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, (Mountain Cap), with minor variations. Officers ranks M41 tropical 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. Generally the insignia utilized on the tropical overseas cap consisted of the standard black, white and red national tri-color cockade on a tan colored base and a national eagle in light blue/grey threads on tan base. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, 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. Of Note: Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own caps and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their caps from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase visor caps of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their caps from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored caps although the price may have been restrictive. Although Officers and senior NCO’s were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms items it seems the majority of the tropical items were issued from the military clothing depots as opposed to private purchase and as a result Officers quite often wore the same tropical headgear as the EM/NCO’s with the addition of Officer’s insignia.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Light weight, ribbed, khaki/tan 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, tan painted, alloy ventilation grommets to each side, positioned just below the outer edge of the crown seam. The ventilation grommets retain all of their tan paint. 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 with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons, in light blue/grey rayon threads on a cut-out, woven, tan, rayon base. The front center of the dual-ply, downward sloping, scalloped panel has machine woven national tri-color cockade in black, white and red rayon threads mounted on a diamond shaped, tan rayon base. Both the eagle and cockade are machine stitched to the cap in the typical zig-zag fashion. The cap has no branch of service soutache or any evidence that one was ever applied. The cap has an extended, forward, cotton twill covered, visor with an internal stiffener. The visor has a subtly raised lip to the top of the forward edge and dual rows of reinforcement stitching to the bottom of the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined in light weight, red cotton and is well marked with a faint, black, size inkstamp, "54", and the manufacturer’s name, location and date that appears to be, "Carl Halfar Berlin N 20 1942". The cap is in overall very good condition with a few small picks and pulls and minimum age and usage toning.

GRADE ****1/4                             PRICE $1,785.00