BACKGROUND: In late 1940, with the impending German entrance into the North African campaign, tropical uniforms headgear and equipment were quickly developed and issued in time for DAK, Deutsches Afrika Korps, (German Africa Corps), personnel’s arrival in Tripoli in February 1941. The M41 tropical field cap was introduced in early 1941 and design of the cap was loosely based on the Mountain Troopers, Bergmütze with minor variations. Officer ranks caps were distinguished from EM/NCO’s with silver piping for the ranks of Leutnant to Oberst and gilt piping for the ranks of Generalmajor to Generalfeldmarschall while EM/NCO’s ranks caps were not piped. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a particular identifying waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), and originally the M41 tropical field caps had a branch of service soutache applied to the front consisting of an inverted "V" encompassing the national tri-color cockade but regulations of July 10^TH 1942 abolished the use of the soutache and instructed it to be removed from the caps, although the directive was not strictly adhered to.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Ribbed olive drab cotton twill construction cap features, dual-ply, stitched down side and back panels with a gently scalloped downward slope to the front center. The cap has two, natural alloy ventilation grommets to each side positioned just below the outer edge of the crown seam. The ventilation grommets show moderate oxidization spotting. The top center seam is correctly stitched right through the interior liner for added strength. The front center of the cap has a machine woven national eagle in pale light blue/grey threads on a cut-out, woven tan rayon base. The eagle is neatly hand and machine stitched in place. The front center of the dual-ply, downward sloping scalloped panel has a machine woven national tri-color cockade on a woven tan diamond shaped rayon base. The cockade is machine stitched to the cap. The cap has an extended, cotton twill covered, forward visor with an internal cardboard stiffener. The visor has a subtly raised lip to the top of the forward edge and a single row of reinforcement stitching to the bottom of the forward edge. The internal visor stiffener is somewhat wrinkled. The interior of the cap is fully lined in light weight red cotton with the faint, black inkstamped manufactures name, location and date that appears to be, "Robert Lubstein Berlin No 55 1941", and an illegible size inkstamp. The cap is in overall good condition with a few small picks and pulls, light to moderate age and usage toning and a small burn hole to the left side panel. The cap is roughly size 58.

GRADE ***1/2                             PRICE $ SOLD