Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Named Enlisted Man’s Overseas Cap With Edelweiss Device and “FJI” Cap Badge Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a rather scarce piece of headgear from WWI. This is a fantastic, field worn condition Austro-Hungarian “overseas” side cap, as worn by an enlisted soldier. The cap, which bears a name we cannot read, has a beautiful stamped tin Edelweiss device on the left side, as worn by Mountain Troops.

The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three Landesschützen regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of modern Germany carry on certain traditions of the German Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries’ mountain infantry share the Edelweiß insignia, established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Landesschützen regiments by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These troops wore the edelweiss on the uniform collar. When the Alpenkorps served alongside the Landesschützen on Austria’s southern frontier against Italian forces from May 1915, the Landesschützen honored the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the edelweiss.

This is a fantastic and rare World War One Austrian Landesschützen Enlisted Model 1915 field cap. Constructed of wool feldgrau cloth, FJI cap badge and WW1 Austro-Hungarian Edelweiss insignia. This badge was introduced prior to 1907 and worn by enlisted men throughout the war. Later modifications included reducing its size, adding a solid back, changing the loops for pins and painting it pike grey and latterly field green. In 1917 the ‘FJI’ changed to ‘K’ for emperor Karl. Two painted front buttons hold the pull-down side ear/neck cover, with little paint retained. Interior has a light brown cotton lining with scattered holes.

A lovely example ready for further research and display.