Original German WWII Heer Army Field Upgraded Pioneer Officer M38 Size 59cm Overseas Cap – Schiffchen Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely lightly worn condition example of a German WWII Heer Army Field Upgraded Pioneer Officer M38 overseas cap (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 all branches of the Heer.

This example is constructed of a field gray (feldgrau) “doeskin” wool exterior, with a blue green rayon lining. The “scallop” on the front has silver piping on top, which is also around the cap crown, indicating officer issue. The piping was not added during production, but later during service at arsenal in the field. It features a fine BeVO machine embroidered eagle, with silver metallic on a gray green base, the standard Heer officer colors during the mid war period.

There is a very nice Schwarz (Black) V-shaped soutache on the front, which is the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the Pioniere (Combat engineers), as well as Assault, Armored, Fortress, and Railway engineers. The bottom stitches do not go over the soutache, so it was added to the cap after production at arsenal. Inside of this is a metal officers National Tri-Color Cockade with a red felt insert.

The interior lining of the cap is in very good condition, with just some light staining around the bottom edge from use. The front has a leather sweatband, which is also in very good condition, showing light wear with no tears or other major condition issues. It has been personalized by the soldier that brought it home, who wrote his name Allen Calcote on the inside. The only issue marking we can make out is a size marking of 59 on the left side of the crown. The exterior of the cap is in great shape, showing only light wear, with no mothing or other damage. It just has the usual wear consistent with light service.

A really nice example of a “field upgraded” Pioneer Officer’s overseas cap, ready to display!