Original German WWII Army Heer Signal Corps NCO/EM Visor Cap Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Signal Corps or Nachrichtentruppe, in the sense of signal troops, was an arm of service in the army of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, whose role was to establish and operate military communications, especially using telephone and radio networks.

This cap is in typical Heer army green wool with a forest green band and a traditional high peak with matching yellow piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, indicating the branch to be the Signal Corps.

It is decorated with a well detailed silvered aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open silvered aluminum wreath surrounding a tri-colour cockade on the band. The dual-buckled black leather chinstrap, designating the wearer to be an enlisted man, is attached to black lacquered buttons on either side. The vulcan visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting wear along the edge and is brown on the underside. The brown synthetic leather sweatband is in excellent supple condition.

The inside of the cap is lined in a champagne-colored cotton, with the dome celluloid shield which is unnamed but an ink size stamp of 54 1/2 can be easily seen. The cap shows only light contact on the visor with almost no fabric interruptions or moth nips, remaining in fine condition.

A very nice example of a classic hat worn by a WW2 German Infantry Signal Corps NCO in WW2.

History of the Signal Corps of the Wehrmacht:

During the rearming of the Wehrmacht the first top secret rearmament measures were carried out in spring 1933. These measures included the formation of new units and the establishment of a second signal company in existing units, the recruiting of officer cadets resulting in an eightfold increase over that on 1 April 1933, the reinforcing of the officer and NCO cadre by former signals soldiers, and their training through various courses. From 1934, from the old signal units the required cadre of officers and soldiers was drawn for the establishment of new formations, the divisions of the Wehrmacht each receiving a signal unit. Meanwhile, the Signal Corps steadily expanded its field of expertise; they now had light, medium and heavy telephone troops, telephone exchange and telephone operating troops, telegraph construction troops, light and heavy radio troops, miniature radio troops, two-way radio troops, radio surveillance troops, patrol radio troops, cypher and evaluation troops and battery charging troops.

From 1935, the training of the Signal Corps was carried out at the Army and Air Force Signal School (Heeres- und Luftnachrichtenschule) and, from 1936, the Army Signal School (Heeresnachrichtenschule) in Halle-Dölau. Two central bunker systems were built as communication centres in Zossen and in Ohrdruf.

From a special-to-arm perspective the Corps was led by the Inspector of the Signal Corps (Inspekteur der Nachrichtentruppen) at the Oberkommando des Heeres, the individual formations and units were subordinated to their respective commanders in the field army.

Deployment during the Second World War

The Inspector and General of Signals Erich Fellgiebel, who was executed in 1944 for his part in the 20 July plot against AH, was credited with saying: “The Signal Corps have a tough time. You can’t smell them, they don’t make a noise, most people don’t notice that they exist at all unless the communications stop working.”