Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a very nice service used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Cavalry Officer's Schirmmütze (visor cap), made by Robert Lubstein under their legendary EREL brand. The cap has a lovely "Crushed" or "saddle-form" shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring. It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) "doe skin" weave wool construction, very popular with officers, with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) "badge cloth" band and a traditional high forward crown. The cap has matching Goldgelb (Golden Yellow) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Cavalry, as well as reconnaissance and armored reconnaissance units with cavalry traditions.

There is no chinstrap installed, but there are definitely markings indicating that it did have one. It was common for officers in the field to remove the silver bullion chinstrap, which would identify them to enemies as an officer, making them a very attractive target. The very high quality of the cap indicates that it is definitely for an officer.

It is decorated with a well detailed aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open aluminum oak leaf and acorn wreath surrounding an metal tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia still look great, showing a bright and shiny finish, and the red felt insert in the cockade is still vibrant. The left side of the wreath is however taped in place, as the prong looks to have broken off. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting only light wear along the edge, and is brown on the underside. It also has a lovely pattern of light crazing and checking on the black enamel finished top.

The cap is lined with cream colored rayon faux silk, which shows overall staining from long use in service. It still retains most of the celluloid diamond sweat shield in the crown with most of the stitching, and there is still a relatively clear maker logo underneath, which reads:-

GES. GESCH
EREL
BERLIN
SonderKlasse
Extra

The leather sweatband in this example is mostly missing, probably retained at about 40%, probably having deteriorated in the years after the war. The size seems to be around a 57cm.

Overall condition is very good, with the main issues being the condition of the interior. The exterior also shows overall staining, fading, and other issues from long service in the field. There is wear to the fabric, and some fraying in areas. Really a great salty look!

A lovely service used example of a classic hat worn by German Cavalry Officers in WWII, made by the legendary EREL company. Very impressive and ready to display!

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.