Original German WWII Heer Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troop Officer Visor Cap – Size 60 1/2 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very good example of a Rare German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troop Officer Schirmmütze visor cap, in a nice large size 60 1/2cm. It features the typical green wool gabardine construction with a forest green band and a traditional high forward crown. The also has matching Hellgrün (Light Green) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops ), Skijäger (ski troops), and Jäger (light infantry troops). It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer.

It is decorated with a well detailed silvered eagle insignia on the peak and and an open silvered zinc wreath surrounding a tri-color cockade on the band. The chin strap is attached with the standard silvered buttons on either side of the cap. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting minimal wear along the edge and is brown on the underside. The tan leather sweatband is in good supple condition, though there is a significant portion torn out, as shown in the pictures. The inside of the cap is lined with light brown cloth, with a fully intact top plastic sweat shield and stitching. There is no maker mark, but it is marked with size 60 1/2 under the shield.

Condition very good, with only a few condition issues aside from the damaged sweatband. There is a small tear on the front peak of the cap, which allows the cheesecloth under padding to be seen. There are also a few areas of minor mothing, particularly under the edge of the crown.

A great example of a classic hat worn by German Army Mountain Troop Officers in WWII. Very impressive and ready to display!

Gebirgsjäger material is among the most popular of all German WWII items. They were the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (Gebirgstruppe) of Germany and Austria. The word Jäger (meaning “hunter” or “huntsman”) is a characteristic term used for light-infantry or light-infantryman in German-speaking military context.

The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three Landesschützen regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of Germany carry on certain traditions of the Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries’ mountain infantry share the Edelweiß insignia. It was established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Landesschützen regiments by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These troops wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniforms. When the Alpenkorps came to aid the Landesschützen in defending Austria-Hungary’s southern frontier against the Italian attack in May 1915, the grateful Landesschützen honored the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the edelweiss. Together with the Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army.

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.