K012456 BATTLESHIP GNEISENAU EM'S "DONALD DUCK" CAP, CAP TALLEY & PHOTOGRAPH. (Mannschaftsmütze, Mützenband und Photographie) 

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. One of the traditional headgear items utilized during the Third Reich was the "Donald Duck" sailor’s cap intended for wear by all Junior NCO’s and enlisted personnel. The design of the cap underwent numerous minor modifications during the intervening years, including a cap with removable, interchangeable white and blue covers in April 1926. In December 1931 a final pattern was introduced that remained in use until the end of WWII with the only alterations being to the insignia and cap tallies worn. Regulations of October 29^TH 1936 replaced the previously used gilt wire thread for the script on the cap tallies with golden yellow celleon threads as a result of the earlier cap tallies oxidizing to a greenish verdigris tone. On November 1^ST 1938 the "Kriegsmarine" titled cap talley was introduced for wear as a security measure in the case of mobilization, and the wear of named cap tallies was restricted to barracks and on ships only if there was no possibility of them being seen by outside personnel. Additional regulations of September 5^TH 1939 withdrew all named cap tallies from further wear, to be replaced with the "Kriegsmarine" cap talley, for the duration of the war. As was common practice during the Third Reich, capital ships were quite often named after earlier German heroes and the Battleship Gneisenau was named in honor of the Imperial Prussian Field Marshall Count August Wilhelm Anton Graf Neithardt von Gneisenau, (1760-1831), who had assisted in reorganizing the Imperial Prussian army, along with General Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst, (1755-1813), in the early 1800's restoring morale and resulting in the defeat of Napoleon I at Leipzig in 1813. . The Scharnhorst’s sister ship, the Gneisenau was launched on December 8^TH 1936 and commissioned on May 21^ST 1938 and participated on most of the sorties along with the Scharnhorst. The Gneisenau was damaged by a mine during the channel dash on February 12^TH 1942 but managed to make it to port at Brunsbüttel where she received further serious damage from bombs that required more than a year in repair time. In July 1942 the Gneisenau was decommissioned and in January 1943 repairs were abandoned and her guns were removed to shore emplacements. In March 1945 the Gneisenau was scuttled near Gdynia to act as a blocking ship against Russian naval units. Basic human instinct dictates that soldiers in the field, regardless of nationality, long for their loved ones at home. As a result it was very common for these soldiers to purchase, or appropriate, "sweetheart" items and send them home. Although there was almost an unlimited selection of "sweetheart" items one of the most popular items were the photograph postcards which were relatively inexpensive, easily mailed and distinctly personal. As today, there were also numerous other reasons to pose for a photograph, new appointments, promotions, weddings anniversaries etc., etc. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, issue," Donald Duck" style sailor’s cap with both the removable blue and white covers. The removable white cotton construction cover features a pique weave with a one piece, circular crown and four piece side panels with machine stitched vertical seams to each side and the center of the obverse and reverse. The removable deep navy blue wool construction cover also features a one piece, circular crown and four piece side panels with machine stitched vertical seams to each side and the center of the obverse and reverse. The internal crown stiffening wire stiffener has been removed but a small, padded, fabric, vertical stiffener to the front center with a small female snap is still intact with corresponding male snaps to both of the covers giving the cap a nice relaxed appearance. The cap has a black silk cap talley with machine woven Gothic script, "Schlachtschiff Gneisenau" in gilt flat-wire threads. The cap talley is secured to the cap by a single vertical thread loop to each side and an additional two diagonally angled thread loops to the reverse center. The cap talley has long, extended, "tails" with diagonally cut ends creating the "swallow tail" effect. The script to the cap talley has tarnished to a deep coppery tone. The interior of the caps base has a tan leather sweatband fully intact with two small, black background ,aluminum tabs with the embossed initials, "AB". The cap has a combined, fire gilted, stamped, magnetic sheet metal, national eagle with out-stretched wings and a three piece, stamped alloy, national tri-color cockade. The eagle retains about 90% of its fire gilted finish with moderate age dulling. The three piece national cockade consists of a black fluted alloy base, a natural aluminum roundel and an inserted red wool center dot. The eagle and roundel are attached to a small, soldered on, metal tab to the reverse and the reverse also has a soldered, vertical stickpin intact. Both of the removable covers are unlined and the white cover has small, partially illegible hand stitched numerals in red cotton threads that appear to be, "282", and are in likelihood the owners personal roster number. The white cover shows small areas of light to moderate age and usage toning while the blue cover shows areas of light to moderate nap wear and has about a half dozen pinhead sized moth nips. The cap has no visible size or manufacturers markings and is roughly size 55. The cap also comes with a roughly, 1 1/4" tall, 48 7/8" long, early, black silk construction cap talley featuring machine woven Gothic script, "Kriegsmarine", in gilt flat-wire threads. The script has tarnished to a rich coppery tone. The ends of the talley are cut at a diagonal angle which would create the "swallow-tail", affect when applied to the cap. The talley has a couple of pinhead sized holes, light age and usage toning besides the tarnish to the script and light fraying to both the top and bottom edges. Also included is a roughly, 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" mid-weight cardstock postcard with a black and white portrait style photograph of a young EM wearing a blue jumper shirt and black kerchief. The breast eagle is clearly visible. The reverse of the unused postcard has handwritten script that includes the name, "A. Büsing", which would match the initials on the small aluminum tabs in the cap. The postcard is in overall good condition with light age yellowing. Nice grouping.

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