Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army Transport and Supply officer Schirmmütze visor cap with a well developed saddle form crown, light blue Waffenfarbe piping, silver officer chin cords, bullion wreath and cockade, and an E.S. monogram applied to the sweatband. The interior is size marked 59 and shows light service wear consistent with wartime use.

The cap is constructed from field gray Feldgrau doeskin weave wool with a dark bottle green Flaschengrün badge cloth band. Matching light blue Hellblau piping runs around the upper crown and along both edges of the band. This branch color was associated with Heer transportation troops, or Fahrtruppen, and after 1942 with supply troops, or Nachschubtruppen.

The crown support stiffener has been removed, allowing the cap to settle into the characteristic crushed or saddle form appearance associated with worn officer visor caps.

The front is fitted with a detailed aluminum Heer eagle above a hand embroidered silver bullion oak leaf and acorn wreath surrounding a metal tricolor cockade. The eagle remains in very good condition, while the bullion wreath and cockade are also well preserved. The red felt center of the cockade retains strong color. Silver officer chin cords are secured by standard pebbled side buttons and remain in very good condition, with no notable fraying or oxidation.

The Vulkanfiber visor has a smooth black patent leather look upper surface and a checkered green underside. The edge shows light chipping, while the glossy upper finish has developed fine age related checking and crazing. There is also visible wear from contact with the chin cords. The visor remains attached, though it is somewhat loose and has received additional stitching to secure it to the cap body.

The interior is lined in aqua colored rayon or brushed cotton and shows age and service staining. The original celluloid sweatshield diamond is completely missing, although much of its stitching remains intact. The sweatband is finished in matching aqua colored leather and has a velvet plush spacer between the band and cap body. It remains supple and free from major cracking or tears, with moderate staining from use.

Two small oval aluminum tags applied to the sweatband form the monogram:

E S

The underside of the sweatband is marked:

59

indicating the cap size.

Overall condition is very good. The field gray wool, dark green band, and light blue piping retain good color with overall age toning. There is scattered moth tracking and minor mothing visible in the nap of the doeskin wool and along portions of the piping. The visor is slightly loose and has additional securing stitches, but there is no major structural damage to the cap.

With its light blue Transport and Supply branch piping, saddle form crown, silver officer chin cords, hand embroidered bullion wreath, E.S. monogrammed sweatband, and size 59 interior marking, this is a strong example of a German WWII Heer officer visor cap with identifiable personal features. The missing sweatshield, scattered mothing, visor edge chipping, age crazing, interior staining, and later visor securing stitches are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Heer Transport, Supply officer, German visor cap, saddle form headgear, or advanced 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.