BACKGROUND: The Mountain cap was originally introduced for wear by Mountain, Ski and Jäger personnel in the German army in the early 1930's, with the design based on the M1909 caps worn by the German/Austrian Alpine troops in WWI. On May 2ND 1939 the Oberkommando des Heeres, (Army High Command), authorized wear of a distinctive edelweiss tradition badge by Mountain Troop personnel and the design of the badge was also based on a pattern worn by German/Austrian Alpine troops in WWI. The badge came in three forms with a cloth version for wear on the upper right sleeve of the service uniform, a stem less metal version for wear on the visor cap and a stemmed metal version for wear on the mountain cap. Of Note: From its inception the Bergmütze had no readily identifiable rank indicator although the buttons were to be field-grey for EM/NCO’s ranks, silver for Officer’s ranks and gilt for General Officer’s ranks. Regulations of October 1942 introduced silver/aluminum or gold piping to the top crown edge as a rank indicator for Officer’s and General’s respectively. Although very similar to the M43 field cap, the Bergmütze was issued in considerably smaller quantities and is more scarce.  

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, private purchase, field-grey, wool/rayon blend construction, Officer’s Mountain cap with a subtle whipcord weave. The cap features a high forward crown and fold down back and side panels with a scalloped front edge and forward sides with dual, silver washed, pebbled, magnetic sheet metal button retainers to the front center. The back and side panels were designed to be folded down to protect the wearers ears and neck and the scalloped front section could be secured with the buttons closed under the wearers chin. The buttons retain 95% of their silver wash and are of the double pronged type that you would normally see on an officer’s visor cap to secure the chin cord. The crown edge of the cap is trimmed in bright, twisted silver/aluminum cord piping. The front center of the cap features a machine woven national eagle in white threads on a cut-out blue/green badge cloth base positioned above a separate machine woven national tri-color cockade. Both look to be original hand stitching to the cap. The left side panel of the cap has a 1939 pattern, stamped alloy edelweiss with nine petals, two leaves, a single stem and a separate, alloy stamen mounted on a cut-out blue/green badge cloth base. The edelweiss has four small holes in the flower and one in the stem for stitching it to the cap and is handstitched in place. At some point, the original stitching holding the edelweiss on has broken (its still present), and has been re-sewn in a couple of places with a modern synthetic thread to keep it tacked in place. The new owner may want to remove this to restore it correctly. The cap has a extended, forward, cloth covered visor. The interior of the cap is fully lined in a gray cotton/rayon. The lining has no visible markings. The cap is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning. Roughly size 58. Nice looking cap.