{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-gendarmerie-rural-police-m38-schiffchen-overseas-cap-with-orange-yellow-piping-size-56","title":"Original German WWII Gendarmerie Rural Police M38 Schiffchen Overseas Cap with Orange-Yellow Piping, Size 56","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive original German WWII \u003cem\u003eGendarmerie\u003c\/em\u003e Rural Police M38 \u003cem\u003eSchiffchen\u003c\/em\u003e, or overseas cap, in a clearly marked size \u003cstrong\u003e56\u003c\/strong\u003e. Constructed from Polizei green-blue wool with distinctive \u003cem\u003eOrange-gelb\u003c\/em\u003e, or orange-yellow, branch piping and a BeVo style embroidered Civic Police eagle, it remains in very good condition with only light age toning and some fraying to the front insignia. Rural Police overseas caps are considerably less commonly encountered than standard military examples, making this a particularly appealing piece of German police headgear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eOrdnungspolizei\u003c\/em\u003e, commonly abbreviated Orpo, was the uniformed German police organization during the Third Reich period and incorporated a number of separate branches with distinctive branch colors used on uniforms and headgear. The \u003cem\u003eGendarmerie\u003c\/em\u003e, or rural police, served in small communities, rural districts, and other areas outside the larger municipal police system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eGendarmerie\u003c\/em\u003e used \u003cem\u003eOrange-gelb\u003c\/em\u003e, or orange-yellow, as its branch color. On this cap, the piping runs along both sides of the upper pleat and joins into a single line at the front and rear seams, giving the cap its distinctive Rural Police appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe body is made from Polizei green-blue wool in the familiar M38 overseas cap form. The German nickname \u003cem\u003eSchiffchen\u003c\/em\u003e, literally “little ship,” referred to the cap's characteristic folded profile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower front carries a BeVo style machine embroidered Civic Police eagle. The insignia remains clearly recognizable but shows some age related fraying, including two areas where the embroidery has torn through.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interior is lined in light gray rayon and is clearly size marked:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e56\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition overall is very good. The wool body shows very little staining or structural damage, with only light general age toning. The orange-yellow piping remains bright and clearly defined, while the primary condition issue is the localized fraying to the front Police eagle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the German WWII Police or Gendarmerie collector, this is a particularly appealing M38 \u003cem\u003eSchiffchen\u003c\/em\u003e with all of the important identifying features still present: Polizei green-blue wool construction, distinctive \u003cem\u003eOrange-gelb\u003c\/em\u003e Rural Police piping, original BeVo style Civic Police eagle, and a clearly marked size \u003cstrong\u003e56\u003c\/strong\u003e. The strong overall condition and easily identifiable branch colors make it an excellent display example of Rural Police headgear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo, meaning \"Order Police\", were the uniformed police force in NSDAP Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organization was absorbed into the NSDAP monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favor of the central government (\"Reich-ification\", Verreichlichung, of the police). The Orpo was controlled, nominally by the Interior Ministry but its executive functions rested with the leadership of the SS until the end of World War II. Owing to their green uniforms, Orpo were also referred to as \u003cem\u003eGrüne Polizei\u003c\/em\u003e (green police). The force was first established as a centralized organization uniting the municipal, city, and rural uniformed police that had been organized on a state-by-state basis. Eventually the Police were divided into eight assorted branches of service, with each branch having a distinguishing \u003cem\u003etruppenfarbe\u003c\/em\u003e, (Branch of service color) that was displayed on the uniforms including the piping on the visor caps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eGendarmerie\u003c\/em\u003e (state rural police) were tasked with frontier law enforcement to include small communities, rural districts, and mountainous terrain. They were issued uniforms with \u003cem\u003eOrange-gelb\u003c\/em\u003e (Orange-yellow) truppenfarbe piping and insignia. With the development of a network of motorways or \u003cem\u003eAutobahnen\u003c\/em\u003e, motorized gendarmerie companies were set up in 1937 to secure the traffic. The German Police had no enlisted ranks, with the lowest rank being an \u003cem\u003eUnterwachtmeister\u003c\/em\u003e (Junior Watch Master), which was equivalent to the German army rank of \u003cem\u003eUnteroffizier\u003c\/em\u003e. The highest NCO rank was that of the \u003cem\u003eMeister\u003c\/em\u003e (Master), or Warrant Officer, which did not have an armed forces equivalent, but was higher than an army \u003cem\u003eOberfeldwebel\u003c\/em\u003e (Master Sergeant).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46075563933765,"sku":"ONFV2026027","price":695.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/4C552C81-0A89-4C2C-9421-C9EAF65288E7.jpg?v=1792610210","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-gendarmerie-rural-police-m38-schiffchen-overseas-cap-with-orange-yellow-piping-size-56","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}