Original German WWII Army Heer Infantry Officer Schirmmütze Visor Cap by EREL – Double Marked 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. It features the typical green wool gabardine construction with a forest green band and a traditional high forward crown. The also has matching Weiß (white) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band. This is the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer. The crown of the cap still has the stiffener ring, which has maintained the lovely shape.

It is decorated with a silvered aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and a high end open silver bullion embroidered wreath surrounding a metal tri-color cockade on the band. The chin strap is attached with the standard silvered buttons on either side of the cap. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is tan on the underside. The tan leather sweatband is in excellent condition, with little sign of use. Size is approximately US 7 1/8 (57cm).

The cap is lined with cream rayon and still retains the full celluloid diamond sweet shield in the crown. Unfortunately time and wear has caused the silver Erel Trademark logo to degrade, though parts are still legible:

over the Erel trademark logo in silver:

[OFFICIER]
[KLEIDERKASSE ]
BERLIN
EREL
[SonderKlasse]
Extra

The cap also has an embossed and silvered stamp over the left ear on the sweatband: EREL PATENT / STIRNSCHUTZ, which refers to the “Forehead Protection” of the sweatband design.

Condition of the cap is near excellent, and shows very little sign of having seen service during the war. There are a few small moth nips, as well as some wear to the “nap” of the exterior shell fabric.

A fantastic example of the classic hat worn by German Wehrmacht Infantry 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.