Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great example of a German WWII Kriegsmarine Navy M38 Overseas cap (Schiffchen), as worn NCO ranks, with a fantastic Edelweiß badge on the left side, as used by German Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troopers. In this case however it is the Emblem used by the U-Boat that the NCO was stationed on. Many U-Boats had specific emblems they used, which would be painted on the conning tower, and often worn on the caps of the sailors on board. These would then be used again following the sinking or decommissioning of the U-Boat using it.

In the case of the Edelweiß emblem, it was first used by U-124, whose commander Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz had previously commanded U-64. This U-boat was sunk in Norwegian waters, and Schulz and the 37 surviving members of the crew were rescued by Wehrmacht Gebirgsjäger Mountain Troopers. U-124 was Schulz's next command, and the core of the crew were all U-64 survivors, so they made the Edelweiß their emblem in appreciation. As one might expect, the boat had the nickname "Edelweißboot".

Schulz would leave the U-124 on 7 September 1941, and was promoted to higher level commands, later commanding the 6th U-Boat Flotilla, and was later involved in training and testing of U-boats. The U-124 itself continued in service, finally being lost on its 11th patrol, 2 April 1943. After this, the U-515 took on the Edelweiß emblem, and was itself sunk 9 April 1944, with 44 survivors. We believe that this cap was most likely owned by one of the U-515 members, due to how little wear it shows.

The overseas cap, nicknamed in German military slang as Schiffchen, or literally "little ship" as it resembled an up-turned row-boat, was standard issue for Warrant and Petty officer NCO ranks. The cap is constructed of a dark navy blue or black wool exterior, and features machine BeVo embroidered bullion eagle and tri-color cockade emblems sewn to the front. The interior is black cotton, and in excellent condition, marked with the size 60 on the right hand side.

Condition of the cap is excellent, showing little to no wear on the exterior, and no mothing or other damage that we can see. There is just a bit of dirt and fuzz stuck to the exterior. We checked the insignia, and they are sewn to only the outer layer of fabric, meaning they were installed during the making of the cap. The Edelweiß emblem emblem is held in place by original black thread, sewn back and forth on the interior of the flaps.

A fantastic Kriegsmarine Overseas cap, ready to research and display! They rarely get better than this!