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. Personnel serving with Panzer (Armored), units utilized pink as their branch of service soutache. Of Note: The general branch of service color for all armored units was pink although other colors were utilized including red for armored artillery units, golden yellow for armored reconnaissance units and the 24^TH Panzer Division, lemon yellow for armored signals units and, for a short time, alternating black and white for armored engineer units.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: M38 pattern, black wool 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 in bright, silver/aluminum, flat-wire threads on a cut-out, woven, field-grey rayon base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the cap. The front center of the fold down panels has a hand embroidered, padded, national tri-color cockade consisting of a black wire base, a silver/aluminum wire roundel and an inserted red felt centerpiece. The cockade is also neatly handstitched to the cap. The cockade is flanked by a pink rayon waffenfarbe soutache in an inverted "V" pattern. The soutache is applied in the proper manner being machine stitched in place and inserted through small puncture holes at the seam near the bottom edge of the cap. The interior of the cap is fully lined in light weight black cotton/rayon material. The interior of the cap also has a partial, tan leather sweatband machine stitched to the front forehead section. The sweatband has faint, impressed script that appears to be, "Qualitäts Marke". The cap is in overall very good condition with minor age and usage toning, some minimal nap wear and one small tear near the reverse seam. The cap has no visible size markings but is roughly size 55cm, (21 3/4"), interior diameter. Nice salty worn and used example.