BACKGROUND: German Naval uniforms and headgear were based on traditional designs that date back to the creation of the Prussian Navy in 1848, and although uniforms and headgear did evolve during the interim years many items used during the Third Reich would still have been quite recognizable to the Imperial sailor. Land based Kriegsmarine personnel, primarily Coastal Artillery members, were issued field-grey uniforms and headgear as early as 1921. The use of the field-grey garments and headgear continued through-out the Weimar Reichsmarine, (National Navy, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the Third Reich period with minor modifications. The Kriegsmarine field-grey visor caps were slightly different then the standard blue and white topped visor caps. The Reichsmarine era field-grey visor caps utilized blackened leather chinstraps for all ranks until regulations in June 1933 introduced silver chin cords for Officers ranks of Leutnant zur See up to and including Grossadmiral to distinguish themselves from EM/NCO ranks. Further regulations in October 1938 extended wear of the silver chin cords to NCO officer candidates. Of Note: In 1943 the Kriegsmarine introduced a field-grey uniform and visor cap for Admiral’s ranks with the visor cap being outfitted with a gilt chin cord. Originally Kriegsmarine personnel wore the Weimar Reichsmarine era oval, black, Weimar eagle "cockade" on a gold background encompassed by a gold oak-leaf wreath on their visor caps until March 14^TH 1933 when the Weimar era cockade was replaced with a circular black, white, and red cockade, followed by the new NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), style national eagle on March 24^TH 1934 and a new, more detailed, pattern wreath on April 2^ND 1935. Originally the Kriegsmarine field-grey visor caps were the rounded top, "Tellerform" shape caps and were worn with a field-grey badge cloth centerband until regulations in 1935 introduced the more relaxed, "Sattelform" shaped caps and altered the centerband to blue/green badge cloth. Unlike the navy blue and white navy visor caps the field-grey versions had dark green piping to the crown edge and usually on the top edge of the centerband. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the OKK, Offizier Kleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine, (Officer’s Clothing Account of the Navy). Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms and headgear from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored items although the price may have been restrictive. Generally speaking officers bought nice quality, private purchase, uniform items but they could also choose to buy their uniforms directly from the military clothing depots.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, post-1935 pattern, visor cap with a mottled, field-grey, wool/rayon, construction body and crown and a blue/green badge cloth centerband with dark green wool piping to the crown edge. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but an internal vertical stiffener to the front center is intact and gives the cap a nice, relaxed, saddle form shape with a low central peak. The front center of the cap features a hand embroidered national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, in golden yellow celleon threads mounted on a cut-out navy blue wool base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the cap. The front center of the centerband has a post-April 1935, gilt washed, stamped alloy, oak-leave wreath encompassing a separate, stamped alloy, national tri-color cockade. The oak-leave wreath retains all of its age dulled, gilt wash and the national tri-color cockade retains about 70% of its respective black, silver and red finishes. The cap has a twisted, bright, silver/aluminum chin cord which is secured in place by two, small, fire gilted, alloy buttons. The chinstrap retaining buttons have a horizontally ribbed background field with an embossed, fouled, anchor and a simulated twisted rope outer edge. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, cardboard visor with a machine stitched, simulated, black leather trim to the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined in brushed tan cotton/rayon blend material. The interior of the cap has a light tan alkor sweatband machine stitched in place. The sweatband has three fair sized tears. The cap has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The cap is in overall very good condition with light to moderate age and usage toning and a couple of small, moderate nap wear spots. The cap is roughly size 55.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $2,655.00