Original Rare German WWII Heer Army Field Chaplain Officer Schirmmütze Visor Cap by EREL
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Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a an excellent example of a VERY rare German WWII Heer Army Wehrmachtspfarrer/Kriegspfarrer (Wehrmacht Chaplain/Wartime Chaplain) Officer Schirmmütze visor cap, made by Robert Lubstein under their very desirable EREL brand, a top class maker of headwear during the war. We have only ever had ONE example of a Chaplain's visor cap previously, and it is unlikely we will see another anytime soon.
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 also has matching Lila (Purple) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Heer Army Kriegspfarreren field chaplains . It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer in the corps.
It is decorated with a lovely stamped aluminum eagle insignia on the peak, under which is a Silver-plated Chaplain's Cross device, which has a lovely patina. Under this is a fantastic high end hand embroidered open silver bullion wreath surrounding an embroidered tri-color cockade on the band. The chin strap is attached with the standard silvered buttons on either side of the cap. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is tan on the underside, showing some light staining
The cap is lined with lovely cream colored rayon faux silk, and shows a mostly intact diamond-shaped celluloid sweat shield on the top, with fully intact stitching. The maker logo has worn away, however we can still see it in the light, and it shows the diamond-shaped Erel "Private label" trademark logo:
Ges. Gesch.
BERLIN
EREL
SonderKlasse
Privat
The tan leather sweatband is in great shape, showing only light wear, and is still supple with no tearing or other issues. There is even still most of the original orange/red foam rubber padding under the forehead area, though it is definitely dried and degraded due to age.
Exterior condition of the cap is excellent, and looks to be virtually unissued. There is no moth damage we can see, and all of the colors are still vibrant. There is light overall wear on the exterior.
A lovely example of the classic hat worn by German Army Field Chaplains during 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.
- This product is available for international shipping. Shipping not available to: Australia, France, or Germany
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