Original Item: Only One Available. This is a solid example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Infantry Officers Schirmmütze (visor cap). It features lovely feldgrau (field gray) "doeskin" weave wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) "badge cloth" band and a traditional high forward crown. The cap has a lovely "Crushed" or "saddle-form" shape that is highly desirable, consistent with removal the crown support stiffener ring. The cap also has matching Weiß (white) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry). It has the correct silver bullion chin cords, indicating that it is for an officer.

It is decorated with a well detailed stamped aluminized alloy eagle insignia on the upper front crown and an open aluminum alloy wreath surrounding a metal tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia still retain their original finish, though some of the aluminized finish on the eagle has worn away, allowing the base alloy to oxidize. The red felt insert in the cockade is still relatively vibrant, and does not show any damage. The chin cords are attached with the standard pebbled buttons on either side of the cap, and shows very little wear. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting just a bit of wear along the edge and is checkered gray on the underside. The top shows a lovely pattern of very fine crazing and checking to the gloss enamel finish, and also some markings from the chinstrap. The visor is still firmly attached to the cap.

The inside of the cap is lined with very light blue faux silk, often seen on officer's caps, which shows staining from use. There is also some tearing on the lining of the sides, with additional staining and dirt worked into the fabric. The diamond celluloid "sweat shield" on the top is still present, with mostly intact stitching, and a complete name tag slot. It still has a complete maker logo under the shield, and maker information that reads as follows:

(Logo)
Sonder-Klasse

Höchstleistung deutscher Arbeit

A. B. Hoerner
Hamburg - Altona
Victoriastrasse 27

The top lines of this translate to "Special Class" and "The pinnacle of German workmanship", catch phrases meant to extoll the quality of the cap. The sweatband on this example is gray blue finished pressed paper faux leather, which is still in relatively good condition, without any major tears, though there are some small ones near where it is stitched in. It does show wrinkling and has become quite stiff over the years. It shows wear to the forehead area as well. We checked underneath, and did not see any markings.

Overall condition is very nice, with light overall staining and wear. This is particularly evident on the bottom edge of the cap, and there is a stitched over area near the right chin strap button, with stitching on the piping as well. We do not know if this is a manufacturing style, or a repair.

With its desirable saddle form profile, white Infantry Waffenfarbe, well preserved officer chin cords, complete insignia, and clearly marked A. B. Hoerner interior, this cap has strong visual presence and an appealing, naturally aged appearance. The surviving maker logo and name tag slot add further collector interest, while the honest wear and uncertain stitched area reflect the cap’s history without detracting from its overall presentation. It would display particularly well in a German WWII Heer officer headgear collection, an Infantry focused grouping, or a broader collection of identified wartime manufacturers.

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.