Original Item: Only One Available. This is an exceptionally rare and desirable German WWII Werkschutz (Factory Protection) Administrator’s Overseas Cap, or Schiffchen. We have handled only one Werkschutz visor cap before — this is the first overseas cap of its kind we’ve encountered, and examples like this are seldom seen on the market.

Nicknamed Schiffchen (literally “little ship”) because of its resemblance to an upturned boat, the overseas cap was a standard item of headgear across all branches of the German Heer.

Historical Background

The Werkschutz, or Factory Protection Service, formed part of the complex network of German wartime labor and security organizations. Its roots lay in the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF), the German Labor Front, and it was closely associated with the Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB), the National Air Raid Protection League.

The DAF was created on May 10, 1933, after the dissolution of all free trade unions, with the goal of uniting and controlling all German labor in service to the NSDAP. Led by Reichsleiter Robert Ley—who later took his own life before the Nuremberg Trials—the DAF’s Werkscharen (“Factory Brigades”) were organized in 1934 as paramilitary-style units, uniformed and trained, though officially unarmed.

By April 1937, active Werkschar members (Stoßtrupps) wore silver-colored insignia, while administrative personnel such as this cap’s owner wore gold-colored insignia. During the war, Werkschutz units often doubled as factory air raid protection auxiliaries, reflecting their close connection to the Werkluftschutz service.

Major German corporations frequently employed additional in-house protection services, formally known as Werkschutz or later Werksicherheitsdienst (Factory Security Service). Their distinctive insignia, introduced in late 1937, featured a striking art-deco style eagle clutching a tilted shield with a black Hakenkreuz (hooked cross). Wearing of these uniforms was strictly limited to factory premises.

The Cap

This Factory Protection Administrator’s overseas cap is in very good original condition.

- Constructed of a brown stippled wool outer shell with a brown cotton–rayon blend lining

- Traditional faux front flap, though without the scalloped front common to other branches

- Front insignia: a Werkschutz eagle over a national tricolor cockade

- Top piping: karminrot (carmine red), a feature observed on the few known surviving examples

- The cap shows honest service wear from the period, including light staining and signs of age throughout. No major damage such as tearing is present, and overall it displays beautifully. The original safety pin holding the top pleat remains in place, now gently oxidized from age.

- While unmarked for size, the cap measures approximately 29 cm in length when laid flat.

UV Examination
Under UV black-light testing, the materials showed no fluorescence except for the karminrot (carmine red) or pink piping, which glowed orange. Far from indicating a reproduction, this effect is typical of genuine wartime textiles.

Collectors have long observed that the pink (“rosa”) dyes used for Panzer and Werkschutz piping often fluoresce orange under UV light due to period dye chemistry and finishing treatments. Similar results are documented on collector forums such as GMIC and WarRelics.eu, where authentic examples have been tested with identical outcomes.

As always, UV response is only one factor in authentication—we have also confirmed the fabric type, stitching, construction, and overall wear are consistent with original wartime manufacture.

Authenticity
We include comparison photos alongside an unquestionably original German WWII Fireman’s Bayonet Portepee which also has pink (rosa) coloring for context. We confidently stand by this cap as 100% authentic to the WWII period.