Original Item: Only One Available. As with most countries, the Insignia and Rank structure of the German WWII Era Kriegsmarine Navy was different from their land-based counterparts. This also extended to the visor caps that they used, in that they did not utilize the bullion chinstraps to denote rank, as they proved impractical for actual usage and leather chinstraps were worn instead. There was however one exception to this, Administrative Officials of the Kriegsmarine, which allowed for very easy identification, as did the use of silver insignia instead of gold.

This is a very nice German World War Two Kriegsmarine Navy Administrative Official's Schirmmütze (Visor Cap). It features a removable navy blue crown, and could have different color crowns swapped out depending on need. The Reichsadler National Eagle Insignia as well as the front cap badge wreath and tri-color cockade are all hand-embroidered with silver bullion thread, with a red felt insert. They look a bit browned due to oxidation, but are definitely silver, and not gold. By the early WWII period typically the cockade would at least be a cast insignia, but not on this example. The badge is attached to the classic black coarsely woven band. The visor has a patent leather top with a leatherette underside, with fully intact faux leather stitched on edge trim.

The interior of the cap features a classic cream colored faux silk rayon lining with the standard celluloid sweat shield which could be used to hold a name tag. It is unfortunately empty, however there is a partial maker marking present, which can probably be used to identify the maker. We unfortunately have not been able to identify the logo. The sweatband is made from brown leather, and is still in very good condition, supple with no major tears or damage, and intact stitching. There are no size markings that we can see inside of the cap. It seems to be a relatively large 58-59cm size.

The cap does show some age and light wear, but is overall in very good condition, and is one of the better examples that we have had. There is some oxidation and damage to the bullion insignia, but nothing out of line with age and service. This will be an impressive and handsome addition to any German Kriegsmarine Naval display.

Overall a great condition totally genuine Kriegsmarine Administrative Officials visor cap!

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.