H062463 OFFICER'S M38 OVERSEAS CAP. (Feldmütze n/P M38 für Offizier)

BACKGROUND: The Officer’s M38 overseas field cap was originally introduced on December 6^TH 1938 as a replacement for the old pattern, visored, field cap that had been introduced in March 1934. The design of the Officer’s M38 overseas cap was based on the M34 overseas cap as worn by EM/NCO personnel with minor differences. Originally the Officer’s M38 overseas cap was only produced in field-grey fabric until March 27^TH 1940 when a black version for Panzer (Armored), Officers was introduced. Officer’s ranks had no fewer then nine official forms of dress and regulations dictated that the M38 overseas cap was to be worn with the Field, Service and Guard Dress if a helmet was not required. The German army originally adopted a slightly modified version of the NSDAP’s, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), national eagle by order on February 17^TH 1934, with instructions to have it applied to all steel helmets, visor caps, and tunics by May 1^ST 1934. Regulations followed on October 30^TH 1935 that stipulated the national eagle was also to be applied to all field caps including the Officer’s M38 overseas caps. On March 14^TH 1933 the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era oval black, red and gold cockade was replaced with a circular cockade in the national colors of black, white, and red and was utilized through-out the Third Reich period. Of Note: Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear items and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The clothing allowances for Officer’s consisted of a singular pay out of roughly, 450.00 Reichsmarks, ($180.00USD), followed by a maintenance allowance of roughly 30.00RM, ($12.00USD), per month. The Officers could choose to purchase their caps from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase caps of higher quality. Company and Field grade Officer’s M38 overseas caps were piped with bright, silver/aluminum braid while Officers holding General’s ranks utilized bright, gilt braid piping as a sign of rank. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service color), and originally the Officer’s M38 overseas caps, were outfitted with an identifying branch of service soutache in an inverted "V" pattern, flanking the national tri-color cockade, until 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: Nice quality, private purchase, M38 pattern, slightly mottled, light field-grey doeskin, wool/tricot blend construction cap features fold down side and back panels with scalloped slopes to the forward side panels. The crown edge and the forward, scalloped, side panels are both piped in bright, interwoven, silver/aluminum braiding. The front center of the cap has a machine woven, national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons, in bright, silver/aluminum, flat-wire threads, mounted on a cut-out, woven, dark, blue/green rayon base. The front center of the fold down panels has a padded, high relief, machine embroidered national tri-color cockade in black and silver wire threads with a central, red wool dot and a silver/aluminum wire surround. Parts of the silver/aluminum wire surround are missing from the cockade. Both the eagle and cockade are neatly handstitched to the cap. The cockade is flanked by an inverted "V" patterned outline and the cap has two, small, puncture holes near the forward, bottom edge indicating a branch of service soutache had been applied and removed. The interior of the cap is fully lined in ribbed, golden/tan rayon which shows moderate age and usage toning and a couple of small tears. The cap has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The cap is in overall fairly good condition with light to moderate age and usage toning and some moth grazing resulting in areas of lost nap and about a half dozen small holes. The cap is roughly size 62cm, (24 7/16"), interior diameter.

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