Original German WWII Heer Army Artillery EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap – Size 55 1/2 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a wonderful lightly used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Artillery EM/NCO Schirmmütze (visor cap). It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) “whipcord” weave wool construction with a forest green “badge cloth” band and a traditional high forward crown. It still has the stiffener ring around the crown to maintain the shape, though it has still sunk a bit, giving it a nice gently sloped look. The also has matching Hochrot (Deep Red) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Artillery, as well as General Level Officers. As this is an EM/NCO cap, this is definitely for an Artillery, Assault Gun, or Heavy Flak soldier.

It is decorated with a well detailed aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open aluminum oak leaf and acorn wreath surrounding an metal tri-color cockade on the band. All insignia are still mostly bright and shiny, with very little wear or oxidation. The red felt insert inside the cockade is present and vibrant. The dual-buckled black leather chinstrap, designating the wearer to be an enlisted man, is attached to black lacquered buttons on either side. It shows a lovely pattern of checking and crazing in the patent leather finish, which only happens after decades. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting wear along the edge and is beige on the underside. It has a lovely pattern of checking and crazing on the top surface, and also has a bit of a bend in the middle.

The cap is lined with orange “service cloth” type material, which shows light wear and staining. The celluloid sweat shield diamond is completely missing, as is the stitching, and the only marking visible is the size of 55 1/2. The sweatband is brown oilcloth faux leather, and has become relatively stiff over the years. It shows finish loss and cracking around the seam area, though there is no major tearing.

Overall condition is just lovely, with a fantastic “been there” look. There is some minor fading to the colors, as well as wear on the exterior, but nothing out of line with wear from service and storage. There are some light stains and moth nips on the exterior, as expected on wool cap of this age.

A very nice example of the classic hat worn by German Artillery NCOs 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.