Original Item: Only One Available. During the Pre-WWII years in Germany, virtually all aspects of the government fell under control of the NSDAP, and the Forestry service was no exception. Germany has a long tradition of hunting, and has many famous forest areas throughout the country. The government set up an office of forestry to help manage the natural resources. Upon the arrival of the Third Reich, forestry uniforms were outfitted with swas (hook cross) symbols, resulting in items like this Forestry Deutscher Schützenhut (German Marksman's Hat) Felt Hunting Hat, which has a silver spread-winged Reichsadler Eagle on the front, and a large metal Tri-Color cockade with a fur plume on the left.

The cap itself is a standard hunting hat, very similar to one worn by Reichsforstmeister Hermann Göring in a postcard from the period. We have also seen these identified as hunting hats from the Deutsche Jägerschaft (German Hunting Association), one of the forestry associations sub-divisions.

The body of the hat is made from gray felt, with forest green felt around the edge of the brim, and a forest green cap band. There are several layers of fabric on the left side of the band where the tri-color cockade is mounted, as well as the fur plume. The inside of the cap has a lovely tan finished leather sweatband, which shows only light wear. It is still fully attached to the cap, and there is a paper label on the inside of the cap underneath, which reads:-

1942    Forst    70/56
06
Grau

This would indicate the gray color, and the size of 56, though we are not sure what the 70 indicates. The cap is in really great condition, with no major mothing we can see, and has the colors very well retained. There is just a bit of minor wear to the finish on the sweatband.

A great example of a classic hat worn by the German Forestry Service during WWII. Ready to research and display!

The Forstverein (Forestry Association) was a civil union, founded in 1899, whose members were either Foresters or Forest owners and was founded to give more "power" to their interests when dealing with the Governments of the states or the Reich. Their "targets" were mainly economical with some "spreads" of caring for nature and forests. The aim of the association was: to take care of the German forest, the promotion of forest economy and science and the exchange of personal ideas. After the NSDAP took over Germany, the various Forestry Groups were folded under the NSDAP umbrella.

The Forstschutzkommando (FSK), or simply Forstschutz was a uniformed and armed para-military security formation raised in late 1939. Composed of some 10,000 volunteers, it was recruited from forestry officials and forest workers and headed by Landesforstmeister Ernst Boden. Hermann Göring, as the Reichsforstmeister, was its "supreme commander".

After having received brief training, the first 2,000 so-called Forstschützen were put into action in wooded areas in occupied Poland. Here, they provided security for lumber transports and -storage places and sawmills, as well as being employed to combat wood-thieves and poachers and to arrest "unauthorized" persons in the forests. They were authorized to use firearms in the case of resistance or attempted escapes.

In July 1941, the Forstschutz took charge of the Bialowies forest, a former hunting ground of the Czar and important area for the lumber industry. The civilian population was evacuated from Göring's new Reichsforst, with their villages and farms being burnt to the ground and two small Jewish communities being liquidated as well.

In the summer of 1942, Forstschutz units were dispatched to the Reichs Commissariats of "Ostland" and the Ukraine. Here, they were used in anti-partisan operations, suffering significant casualties in the process themselves.

Apart from their original security tasks and anti-partisan operations, Forstschutz personnel were involved in the capture and liquidation of Jews, who had managed to keep from being arrested or who had escaped from Ghettoes and were hiding in the forests. Apparently, Forstschutz men were also actively involved in the liquidation of Jewish Ghettoes if regular SS- and Police forces were not available.

Later, during the large-scale German fighting retreat, Forstschutz units even participated in military combat engagements in an infantry role.