Original German WWII 1943 dated Luftwaffe M43 Einheitsmütze Field Cap with Edelweiß Badge – size 57 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service used example of a Luftwaffe M43 Einheitsmütze Wool field cap, with a great well broken in look. The cap is constructed of Luftwaffe blue/grey Fliegerblau wool, and has the correct “fold down” skirt for colder weather. It features a single pebbled aluminum button to the front, securing the skirt, and is a version without securing loops on the underside.

The peak of the cap has a very nice cap eagle with a “button style” cockade underneath, both machine embroidered and hand sewn on. Of more interest is that on the left side of the cap there is a sewn on metal Edelweiß badge with a fabric underlay, usually only seen on Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper uniforms and caps. We did some research, and according to Gordon Williamson’s fine work German Mountain and Ski Troops 1939-45, there are documented examples of Luftwaffe Flak Troopers in the Mountain Regions wearing the Edelweiß.

The interior of cap is a light blue/gray canvas material, which is one of the standard interiors for this type of cap. It has some minor wear visible on the inside, with the color retained on most of the interior. The crown still has the original issue markings visible:

57
1943
9/1316/0014

German RBN Numbers, or Reichsbetriebsnummer, also known as the National Business Number, were an alternative to the 3 letter codes in use late in the war. The first number 9 is the prefix for “Not otherwise mentioned groups”, while 1316 is the location code, and manufacturer 0014 in is a specific maker. Most RBNr. markings we have seen for caps begin with “0” for “industry”, however this maker did not use that code, and we have found other examples with the same marking. The records of these are very incomplete, so we have not been able to locate this specific manufacturer.

The condition of the cap is good, but it definitely does show wear from service., which has removed a lot of the “nap” from the exterior shell. Traces can still be seen under the side flaps and on some areas of the top. Real service used caps such as these have a nice “salty” look that is impossible to duplicate, and means that it was “really there”, and not sitting in a depot during the war. Ready to add to your collection!

The M43 Einheitsmütze (Unit Cap) is a variety of “Ski Cap” and was based on the Bergmütze (Mountain Hat) used by Austrian and German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops) during WWI. Germany had adopted it in 1915, and after the war it spread throughout the military.

The skirt that surrounds the cap is made in the same wool as the cap, and can be folded down over the ears, though this was rarely done outside of the Mountain troops, which had a double-thickness skirt. The skirt has a small dip in the front quarter with a divide secured by one aluminum button which is covered by an embroidered cockade. The small section in the front quarter was built shorter to show the insignia, and cover the wearer’s chin or mouth, without disturbing breathing by covering the nose. There were also later M43 caps, such as those used by the DAK, that omitted the skirt entirely, as it had little use in the desert heat.