Original German WWII Eastern Front Heer Army Rabbit Fur Pelzmütze Winter Hat Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. After the catastrophic winter of 1941-42 on the Eastern Front, the German military rapidly designed improved cold weather clothing. By the Fall of 1942, a variety of winter fur lined caps (Pelzmütze or Winterfellmütze) had been introduced. There were no standardized “model numbers”, but this version is a commonly encountered pattern. It has a fieldgray wool body, which is lined with rayon or cotton fabric, and a visor and fold down ear flaps backed with rabbit fur.

The front visor is tack stitched open and is rarely seen in the “down” position. Many soldiers pinned or sewed insignia to it as is seen here. Most often encountered are the metal visor cap badges – the Heer Reichsadler Eagle (as seen on this example) or the SS skull. The flaps are usually held in the “up” (open) position by a single button one flap, which fits into a loop on the other flap, however this example only has the button on the right flap, while the loop is missing on the left flap. The cloth ties for fastening the flaps under the chin are also missing on both sides.

This fine example is offered in very good condition with over 90% of the fur intact, and the interior gray rayon lining is fully intact, however it does show staining and dirt from sweat and oil. There are no markings that we can see on the interior, and we cannot locate any fabric tag, which would usually give the size. From what we can tell, it is probably a 56-57cm.

These have become very hard to find on the market today and even decent reproductions sell for hundreds of dollars. Ready to display!