Original German WWII Army Heer Panzer Officers Schirmmütze Visor Crush Cap – size 57 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Officer Schirmmütze visor cap, with a lovely “saddle-form” shape. It has had the crown stiffener removed to give it a lovely “crushed” look, which was quite popular. It features the typical green wool gabardine construction with a forest green band and a traditional high forward crown. The also has matching rose-pink (rosa) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band. This is the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Panzertruppen (Armored Forces), as well as Kraftfahrkampftruppe – Kraftfahrtruppen (Motor Vehicle Combat Troops). It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer.

It is decorated with a well detailed aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open aluminum wreath surrounding a tri-color cockade on the band. The chin strap is attached with the standard pebbled buttons on either side of the cap. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting minimal wear along the edge and is beige on the underside. The leather sweatband is in very good condition, showing light wear, and fully intact stitching. The underside is faintly stamped with size 57, which is about a U.S. 7 1/8.

The inside of the cap is lined with cream sheer fabric, most likely rayon. The top plastic shield is partly present with some tearing, especially at the top, where a section is missing. There is no logo on the top, however it does say Stirndruckfrei / Deutsches Reichspatent, which translates to “Forehead Pressure Free / German National Patent”. This would indicate that it’s designed to be comfortable, and that design is protected under German law.

Condition is very good, with thecolors well retained, and much of the original silvering still on the insignia. There is some staining on the interior and various small stains on other parts of the cap. There also is some moth damage around the bottom edge, and also to the piping, as shown.

A very nice example of a classic “crush cap” worn by German Army Panzer Tanker Officers in WWII. Very impressive and 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, 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.