Original German WWII Luftwaffe Flakkorps Unit Marked EM/NCO Visor Crush Cap by Felix Weissbach – dated 1939 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition Luftwaffe Flakkorps (Flak Artillery branch) EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap, manufactured in 1939 by Felix Weissbach, a well-known maker of wartime headgear. A wonderful honest service used example, the cap has a lovely “Crushed” or “saddle-form” shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It is fabricated in Luftwaffe Fliegerblau (Flier’s Blue) “whipcord” weave grey blue wool, with wide ribbed black wool cap band, plus three rows of deep red (tiefrot) color piping around the circumference. This is the Luftwaffe Waffenfarbe (corps color) for Anti-aircraft troops and other Artillery.

The peak visor cap retains an excellent, high quality, aluminum pin Luftwaffe eagle with swas, and an aluminum oak leaf wreath with stylized wings and central painted tri-color cockade on the band. Chinstrap and buttons are still present and in very good condition, though there is some chipping to the finish of the leather, which happens over time. The visor is a classic vulcanfibre construction example, matte pattern with minor age crazing on the top. The underside is a nice green color, and the original edge trim is fully present and in great condition.

The visor cap has a beige color light canvas “service cloth” interior lining, with the celluloid moisture shield partly intact, having a large tear in the center. There are still visible maker markings under the shield, but they are a bit hard to read due to the gold paint having degraded. However we were able to read most of it except for the size, which is completely missing:

56
Deutsche
Wertarbeit
Felix Weissbach
Mützenfabrik
GLAUCHAU i. Sa.
Lieferjahr 1939

“Lieferjahr” translates to “Delivery Year”, so that is when the cap was slated to be delivered to the Luftwaffe. Felix Weissbach of Glauchau in Saxony was a rather prolific maker and used two main types of label, both characterized by the presence of a circle with a stylized eagle (right-oriented head) bearing the words Deutsche Wertarbeit (Quality German Work) on the chest.

The tan sweatband is in good condition, showing wear and staining from use, and does have a tear through the forehead perforations. It is still relatively soft in most places. On the underside it still has a clear Luftwaffe Flakkorps marking:

III. / Flak-Regt. 4

This would be for the 3rd company of Luftwaffe Flak Regiment 4, which was part of the 15st Flak Division during WW2. We found this service history of the unit online: Flak-Regiment 4.

Overall exterior condition is very nice showing only light wear to the wool, with just a few moth nips here and there. The colors are well retained, and the insignia are still bright and shiny. Really a fantastic looking cap!

This is a great totally honest lightly used Luftwaffe FLAK EM/NCO peaked visor cap, ready to research and display!

A flak corps (German: Flakkorps) was a massed anti-aircraft (AA) artillery formation employed by the Luftwaffe for anti-aircraft, antitank, and fire support operations in World War II. A Flakkorps was a flexible organization that was made up of a varying number of AA regiments, brigades, or divisions. A total of six flak corps were organized by Germany during the war. The flak corps, while mainly intended to support ground units with concentrated anti-aircraft fire, in many cases provided also antitank support.

Flak corps did not exist before World War II. Until the end of war Germany eventually organized a total of six flak corps, being numbered I – VI, plus one short-lived special flak corps.

Flak corps I and II were formed on 3 October 1939. They grouped previously existing mobile AA battalions so as to overwhelmingly concentrate their firepower at points of decision on the battlefield. The original two flak corps were used in the Battle of France in 1940, and later inactivated. They were reorganized for the German invasion of Russia and fought for the remainder of the war on the Eastern Front. The I Flak Corps was destroyed at Stalingrad and later formed again.

The III Flak Corps was formed in February 1944 and fought on the Western Front. In total, III Flak Corps entered combat in Normandy with 27 heavy batteries, 26 light batteries and some 12,000 men. During the fighting in Normandy in 1944, the III Flak Corps was motorized although not all authorized vehicles were present. It was eventually destroyed in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945.

The IV Flak Corps was formed in July 1944 and supported Army Group G on the Western Front until it surrendered in May 1945.

The V Flak Corps was formed in November 1944 and fought in Hungary and Austria.

The VI Flak Corps was formed in February 1945 and fought in northern Germany in support of the 1st Parachute Army.

The flak corps “for special employment” (Flakkorps z.b.V.) was organized in 1945 to control V-weapons.

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.