Original German WWII Army Heer Infantry Officers Schirmmütze Visor Cap by Erhard Burgmayer of Ulm Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very good service used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Infantry Officer’s Schirmmütze (visor cap), and it really looks the business. It still has the original crown stiffener installed, so the sides have not sunken down over the years. It features lovely feldgrau (field gray) “doeskin” weave wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) “badge cloth” 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 Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). 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 cast aluminum oak leaf and acorn wreath with an attached metal tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia are all still bright, showing little wear or oxidation, and the red felt insert inside the cockade is present and still vibrant. 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 top shows a lovely pattern of very fine checking and crazing to the gloss enamel finish.

The inside of the cap is lined with cream rayon on the top, and light blue rayon on the sides, showing staining on the top from use. There is also some wear and staining on the sides blue side lining. The diamond celluloid “sweat shield” on the top is still present though it does show cracking and some loss of the stitching in areas. The maker logo is still mostly present, showing an image of the Cathedral of Ulm, with the makers name underneath:

Erhard Burgmayer
vorm. H. DEUBLER
Ulm a./D.
Sterng. 13   gegr. 1864
EIGENES FABRIKAT

Erhard Burgmayer is a known maker of WWII issue headwear, formerly known as H. Deubler, and is located in Ulm on the Danube river. The logo states that they have their own factory founded in 1864.

The sweatband in this cap is made from genuine leather, which while supple and soft has become somewhat delicate over the years. It shows some gearing and finish degradation, and the stitching holding it to the cap has deteriorated in areas. The outer band around the liner also has become distorted over the years. Size seems to be about a 57-58cm.

Overall condition is very good, though it definitely does show wear from service as well as deformation to the band around the bottom. The crown shows wear to the “doeskin” wool, and there is also some wear and moth damage around the cap band and piping, which are protected from the light and often show this type of damage. Still, the bright insignia and chinstrap give it a great look, and it will display great if fitted on a suitable cap form.

A lovely service used example of a classic hat worn by German Army 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.