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L006058 FIRE BRIGADE OFFICIAL EM/NCO'S VISOR CAP. (Schirmmütze)
BACKGROUND: The German armed forces had a tradition, dating from the 1700's, of maintaining a separate branch of Administrative Official’s attached to the army to oversee all administrative functions, thus freeing up active army Officers and allowing them to concentrate on actual military matters. The Officials were responsible for a wide variety of administrative tasks from Court Martial, Librarian, Supply, Technical and Meteorological Services, to School, Barracks, and Hospital administration. On it’s inception the Luftwaffe also established an Administrative branch of service that included the Feuerschutzbeamte der Luftwaffe, (Fire Protection Officials of the Air Force). One function of the Feuerschutzbeamte was to provide fire fighting and protection services to all Luftwaffe airbases, depots, installations etc. The Feuerschutzbeamte utilized civilian employees mainly drawn from civil fire departments. Both the officials and the civilian employees were not granted the status of soldiers but were classified as Angehörige der Luftwaffe, (Members of the Air Force). The officials and the civilian employees originally wore dark blue uniforms and headgear that was similar to the Feuerschutzpolizei, (Fire Protection Police), with different insignia for each group. Regulations of November 1940 altered the officials uniform to the standard Luftwaffe blue/grey, with different insignia, although the civilian employees continued to wear the dark blue uniform and headgear. The headgear worn by the officials and civilian employees included a visor cap that was basically identical to the standard Luftwaffe visor cap but in a different color and different insignia. The officials and civilian fire brigade personnel were allocated crimson waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), which was displayed as piping on EM/NCO’s visor caps. This visor cap appears to be a transitional example in Luftwaffe blue/grey with a political style national eagle.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, Luftwaffe blue/grey, wool/rayon blend construction visor cap with a subtle whipcord weave, features a black, horizontally ribbed, interwoven, mohair centerband and crimson wool waffenfarbe piping to the crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but internal padding and a vertical stiffener to the interior front center are intact and give the cap a nice, relaxed form with a high, central, forward peak and overlapping side panels. The front center of the cap has a 1936 political pattern, silver washed, die stamped, alloy construction, right facing national eagle clutching a wreathed, canted, swastika in it’s talons. The front center of the centerband has a silver washed, stamped alloy, winged wreath with a black, silver and red painted national tri-color cockade. Both the eagle and the winged wreath and cockade retain over 95% of their respective finishes and are quite clean and bright. Both the eagle and the winged wreath and cockade are secured to the cap by prongs on the reverse. The cap has a black, patent leather chinstrap with two, black painted, vertically rectangular, metal, retaining clips and two, black painted, vertically rectangular, metal, sliding, length adjustment buckles. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two, smooth, black painted sheet metal buttons. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, vulcanfibre visor with a raised lip near the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined in greyish/tan rayon. The crown lining has a clear celluloid sweat rhomboid fully intact. The interior of the cap also has a wide, tan leather sweatband. The sweatband has lost about half of its stitching and has a few fair sized tears. The cap has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. Besides the sweatband the cap is in overall very good condition with minor age and usage toning. The cap is roughly size 55.
GRADE ***3/4 PRICE $540.00
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