Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Heer Army Panzer Armored Corps officer Schirmmütze visor cap in marked size 56 1/2. It is constructed from field gray Feldgrau doeskin wool with a dark bottle green Flaschengrün badge cloth band, vibrant rose pink Rosa piping, silver officer chin cords, and bright aluminum insignia. The original crown stiffener remains installed, preserving the cap’s high forward profile with only a slight saddle form curve.

The cap body is made from fine field gray doeskin wool with a traditional high crown and dark bottle green center band. Rose pink Waffenfarbe piping runs around the top of the crown and along both edges of the band. This color is associated with the Heer Panzer and armored branch, as well as related motorized formations.

The front is fitted with a stamped aluminum Heer eagle above an open silvered aluminum oak leaf and acorn wreath surrounding an aluminum tricolor cockade. The insignia remain in excellent condition and retain a bright appearance. The red felt center insert of the cockade is vibrant and free of visible moth damage.

The silver officer chin cords are secured by pebbled side buttons that appear to have aluminum tops over steel backings. The cords remain bright and complete.

The Vulkanfiber visor has a smooth black leather look upper surface with light wear along the edge. Fine age related checking and crazing are present across the top, but there are no major chips or cracks. The underside is beige with a crosshatched finish.

The interior is lined in cream colored rayon faux silk satin, with light staining and a few small holes. The side lining is of similar material with a striped pattern and shows areas where the fabric has pulled loose and torn.

The celluloid crown sweatshield remains mostly intact, though there is tearing along the left side. The original bronze colored marking has largely oxidized to green and shows a German style eagle above:

DEUTSCHE
QUALITÄTSARBEIT

or “German Quality Workmanship.”

Within the name tag slot is a round size sticker marked:

56 1/2

The original natural leather sweatband remains present and is free of major tears, showing only light staining around the forehead area. The stitching securing it has deteriorated significantly, however. There appears originally to have been a black wool spacer between the leather sweatband and the cap body, much of which was lost to moth damage. The sweatband was subsequently restitched directly to the cap body and additionally glued in the forehead area.

That later securing work has itself deteriorated, and areas along the lower interior are now loose. Additional moth damage is visible beneath the sweatband where the leather has separated from the cap body.

Overall condition is very good, with strong color retention and especially vibrant rose pink piping. The insignia and officer chin cords remain bright and well preserved. There is, however, notable moth damage to the wool body, including an approximately 1/2" hole in the crown together with several smaller holes and moth tracks across the top and sides.

With its vibrant Panzer rose pink piping, bright aluminum insignia, silver officer chin cords, retained crown stiffener, DEUTSCHE QUALITÄTSARBEIT sweatshield marking, and original size 56 1/2 label, this is a strong German WWII Heer Panzer officer visor cap. The 1/2" crown hole, scattered moth damage, torn side lining, damaged sweatshield, deteriorated sweatband stitching, lost spacer material, and later glued and restitched sweatband are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in a Heer Panzer, armored forces, officer headgear, 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.