Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe M43 summer weight Einheitsmütze field cap, constructed from lightweight Fliegerblau blue gray whipcord weave wool and measuring approximately 57cm. It retains its fold down skirt, two light blue plastic front buttons, rayon retaining loops, machine embroidered eagle and cockade insignia, and light gray rayon lining. It is a lightly service used example with attractive age and wear throughout.

The M43 Einheitsmütze was introduced as a practical standardized field cap and incorporated a fold down skirt for additional protection in colder conditions. This lighter weight example is made from a fine whipcord style Fliegerblau wool suited to warmer weather wear.

The fold down skirt is secured at the front by two light blue plastic buttons and retains the correct rayon loops on the underside. The protected fabric beneath the skirt preserves noticeably stronger original color and texture than the more exposed exterior.

The front of the cap carries a machine embroidered Luftwaffe eagle with national cockade beneath, both worked on a blue gray triangular backing. The backing closely matches the color of the cap but is made from the more conventional fuzzy wool fabric rather than the lightweight whipcord material used for the shell.

The interior is lined in light gray rayon. There is staining and worked in dirt around the forehead area, together with fraying along the very bottom edge. Lighter staining is present elsewhere in the lining. No maker, date, or size markings were observed.

The visor remains in very good condition and still holds its shape well. There is a crease on the left side that has not yet cracked completely through, along with light overall rippling.

The exterior shows no major tears or structural damage and only light signs of actual use. There is general wear and discoloration across the exposed wool, which has developed a slight brown cast from age and service. The wool beneath the fold down flaps remains much closer to its original Fliegerblau tone.

With its lightweight whipcord construction, original eagle and cockade triangle, fold down skirt, light blue plastic buttons, rayon loops, and measured 57cm size, this is a particularly appealing summer weight Luftwaffe M43 field cap. The forehead staining, lower lining fraying, visor crease, light rippling, and overall exterior discoloration are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Luftwaffe M43 headgear, summer weight field uniform, Fliegerblau cap, or advanced German WWII headgear collection.

The M43 Einheitsmütze (Unit Cap) is a variety of "Ski Cap" and was based on the Bergmütze (Mountain Hat) used by Austrian and German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops) during WWI. Germany had adopted it in 1915, and after the war it spread throughout the military.

The skirt that surrounds the cap is made in the same wool as the cap, and can be folded down over the ears, though this was rarely done outside of the Mountain troops, which had a double-thickness skirt. The skirt has a small dip in the front quarter with a divide secured by one aluminum button which is covered by an embroidered cockade. The small section in the front quarter was built shorter to show the insignia, and cover the wearer's chin or mouth, without disturbing breathing by covering the nose. There were also later M43 caps, such as those used by the DAK, that omitted the skirt entirely, as it had little use in the desert heat.