Original German WWII Army Heer Infantry EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very good service used condition example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army EM / NCO Schirmmütze (visor cap). It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) “whipcord” wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) “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 infantry and motorized infantry. It still has the stiffener ring around the crown to maintain the shape, though it has still sunk a bit, giving it a nice gently sloped look.

It is decorated with a well detailed silvered alloy eagle insignia on the peak and and an open silvered aluminum wreath surrounding a plated metal tri-color cockade on the band. The eagle and cockade have had the silvering erode and oxidize over the years, and now display a lovely aged patina, while the aluminum wreath just shows some light soiling from age. The red felt insert has darkened a bit from the oxidation on the cockade. There is no chin strap on the cap, as it was removed long ago, but the style of liner and construction identify it as an Enlisted / NCO type. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is brown on the underside. The top of the visor has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, with some flaking towards the edge.

The cap is lined with orange brown “service cloth” type fabric, which is in very good condition, showing light staining from use. There is no celluloid sweat shield on the top of the cap, and it does not look like there ever was one. We were not able to find any type of markings on the inside of the cap. The brown sweatband is in very good condition, with a glued on piece of feldgrau fabric at the rear to repair a split. The leather is still supple, and there are not any major tears or other damage. Size is about a 56cm / US 7.

Exterior condition is very nice, showing just a few moth nips and other minor damage. The piping shows some age toning on the crown, while the piping on the bottom is definitely dirty and stained from use. The center row, protected by the crown, is still a vibrant white, especially in the rear.

A very nice example of the classic hat worn by German Army Infantry NCOs in WWII. Ready to research and 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.