Original Item: Only One available. This is a very nice service worn early German WWII SA "Stormtrooper" Kepi (Dienstmütze), often called a "Coffee Can Hat." It is made of a khaki canvas fabric over reinforced fabric sides, with a Schwarz (black felt top and silver "pip" button on the front. This indicates use by the SA Gruppe Berlin-Brandenburg, which encompassed the area around Berlin and the Western part of Brandenburg.

Before 1939, to help differentiate the different SA groups, the top of these caps, as well as the collar tabs, were issued in a variety of colors. Additionally, the "button" or "pip" on the front of the cap could be silver or gold, which matched the color of the uniform buttons, which allowed colors to be used more than once.

Being part of the group surrounding the Third Reich's capital city meant that many would be involved in the last defense against the Invading Soviet Red Army. It would appear that this cap was then captured by Soviet forces, and taken back, where it eventually wound up in a museum. There is a 1951 date on the interior crown, along with stamps in Cyrillic Russian. There also is what looks to be a name written in Cyrillic on the sweatband. Definitely some great research potential here!

These caps were worn by SA personnel, especially the "Stormtrooper" groups. It is made from tan canvas twill, with an early pattern nickel plated SA Reichsadler (National Eagle) on the front top. There is a very good condition dark brown leather chinstrap, held in place by the correct chocolate brown buttons on both sides. The interior has an orange oil cloth crown lining, which shows light wear and staining, and the sweatband on this example is made from pressed paper faux leather, and has numerous tears and stitched repairs present.

The inside of the cap under the sweatband still bears its original fabric RZM tag, which is also in great shape. The tag identifies the cap as a Dienstmütze (Service Cap) features the RZM logo as well as the ink stamped numerical designation of the Hersteller (manufacturer) 953 over lot No. 489049.

Condition of the cap is very good, with the main condition issue being the sweatband. The rest of the cap shows overall light wear and staining, and the felt around the top is a bit worn, but still looks great.

A hard to find SA Stormtrooper Kepi, captured by the Red Army and later released from a museum, ready to research and display!

Sturmabteilung, literally Storm Detachment, was the NSDAP Party's original paramilitary. It played a significant role in Adolf AH's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for NSDAP rallies and assemblies, disrupting the meetings of opposing parties, fighting against the paramilitary units of the opposing parties, especially the Red Front Fighters League (Rotfrontkämpferbund) of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), and intimidating Romani, trade unionists, and, especially, Jews – for instance, during the NSDAP boycott of Jewish businesses.

The SA were also called the "Brownshirts" (Braunhemden) from the color of their uniform shirts, similar to Benito Mussolini's blackshirts. The SA developed pseudo-military titles for its members, with ranks that were later adopted by several other NSDAP Party groups, chief amongst them the Schutzstaffel (SS), which originated as a branch of the SA before being separated. Brown-colored shirts were chosen as the SA uniform because a large number of them were cheaply available after World War I, having originally been ordered during the war for colonial troops posted to Germany's former African colonies.

The SA became disempowered after Adolf AH ordered the "blood purge" of 1934. This event became known as the Night of the Long Knives (die Nacht der langen Messer). The SA continued to exist, but was effectively superseded by the SS, although it was not formally dissolved until after NSDAP Germany's final capitulation to the Allies in 1945.