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 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 Officer’s 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 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. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own caps and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the OKK, Offizier Kleiderkasse der Kriegsmarine, (Officer’s Clothing Account of the Navy), system. The Officers and senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their caps directly from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase visor caps of higher quality.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, visor cap with a field-grey, wool/rayon, construction body and crown and a blue/green badge cloth centerband with a slightly different shade of field-grey wool piping to the crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but a vertical stiffener to the internal front center is still intact and gives the cap a nice, relaxed, saddle form shape with overlapping side panels and a high central peak. The front center of the cap features a gilt washed, stamped alloy, national eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in its talons. The eagle is nicely convexed to fit the contours of the cap. The eagle retains about 70% of its age dulled gilt wash with small spots of wear to the base alloy. The front center of the centerband has a first pattern, pre-April 1935, gilt washed, stamped alloy, oak-leave wreath encompassing a separate, stamped, three piece, national tri-color cockade. The oak-leave wreath retains all of its gilt wash and the tri-color consists of a fluted, black alloy base, a silver washed alloy roundel and an inserted red felt center dot. The roundel shows small spots of wear to the base alloy. The cap has a blackened simulated, leather chinstrap with two, sliding, rectangular sheet metal length adjustment buckles. The buckles both show heavy surface spotting. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two, small, fire gilted, sheet metal and 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 a black lacquered, vulcanfibre visor with a raised lip near the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined with a light brushed tan rayon lining to the body and a orangish/tan oilcloth lining to the crown. The interior crown lining has a clear, celluloid sweat diamond almost fully intact with a couple of small tears. The lining beneath the sweat diamond is well marked with the silver printed manufacturer’s crest logo and the name and location, "Carl Isken Uniform-Mützen-Fabrik Köln". the crown lining has a few small rips and tears. The interior of the cap also has a wide, grained, light brown, leather sweatband, machine stitched in place and fully intact. The sweatband is still quite supple. The cap is in overall very good condition with light age and usage toning and minimal nap wear. The cap is roughly size 57.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $1,755.00