Original German WWII 1938 Dated Army Heer Infantry EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap by Clemens Wagner – Size 58 1/2 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very good condition example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army EM / NCO Schirmmütze (visor cap). It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) wool “whipcord” weave construction with a forest green 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.

It is decorated with a well detailed silvered aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open silvered aluminum wreath surrounding a tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia look great, no oxidation we can see, 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 vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is brown on the underside. The brown leather sweatband is still supple, though it is torn all the way through by the left end of the visor. It has a faint maker mark and date on the underside:

Clemens Wagner
Braunschweig
1938

The inside of the cap is lined orange lightweight “service cloth” style fabric. The top plastic sweat shield is present with all of the stitching intact, however it is cracked in multiple places and very delicate. It is stamped with size 56 1/2 underneath, and there is not any maker marking that we can see, just traces of silver paint.

Exterior condition is very nice, showing just a few moth nips and other minor damage. The interior however has had the padding and fabric on the sides of the crown detach from around the sweatband, showing the wool padding and gauze that is under the service cloth lining. This could probably be repaired, however we have left it intact as it really allows one to appreciate how intricately constructed these caps are.

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

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.