Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original German WWII Heer Army enlisted man and noncommissioned officer M38 overseas cap, commonly known as a Schiffchen. The German nickname literally translates as “little ship,” a reference to the cap’s distinctive boat-like shape. This example is dated 1943, marked as a size 56, and shows light to moderate period wear.

The cap is constructed with a field-gray (feldgrau) wool exterior and a lightweight tan canvas lining assembled from several separate pieces of fabric. A fold-down flap extends around the circumference of the cap and forms the correct scalloped profile at the front.

Machine-sewn to the upper front is a fine BEVO-style woven EM/NCO national eagle. This appears to be the 1940 pattern, with gray embroidery on a light green backing. The front of the scalloped flap bears a separate BEVO-style tricolor national cockade on a dark bottle-green backing, rather than the later combined trapezoid insignia. The use of separate earlier-pattern insignia on a cap dated 1943 is an interesting example of older components continuing to be used during wartime production.

There is no branch-color Waffenfarbe soutache fitted above the cockade. This is entirely consistent with a cap manufactured in 1943, as the use of branch-color soutache on Heer overseas caps had been discontinued during 1942. Its absence therefore does not identify the wearer’s branch of service.

The cap remains in very good condition overall, without major damage or repairs. It shows honest wear consistent with service, including light overall staining and several small areas of moth damage. The original color and texture of the wool are particularly well preserved beneath the fold-down flaps.

The right-side ventilation grommet is missing, while the surviving left-side grommet shows some oxidation. Inside, the canvas lining bears a faint and only partially legible maker marking above a clearly visible 1943 date and 56 size marking.

This is an attractive, wartime-dated Heer M38 Schiffchen with original separately applied woven insignia, a legible size and date, and a pleasing service-worn appearance. The earlier-pattern eagle and cockade are particularly interesting on a cap manufactured after the transition toward combined insignia.