vehicle Combat Troops).

It is decorated with a well detailed cast zinc alloy eagle insignia on the peak and and an open embroidered wreath surrounding a metal tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia are in very good condition, with some of the the bullion on the wreath coming loose, and the red felt insert in the cockade is still present and vibrant. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting minimal wear along the edge and is beige on the underside. It has the correct silver bullion chin strap retained by pebbled buttons, indicating that it is for an officer. It is still in very good condition, with no damage or oxidation visible.

The inside of the cap is lined with cream sheer fabric, most likely rayon, which is now stained from use. The top plastic shield is completely missing, with the stitch holes still visible, and there are no markings of any kind that we could see on the inside of the cap. It definitely has a great service worn look, with staining overall on the interior. The beige leather sweatband is still present, but is in delicate condition, with the leather having shrunk quite a bit, causing tearing in various areas. It is now stiff and dark, so we could not look underneath for markings. The cap's size seems to be about a 58cm / 7 1/4in. US.

Condition is very good, with the exterior colors well retained, and much of the original silvering still on the insignia. There also is also not really any mothing we can see, which is definitely a rarity on these wool construction visor caps.

A very nice example of a classic "crush cap" worn by German Army Panzer Tanker 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.