Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very appealing named German WWII Reichsarbeitsdienst RAD EM/NCO M43 style field cap, or Einheitsmütze, constructed from olive brown wool and fitted with the desirable regional Traditions badge for Arbeitsgau XVIII Niedersachsen-Ost. The cap retains its aluminum RAD shovel insignia, fold down cold weather skirt, original style single front button, complete four prong traditions badge, and an interior name label identifying Arbeitsmann Grimm L. of Abt. 6/288 Leubach. The combination of named ownership and a surviving regional traditions badge gives this cap substantially more collector interest than an anonymous example.

The cap is constructed from attractive olive brown wool, similar in weave and weight to military field wool but with the distinctly browner coloration associated with RAD uniforms. The fold down skirt remains in place and is secured at the front by a single large aluminum button.

The front crown carries the characteristic aluminum RAD shovel head emblem. The central canted hook cross retains its black enamel highlight, while the border of the shovel retains red enamel. Two stylized sheaves of wheat extend upward from the lower portion of the insignia at opposing angles.

The fabric covering of the visor remains in very good condition. The internal cardboard stiffener, however, has become heavily rippled with age and is cracked through at the center. The break allows noticeable vertical movement and should be handled with care.

The left side of the cap carries a particularly desirable Traditions-Mützenabzeichen for:

Arbeitsgau XVIII
Niedersachsen-Ost

This regional traditions badge displays two crossed stylized horse heads above a hook cross. The horse head motif was associated with Lower Saxon regional tradition and was incorporated into the distinctive insignia of Arbeitsgau XVIII. Surviving period references identify this specific pattern with Arbeitsgau XVIII Niedersachsen-Ost.

All four attachment prongs remain present and are secured through the fabric of the cap.

The interior is lined in golden brown cotton or a cotton rayon blend. Unlike the relatively clean exterior, the lining shows extensive genuine service wear, with deeply worked in perspiration, oils, dirt, and staining across much of the surface.

There also appears to be residue from some form of coating or treatment on portions of the lining, particularly toward the rear. We do not know its purpose or when it was applied.

Several areas of the lining show fraying and tearing consistent with prolonged wear and age.

At the inside front is a period style paper name label reading:

Arbeitsmann
Grimm L.
Abt. 6/288 Leubach

The label identifies the wearer as Arbeitsmann Grimm L. and records his RAD unit as Abteilung 6/288, Leubach. The label is glued into an area that does not show the same concentrated perspiration staining as the surrounding lining, so its cleaner appearance is not inherently inconsistent with the rest of the cap.

The cap measures approximately 57cm using a hat sizer.

Overall condition is very good for a genuinely service worn RAD field cap. The exterior wool remains strong and attractive, the front RAD emblem is complete, and the Arbeitsgau XVIII traditions badge is especially noteworthy with all four prongs intact. Interior wear is considerably heavier, with staining, fraying, and tearing, while the cracked visor stiffener is the principal structural condition issue.

For the RAD uniform and headgear collector, this example offers an excellent combination of identifiable wear, regional insignia, and named unit attribution. The Arbeitsgau XVIII Niedersachsen-Ost traditions badge, Arbeitsmann Grimm L. / Abt. 6/288 Leubach name label, size 57cm, original shovel insignia, and complete fold down skirt make this a particularly interesting and researchable field cap.

The M43 Einheitsmütze (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.

The 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.

Reich Labour Service “RAD”
The Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst; RAD) was a major organisation established in NSDAP Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with NSDAP ideology. It was the official state labour service, divided into separate sections for men and women.

From June 1935 onward, men aged between 18 and 25 may have served six months before their military service. During World War II, compulsory service also included young women and the RAD developed into an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht armed forces.

From a construction standpoint, the appearance of the present cross is particularly informative. The 1939 founding decree prescribed the appearance and manner of wear of the decoration but did not, in the cited provisions, assign a particular core metal to an identifiable recipient category or branch of service. The exposed brass-colored core on this example consequently should not be interpreted as indicating that it belonged to an officer, a particular service, or a special class of recipient. Likewise, without a surviving maker mark or other documentary provenance, no responsible attribution to a specific manufacturer or original wearer can be made from the cross itself.

The heavy wear provides an unusually clear view of how the decoration was assembled and finished. What would originally have presented primarily as a dark central cross bordered by a contrasting silver-colored frame now exposes substantial areas of the underlying core. This alters its present appearance considerably but also makes the non-ferrous construction readily visible without requiring the attribution of a manufacturer or recipient that the surviving evidence does not support.