{"product_id":"original-german-wwii-luftwaffe-m43-einheitsmutze-field-cap-with-rbnr-marking-size-58-dated-1944","title":"Original German WWII Luftwaffe M43 Einheitsmütze Field Cap with RBNr. Marking, Size 58, Dated 1944","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Luftwaffe M43 \u003cem\u003eEinheitsmütze\u003c\/em\u003e field cap, size 58 and dated 1944, with its original late war RBNr. manufacturer marking. It is constructed from Luftwaffe \u003cem\u003eFliegerblau\u003c\/em\u003e blue gray wool and retains its original fold down skirt, two front pebbled steel buttons, front insignia trapezoid, and blue gray rayon HBT lining. The cap has a lightly used appearance with well preserved color and only minor age related wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe M43 \u003cem\u003eEinheitsmütze\u003c\/em\u003e was introduced as a practical standardized field cap and incorporated a fold down skirt for additional protection in cold weather. This example retains the correct two pebbled magnetic buttons at the front, securing the skirt in the closed position, as well as the rayon loops on the underside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exterior is made from Luftwaffe \u003cem\u003eFliegerblau\u003c\/em\u003e blue gray wool. The blue tone is somewhat more intense than is commonly encountered, which is consistent with normal wartime dye lot variation. The original color is especially well preserved beneath the folded skirt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe front of the cap carries an original insignia trapezoid with a machine embroidered Luftwaffe eagle above the national tricolor cockade. The trapezoid is correctly sewn only through the outer shell. It shows wear consistent with the remainder of the cap and is made from a slightly lighter blue material than the surrounding wool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interior is lined in blue gray rayon HBT material. There are light perspiration stains around the lower edge and crown, but no major accumulation of worked in dirt or oil in the forehead area.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe crown retains its original issue markings:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1944\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0\/0501\/0015\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e58\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe code 0\/0501\/0015 is a late war \u003cem\u003eReichsbetriebsnummer\u003c\/em\u003e, or RBNr., manufacturer identification. The leading 0 identifies the industrial category, while the remaining numbers identify the location and individual manufacturer. The specific maker represented by 0015 has not been identified here, as surviving RBNr. records are incomplete.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe visor remains in very good condition. Its internal cardboard stiffener is intact and shows only a slight ripple, with no cracks or major bends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exterior is also very well preserved overall. There is little if any visible moth damage and no tears or repairs were observed. A small green stained area is present on the rear right side, together with light overall age toning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its 1944 date, size 58 marking, late war RBNr. 0\/0501\/0015, original Luftwaffe insignia trapezoid, fold down skirt, pebbled steel buttons, rayon HBT lining, and strong surviving \u003cem\u003eFliegerblau\u003c\/em\u003e color, this is a very appealing late war M43 field cap. The light sweat staining, minor visor rippling, slightly lighter insignia backing, small green rear stain, and overall age toning are all fully disclosed. It would display especially well in a Luftwaffe field headgear, M43 \u003cem\u003eEinheitsmütze\u003c\/em\u003e, late war RBNr. marked uniform, or advanced German WWII headgear collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe M43 E\u003cem\u003einheitsmütze\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e(Unit Cap) is a variety of \"Ski Cap\" and was based on the Bergmütze (Mountain Hat) used by Austrian and German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops) during WWI. Germany had adopted it in 1915, and after the war it spread throughout the military.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe skirt that surrounds the cap is made in the same wool as the cap, and can be folded down over the ears, though this was rarely done outside of the Mountain troops, which had a double-thickness skirt. The skirt has a small dip in the front quarter with a divide secured by one aluminum button which is covered by an embroidered cockade. The small section in the front quarter was built shorter to show the insignia, and cover the wearer's chin or mouth, without disturbing breathing by covering the nose. There were also later M43 caps, such as those used by the DAK, that omitted the skirt entirely, as it had little use in the desert heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReichsbetriebsnummer or RB number (also represented as RB Nr or Rbnr). Before the war, the Germans set up a system for registering and recording the factory information, the Reichsbetriebskartei. This was to help enable machine tabulation of facts and figures. It was from this that the Reichsbetriebsnummer came into being. The Reichsministerium für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion (Ministry for Armaments and War Production) files survive today in the Bundesarchiv, however, these are only fragmentary. There is a holding file from the working group created by the Office of Machine Reporting in the Armament Office of the Reich Ministry for Armaments and War Production - their main focus was the operations of the industry group for which an economic interest was Armour production. This index provides information on the most important data of the companies covered by it, production profile, operating area, number of employees and the responsible operator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a prerequisite for the intended use of the punch-card method in the armaments industry, it was this system which gave rise to the Rbnr. The operating numbers were assigned by the competent local district offices of Machine reporting. (Bezirksstellen des Maschinellen Berichtswesens.) The index is in the form of index cards that are accessible numerically (approximately 14 meters of index cards!). Access to this register is only possible through the naming of this company, stating the place of production. The Reichsministerium für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion files have multiple entries on the introduction of the factory and also the lot no.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Rbnr code was used from 1943 onwards and replaced the makers name and address (or company logo) on government contract uniforms, caps and field equipment and knives. It is either rubber ink stamped on cloth or die stamped onto leather \u0026amp; metal items. It has been written countless times that this numeric code system was introduced as a security measure to help mask production locations. This was not the case but it was perhaps, a helpful by- product of the system. It is not unknown to find the Rbnr together with the maker’s info. Had it been a security measure, clearly this practise would have been banned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo what was the Rbnr? It was a nine digit number and was normally represented thus: RB Nr: 0\/000\/0000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first prefix number could range from 0 through to 9. This number determined the membership of the various groups in the realm of Trade and Industry (Reichsgruppenleitzahl)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• 0 Industry\u003cbr\u003e• 1 Crafts\u003cbr\u003e• 2 Commercial wholesale trading companies\u003cbr\u003e• 3 Banking\u003cbr\u003e• 4 Insurance Companies\u003cbr\u003e• 5 Energy (Electrical companies and such)\u003cbr\u003e• 6 Tourism (Including Hotels, Wine and Mineral Water companies)\u003cbr\u003e• 7 Traffic\u003cbr\u003e• 8 Food Industry\u003cbr\u003e• 9 Not otherwise mentioned groups\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45548001165381,"sku":"ONSV26CBZ010","price":650.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/6EEEA691-7AB7-4275-86FA-C30A6EBE87AD.jpg?v=1786735936","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-german-wwii-luftwaffe-m43-einheitsmutze-field-cap-with-rbnr-marking-size-58-dated-1944","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}