Original Item: Only One Available. The Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo, meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in NSDAP Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organization was absorbed into the NSDAP monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favor of the central government ("Reich-ification", Verreichlichung, of the police). The Orpo was controlled, nominally by the Interior Ministry but its executive functions rested with the leadership of the SS until the end of World War II. Owing to their green uniforms, Orpo were also referred to as Grüne Polizei (green police). The force was first established as a centralized organization uniting the municipal, city, and rural uniformed police that had been organized on a state-by-state basis.

The Schutzpolizei des Reiches or the Schupo was the state protection police of NSDAP Germany and a branch of the Ordnungspolizei. Schutzpolizei is the German name for a uniformed police force. The Schutzpolizei des Reiches was the uniformed police of most cities and large towns.

This is a very good condition condition German WWII Schutzpolizei Schirmmütze Visor Cap, with a lovely sloped "Saddle Form" shape. It looks to originally have been constructed this way, as it has this shape even though the crown stiffener is still present. The front peak of the cap is also quite high, especially when compared to other visor caps we usually see. It is fabricated from the correct police blue green wool gabardine, with a brown "badge cloth" band and a traditional high front. The visor cap has matching Hellgrün (Light Green) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, which is the Truppenfarbe (troop colors) for the Schutzpolizei (Protection Police).

It is decorated with a metal tri-color cockade on the peak, and a metal Civic Police eagle in the middle of the band. It also features some mesh vents on the crown, which we have not seen on other examples. As this is an officer's visor cap, it has a silver bullion chin strap, which is attached by silvered pebbled buttons on the sides of the cap. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting almost no wear along the edge and is brown on the underside.

The inside of the cap is lined on the top with brown oil cloth, which does not have a sweatshield installed, as there is no need with this type of lining. It is very faintly marked on the top with the maker and size information:

Peter Küpper
Wu-Ronsdorf
55

The faux leather oilcloth is present and still stitched in place, showing only a bit of degradation where it is creased right at the top. It has however gotten quite stiff over the years. Underneath it is a rigid fiber stiffener to keep the sides of the cap straight.

Condition is very good, with the main issue being mothing to the surface of the brown band going around the cap, as well as a bit on the crown. The rest of the cap is great, with the expected light wear from age. The colors are vibrant, there is little to no wear from service on the exterior. It looks almost like an unissued cap that unfortunately was allowed to get some moth damage.

Offered for sale in very good condition with a beautiful shape, and ready to display!

The Ordnungspolizei encompassed virtually all of NSDAP Germany's law-enforcement and emergency response organizations, including fire brigades, coast guard, and civil defense. In the prewar period, Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, and Kurt Daluege, chief of the Order Police, cooperated in transforming the police force of the Weimar Republic into militarized formations ready to serve the regime's aims of conquest and racial annihilation. Police troops were first formed into battalion-sized formations for the invasion of Poland, where they were deployed for security and policing purposes, also taking part in executions and mass deportations. During World War II, the force had the task of policing the civilian population of the occupied and colonized countries beginning in spring 1940.

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.