Original German WWII French made Kriegsmarine Coastal Artillery M38 Overseas Cap – size 56 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice and hard to find example of a German WWII Kriegsmarine Coastal Artillery overseas cap (Küstenartillerie Schiffchen). The overseas cap, nicknamed in German military slang as Schiffchen, or literally “little ship” as it resembled an up-turned row-boat, was standard issue for the Coastal Artillery. Unlike many we see, this one was made in occupied France during the war, which makes sense considering the large number of coastal artillery emplacements on the Northern Coast.

This example is constructed of a field gray (feldgrau) wool exterior, with a gray rayon faux silk lining. This is similar to the army colors, however it features a fine machine embroidered eagle, with yellow thread, the Kriegsmarine color, on a green base. There is no soutache, so this cap was most likely for a lower ranking enlisted man. The front bottom has a machine embroidered tri-color cockade, which is woven on the same green material. The inside liner is marked with size 56 to the right of the French makers mark which is unfortunately written over with laundry marker, but we can make out the location of PARIS at the bottom.

Condition of this cap is very good, though it definitely has wear from service on the exterior and interior. There is a bit of wear through the exterior fabric on the lower right side, and overall the fuzzy “nap” of the fabric is worn away. The color is retained quite well, and this is definitely a very attractive and colorful overseas cap. The interior liner shows moderate wear, but is still solid. Ready to add to your collection!