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H071559 INFANTRY OFFICER'S "CRUSHER" VISOR CAP. (Offiziersfeldmütze alter Art)
BACKGROUND: Visor caps were a standard item for all military personnel during the Third Reich period and regulations dictated the form of dress they were to be worn with based on the individual’s rank. 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. Originally the insignia worn on the visor caps consisted of the Weimar, (Circa 1919-1933), Reichswehr, (National Defence {Force}), era patterns which included a blackened leather chinstrap for all ranks. In February 1927 new chin cords for Officer ranks were introduced with silver cords for the ranks of Leutnant to Oberst and gilt cords for the ranks of Generalmajor to Generalfeldmarschall. Regulations of February 26TH 1936 also permitted senior NCO’s who were Officer Candidates to wear the Officers twisted silver/aluminum chin cord on their visor caps as opposed to the standard EM/NCO’s leather chinstrap. Of Note: Both the first pattern Reichswehr era visor cap eagle and wreath were replaced with the second pattern in March 1935. The different branches of service within the army were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with white being chosen for Infanterie, (Infantry), personnel which was displayed as piping on the visor cap for EM/NCO’s and Company and Field grade officers. The "Crusher" style caps were introduced as a field cap for Officers in March 1934. In 1938 the Crusher caps were to be replaced with the new M38 Officer’s overseas style cap, with the wear-out period determined as April 1942. The Crusher style cap mimicked the visor cap, with the exclusion of the internal top stiffening wire, chin cord and sweat diamond, leaving the cap very flexible, and giving the owners the ability to fold it and place it in a pocket if so desired. Due to its relaxed appearance and convenience the Crusher cap proved very popular with the Officers.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Early, nice quality, "Crusher" style visor cap with a slightly mottled, field-grey wool construction body and crown, a blue/green badge cloth centerband and white wool waffenfarbe piping to the top crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The cap has no internal wire, crown stiffener but internal, padding gives the cap a nice relaxed shape with overlapping side panels and a low, central, front peak. The front center of the cap has a machine woven, second pattern, (circa 1935-1945), 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 woven, cut-out, blue/green rayon base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the cap. The front center of the centerband has a machine woven, oak-leave wreath in bright, silver/aluminum, flat-wire threads encompassing a woven national tri-color cockade with a black rayon outer edge, a silver/aluminum flat-wire roundel and a red rayon center dot, all mounted on a woven, cut-out, blue/green rayon base. The wreath/cockade are machine stitched to the cap. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, leather visor. The visor shows minor surface scarring and the leather is still quite supple. The cap has no chin cord or any evidence that one was ever applied. The interior of the cap is fully lined in ribbed silvery/grey rayon. The lining shows moderate age and usage toning and has no sweat diamond. The lining is well marked with the faint, illegible, silver printed manufacturer’s mark. The interior of the cap also has a wide grey alkor sweatband with ventilation perforations to the front forehead section. The cap shows light age and usage toning through-out and some moth grazing resulting small areas of lost nap and about a half dozen small holes. The cap is roughly size 53.
GRADE ***3/4 PRICE $3,927.00
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