Item:
ONSV23SOS151

Original German WWII Service Worn Luftwaffe Officer Schirmmütze Visor Cap by EREL - Double Marked

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic "salty" service worn condition Luftwaffe Officer's Schirmmütze Visor Cap, made by the very desirable EREL company, a top class maker of headwear during the war. An honest example with a wonderful swept back shape. It has the saddle form "crushed" appearance which we all love, with the standard high front.

This Officer's Schirmmütze Visor Cap is a very high quality manufactured example. Fabricated in Luftwaffe blue gray Fliegerblau (Flier's Blue) "whipcord" wool, with wide black ribbed wool cap band, plus three rows of fine silver bullion piping around the circumference. It is fronted by a heavy bullion embroidered Luftwaffe insignia pair that includes a silver bullion national eagle on a wool backing above a high relief silver bullion oak leaf wreath with stylized wings and an embroidered tri color cockade. These show wear and oxidation consistent with long service.

The visor on this cap is the standard "vulcanfibre", which originally black patent faux leather stitched around the edge, however this is now completely missing, showing the stitch holes. The underside is green and checkered, as usually seen. Above this is the correct bullion officer's chin strap, retained by pebbled buttons. The interior is lined with fine cream colored rayon, which now shows quite a bit of staining from use. It is fitted with a tan leather sweatband embossed with EREL PATENT / STIRNSCHÜTZ on the left side. There is no size marked, but it seems to be about a size 56cm / US 7. The celluloid diamond crown sweat shield at the top is present, with some wear around the edge, and deterioration to the stitching. The original EREL trademark logo is still mostly present under the shield, and reads:

EREL
Sonder Klasse
Extra

This means that the sweatband was never replaced, making this a "double marked" example.

Overall the condition is definitely "salty", showing the type of wear and deterioration that only comes from extensive use in the field. This gives it a fantastic well-worn patina and look that is simply impossible to duplicate. There is wear to the exterior, with some stains and small holes, as well as deterioration of the bullion around the brown. There does not however appear to be any major mothing. The interior shows a lot of wear, and the sweatband has had the stitching deteriorate around much of the circumference, and the edge trim also has deteriorated.

A truly quality Luftwaffe officer cap by EREL of the early-war style with silver bullion embroidered insignia, and a real leather sweatband. This example saw extensive service, possibly throughout the entire war! 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.

  • This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
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