Original German WWII 1938 Dated Luftwaffe Signals Unit Marked EM/NCO Visor Cap by Franz Ritter – Size 56 ½ Original Items

Original Item: Only One available. This is a lovely condition Luftwaffe Signals EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap, which is size marked 56 ½ along with a 1938 date. The interior is still clearly marked under the celluloid “diamond” sweat shield on the crown of the cap:

(Ritter Logo)
Franz Ritter vorm. Carl Roth
Mützenfabrik
Würzburg
Lieferfehr 1938

56 ½

This wonderful honest example is an original high quality manufactured cap, and now has a fantastic “Crushed” or “saddle-form” shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It is fabricated in Luftwaffe blue gray Fliegerblau ( Flier’s Blue) “doeskin” weave wool gabardine, with wide black ribbed wool cap band, plus three rows of saddle brown (braun) color piping around the circumference. This is the Luftwaffe Waffenfarbe (corps color) for the Air communications corps (Lufnachrichtentruppe), usually referred to as “Signals”.

The visor cap is decorated with the correct insignia, including a finely-detailed aluminum eagle of the early-war tail design on the peak, and an oak leaf wreath with stylized wings and central tri-color cockade on the band; the latter is made of aluminum with a red and black painted cockarde. The black-finished patent leather chin strap rests just above the visor and is made up of three pieces: the central piece with two magnetic metal buckles and joined to the flanking end pieces via oval loops, the end pieces attached to black finished buttons on either side. It shows deterioration and “melting” to the finish, which happens to the patent leather over the decades, confirming the age.

The visor is the classic black color with stitched edge trim, made of pressed vulcanfibre, and a green underside. The edge trim is faux leather, and does show some deterioration due to age and wear, with the stitching and some of the trim missing in one area.

The inside of the cap is lined with light orange “service cloth”, with the dome brandishing a celluloid moisture shield that looks great, with almost fully intact stitching. The sweatband is made of beige leather, and still has much of the original finish, though it has definitely become a bit stiff over time. There is a unit marking in a box stamped onto the underside, which reads: Leith. Nachr. Komp.. The first portion may stand for Leithorst (Controlling air base), while the rest of the abbreviations are pretty clear, and stand for Nachrichten Kompanie or “Signals Company. Definitely some great research potential here!

This is a great Luftwaffe Signals EM/NCO peaked visor cap, offered in very good used condition. Ready to display!

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.