Original German WWII Army Heer Infantry Officers Schirmmütze Visor Crush Cap by Clemens Wagner Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a wonderful service used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Infantry Officer’s Schirmmütze (visor cap), and it really looks the business. The cap has a lovely “Crushed” or “saddle-form” shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It features lovely feldgrau (field gray) “doeskin” wool construction with a forest 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 zinc eagle insignia on the peak and and an open cast aluminum oak leaf and acorn wreath surrounding a metal tri-color cockade on the band. The peak eagle has lost most of the silvering on the zinc, now displaying a dull gray patina, however the wreath and aluminum topped cockade are still shiny and bright. 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 moderate wear along the edge and is brown on the underside. The top shows a lovely pattern of checking and crazing, which occurs as the black enamel finish degrades over time.

The inside of the cap is lined with light blue gray rayon, which shows staining and overall wear. The original celluloid diamond sweats hield is completely missing, while the stitching is still retained. There are no maker or size markings visible on the inside of the crown anymore. The grey leather sweatband is complete and in good condition, showing moderate wear and some tearing around the edge. It is embossed with the CW logo of Clemens Wagner of Braunschweig, a very well regarded manufacturer of hats. Below this it is embossed with WIRKLICH Stirn-u. Schläfendruckfrei, indicating that the design is “Forehead and Temple Pressure Free”. The size seems to be about a 58-59cm.

Overall condition is very good, with no mothing we can see and the colors well retained, showing just a bit of age toning and staining to the white piping. The metal insignia and chinstrap are in good shape, with a great look.

A great example of the 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.