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 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, pre-1935 pattern, visor cap with a field-grey, wool/rayon, construction body and crown with a subtle whipcord weave and a field-grey badge cloth centerband with field-grey wool piping to the top crown edge. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but an internal padding and a vertical stiffener to the internal front center are still intact and give the cap a nice, relaxed shape with overlapping side panels and a high central peak. The front center of the cap features a hand embroidered, national eagle with out-stretched wings, in gilt wire and bullion threads with golden tan accent threads mounted on a cut-out field-grey wool base. The eagle has been de-nazified by having had the wreathed swastika cut off. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the cap. The front center of the centerband has a hand embroidered oak-leaf wreath in gilt wire threads encompassing a hand embroidered, national tri-color cockade in black and silver wire threads with an inset red wool center dot. The wreath and cockade are mounted on a padded, cut-out field-grey wool base which is also neatly handstitched to the cap. Both pieces of insignia show light age tarnish. The cap has a twisted, silver/aluminum chin cord which is secured in place by two, small, fire gilted, alloy buttons. The chin cord retaining buttons have a horizontally ribbed background field with an embossed, fouled, anchor and a simulated twisted rope outer edge. The chin cord shows light age tarnish. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, leather visor. The visor shows moderate surface scarring. The interior of the cap is fully lined in golden yellow rayon. The interior crown lining has a clear celluloid sweat diamond fully intact. The interior of the cap also has a tan leather sweatband with ventilation perforations to the front forehead section. The sweatband has a couple of fair sized tears. The cap is in overall good condition with light age and usage toning and a couple of pin head sized holes to the crown. The cap has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The cap is roughly size 55.

GRADE ***                             PRICE $2,499.00