Original Item: Only One Available. The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf H. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

When WWII began in earnest, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS Dispositional Troops) became the Waffen-SS ("Armed SS"), an official military branch of the SS organization. Its formations included men from NSDAP ruled Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

This is an very good condition extremely rare German Waffen SS Officer's Schirmmütze (Visor Cap), with the original shape fully retained! It still has the original front and crown stiffener installed, so the top has not slumped down on the rear and sides. The cap shows high quality fabrication, made with typical army type feldgrau (Field Gray) green / gray "whipcord" weave wool with a black felt band and a traditional high front. The Weiß (white) wool triple piping is still in great shape, and does not have much "age toning" at all, still showing a vibrant color. As with the Heer, this is the SS Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for Infantry, Motorized infantry, and Panzergrenadier troops.

The original Reichsadler (National Eagle) and Totenkopf (Skull) emblems are present, and in very good condition. Both still retain most of the original aluminized "silvering", with some loss on the wear points as shown. The silver bullion officer's chin strap is still present, retained by the correct pebbled silver buttons. It is still in very good condition, with no damage or oxidation visible. The black vulkanfiber visor is in very good condition, with a gray underside. There is some checking and finish flaking on the top of the visor, as well as some age related deterioration on the right side.

The interior is lined in blue gray rayon fabric, which shows some age and wear related discoloration. There is no top celluloid sweat shield in this example, and it looks like it never had one to begin with. This suggests that the cap is a bespoke example made by a small shop. The sweatband is gray finished leather and is in very good condition, showing only light wear. The edge stitching is well retained, and there is just a bit of edge tearing around the rear, where the leather overlaps. Size seems to be about a 56cm / US 7inches.

Overall condition is very good, with the main condition issue being moth damage to the crown of the cap. There are numerous areas on the top of the fuzzy "nap" of the fabric being missing, and scattered small holes. There are some larger holes on the sides of the cap, where there would be less light to stop mothing. One can really picture this cap sitting an old closet for decades before being discovered.

A very nice condition rare German Waffen SS Officer's Visor cap, 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.