Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army Artillery EM/NCO Schirmmütze visor cap by Robert Lubstein under the highly desirable EREL brand, with a well developed saddle form crown, deep red Artillery piping, dual buckle leather chinstrap, EREL Extra interior markings, and a measured size of approximately 54cm. The cap shows substantial service wear and has a strong broken in appearance from long use.

The cap is constructed from soft field gray Feldgrau doeskin wool with a dark bottle green Flaschengrün badge cloth band. Deep red Hochrot piping runs around the upper crown and along both edges of the band, identifying the cap with Artillery and related branches using this Waffenfarbe.

The internal crown support stiffener has been removed, allowing the cap to settle into its characteristic crushed or saddle form profile. The exterior wool shows overall age toning and wear to the original fuzzy nap from prolonged use and handling.

The front is fitted with a silvered stamped zinc alloy Heer eagle above an open silvered aluminum wreath surrounding a plated brass tricolor cockade. All of the insignia show service wear and oxidation. The eagle has aged to a gray patina, while the cockade has lost a significant amount of plating, exposing the brass base metal beneath. The red fabric center insert remains present with good surviving color.

A dual buckle black leather chinstrap, appropriate for EM/NCO wear, is secured by black lacquered side buttons. The leather remains complete but shows age related deterioration and loss to the glossy surface finish.

The Vulkanfiber visor has a smooth black leather look upper surface with fine age checking and crazing. There is localized edge damage and material loss. The checkered tan underside shows considerable wear through to the brick red underlying layer. The visor remains attached to the cap, though portions of the securing stitching have been redone.

The brown leather sweatband is in good service used condition with staining and general wear. There is tearing through the center forehead area and along portions of the edges. The cap measures approximately 54cm using a hat sizing tool.

The interior is lined in gold beige satin rayon twill and retains its celluloid crown sweatshield, though some of the stitching securing it has been redone. Beneath the sweatshield is a retailer and EREL marking with much of the silver stamping still visible:

Wilhelm Haln
TRIER

EREL
BERLIN
Sonder Klasse
[Extra]

The EREL marking identifies production by Robert Lubstein of Berlin, while the accompanying Wilhelm Haln / Trier marking indicates retail association with that outfitter.

Overall condition is very good for a heavily service worn cap. The field gray wool and dark green band retain strong color, though the fabric shows general age toning, loss of nap, and worked in dirt and oil along the lower portions from use. There are several small moth nips but no large holes. The deep red piping shows discoloration and wear, and there is a small hole in the crown associated with the support or attachment of the insignia.

With its EREL Extra interior markings, deep red Artillery piping, saddle form crown, EM/NCO leather chinstrap, surviving celluloid sweatshield, and measured 54cm size, this is a strong service worn example of a German WWII Heer Artillery visor cap. The insignia oxidation, cockade plating loss, chinstrap deterioration, visor edge damage, red underside wear, repaired stitching, sweatband tears, moth nips, piping discoloration, crown hole, and worked in dirt are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Heer Artillery, EREL headgear, EM/NCO visor cap, saddle form cap, or advanced German WWII uniform collection.

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.