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

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice service used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army EM/NCO Schirmmütze (visor cap), with a lovely “Crushed” shape. This “saddle-form” shape is highly desirable, and accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) “doeskin” wool construction with a forest 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 Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry.

It is decorated with a well detailed aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open aluminum wreath surrounding a metal tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia look great, only showing some very minor oxidation, and the red felt insert in the cockade is still vibrant. The dual-buckled black leather chinstrap, designating the wearer to be an enlisted man, is attached to black lacquered buttons on either side. The finish has degraded a bit, with a lovely pattern of checking and crazing in the patent leather. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is cream colored on the underside. The top of the visor has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, showing that it has not been refinished at any time.

The cap is lined with lovely cream rayon, which now shows light staining and soiling from use. The top plastic sweat shield is fully intact, as is the stitching, however there are no markings or maker logo visible on the crown. The sweatband is made from beige genuine leather, and is marked with the DEUTSCHES LEDER embossing, indicating that it is “German Leather”. It shows some light staining, but is still fully intact and supple.

The cap looks to have seen moderate service during the war, and shows some damage to the rear half of the bottom edge. The wool shell has been damaged by wear and moths, so the inner side stiffener is visible in areas. The cap also overall has had the colors fade a bit, possibly from being on display for a long period of time.

A very nice service used example of the classic hat worn by German Army Infantry NCOs in WWII. 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, issued 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.