Original German WWII Army Heer Infantry Officers Schirmmütze Visor Crush Cap by Flite – Damaged Chinstrap Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice 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 dark bottle-green (flaschengrün) “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, however it has suffered from damage over the years, with the loop around the left side button having pulled out of the wire knot.

It is decorated with a well detailed aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open hand embroidered bullion wreath surrounding a plated metal tri-color cockade on the band. The eagle on the peak looks great, showing just a bit of wear and oxidation, while the wreath and cockade show a bit more oxidation, but no major damage or wear. The red felt insert in the cockade is still vibrant.

The chin strap is attached with the standard pebbled buttons on either side of the cap, with the left side button being quite loose. The chin strap has some fraying in areas, and the end loop has pulled out of the knot on the left side, It looks like it possibly got pulled on something long ago. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear around the edge, and is beige on the underside with a cross-hatched pattern. The black finish on the top has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, which only happens after decades of age.

The inside of the cap is lined with cream sheer fabric, most likely rayon, which shows staining from use, and has some light fraying on the sides. The top celluloid sweat shield diamond is fully intact with complete stitching, and is really in great shape, with a maker logo over brand name Flite in the center. The natural leather sweatband is still in very good condition, though it does look to have had some glue repairs to the front visor in the past. The stitching is mostly intact, and the leather shows only light wear.

The exterior shows light staining and fading, which just a few areas of moth. The chinstrap could most likely easy be repaired, however we have left it as is as the damage is part of the history of the cap.

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.