SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION

L027861 FLIGHT EM/NCO'S VISOR CAP. (Schirmmütze für Mannschaften)

BACKGROUND: Visor caps were a standard item for all military personnel during the Third Reich period, (Circa 1933-1945), and regulations dictated the form of dress they were to be worn with, based on the individual’s rank. On its inception on February 26TH 1935, the Luftwaffe, (Air-{Weapon}, Force), adopted most of the uniform items of the earlier DLV, Deutscher Luftsport Verband, (German Air Sports Association), the clandestine, civilian forerunner of the Luftwaffe, including the visor cap. In March 1935 the earlier, "Tellerform", saucer shaped, caps were replaced with a new a "Sattelform" saddle shaped, cap with a higher front peak and an oval shaped top. The insignia utilized on the visor caps consisted of the Luftwaffe style national eagle as introduced for wear by Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), personnel of the DLV on August 18TH 1934 and was officially adopted for wear by all Luftwaffe personnel on March 1ST 1935 along with a new, winged, wreath and the national tri-color cockade. The original, first pattern, Luftwaffe style, national eagle was utilized until a slightly modified, second pattern national eagle was introduced in late 1936 or early 1937. The visor caps for Company and Field grade Officers, holding the ranks of Leutnant up to Oberst were distinguished from EM/NCO’s caps by bright, silver/aluminum piping and a silver/aluminum chin cord while Officers holding Generals ranks of Generalmajor up to Reichsmarschall utilized gold colored fittings. EM/NCO ranks visor caps utilized the appropriate waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), piping and blackened leather chinstraps. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own caps and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Luftwaffe’s Verkaufsabteilung, (Air-Force Sales Department), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their caps from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase visor caps of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their caps from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored caps although the price may have been restrictive. The different branches of service within the Luftwaffe were allocated a specific, identifying, waffenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), with golden yellow being chosen for Flieger, (Flight), personnel which was displayed as piping on EM/NCO’s visor caps.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, privately purchased, slightly mottled, brushed, Luftwaffe blue/grey, wool/tricot blend construction visor cap, features a black, horizontally ribbed, interwoven, mohair centerband, and golden yellow 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 an internal padding and a vertical stiffener to the interior, front center are still intact and give the cap a nice, relaxed, shape with overlapping side panels and a high, central, forward peak. The front center of the cap has second pattern, (Circa 1936/1937-1945), silver washed, stamped alloy, Luftwaffe eagle clutching a canted, swastika in it’s talons. The cap has small puncture holes positioned beneath each of the eagle’s wings that would seem to indicate the eagle was replaced. The eagle retains about 65% of it’s age dulled silver wash with spots of wear to the underlying flat matte grey alloy. 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. 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/cockade are slightly convexed to fit the contours and both are secured to the cap by prongs on the reverse. The cap has a black, patent leather chinstrap with two, black painted, vertically rectangular, magnetic sheet metal, sliding length adjustment buckles. Interestingly the chinstrap doesn’t have the usual vertically rectangular retaining clips, but does have a small, black painted, magnetic sheet metal rivet, ?, positioned slightly to the right of the front center. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two, smooth, black painted, magnetic sheet metal buttons. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, leather visor with a machine stitched, simulated leather lip to the forward edge. The leather visor shows some light surface scarring to the lacquered finish to the top and moderate to heavy scarring the lacquered finish to the bottom. The interior of the cap is fully lined in orangish/tan cheesecloth. The crown lining has a clear celluloid sweat rhomboid with a small, opened ended, "pocket" near the forward edge, fully intact. The reverse of the sweat rhomboid is well marked with the gilt printed manufacturer’s logo, name, location and date. The manufacturer’s printed information is partially obscured by verdigris but is recognizable as, "Robert Lubstein Größte Berliner Militär Mützen Fabrik", (Berlin’s Largest Military Cap Manufacturer), with the address "Berlin N.W. 21 Alt-Moabit 105", and "Lieferjahr 1936", (Year of Delivery/Manufacture). Of Note: One of the most prestigious cap making firms of the Third Reich era, the Robert Lubstein firm of Berlin originally produced two lines of visor caps with one line utilizing his full name, "Robert Lubstein", while the other line utilized the acronym, "EREL" , (Since about 1921), until 1939 when the "Robert Lubstein" line and name logo for visor caps was discontinued. With the discontinuation of the "Robert Lubstein" line of visor caps all of Lubstein’s, (EREL’s) cap production was moved to another facility at Berlin N.O. 55 Heinrich-Roller Straße 16-18, where it remained for the duration of the war utilizing the "EREL", acronym. The lining beneath the sweat rhomboid also has a black size inkstamp, "57". Of Note: The actual, interior diameter of the cap measures roughly, 55 cm, (21 3/4"). The interior of the cap also has a wide, tan leather sweatband with ventilation perforations to the front forehead section, intact. The obverse of the sweatband is well marked with a black inkstamped marking, "LWM Uetersen", within a rectangular border, which presumably indicates the cap was once the property of the Luftwaffenmuseums, (Air-Force Museum), at the former airport in Uetersen Schleswig-Holstein Germany. Of Note: Originally established in 1957 the LMW Uetersen has since changed ownership, been renamed Foerderverein des Luftwaffenmuseums der Bundswehr e.V., (Promotional Association of the Air-Force Museum of the Federal Armed Forces Registered Society), and relocated to Berlin-Gatow in 1995. The reverse of the sweatband has an additional, two, unknown black inkstamped markings with one being, "Fl. Gr. Mü", and the other "St. 1", both within rectangular borders. The sweatband has a small tear to one side and both the sweatband and forward visor are missing a few stitches to the front center. The cap is in overall quite good condition with light age and usage toning, a small tear to the mohair centerband and a moth nip to the reverse center of the overlapping crown.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $715.00

To Order this item, please use one of the two e-mail addresses below to contact us. Please make sure to quote the item number in your e-mail

MILITARIA WANTED!  If you have items for sale, please contact us. We specialize in selling single pieces and entire collections. Over 3 decades in the business and we do all the work for you. Get the best return for your investment.

-E-Mail Address pawmac@nbnet.nb.ca  Or  guild@nb.aibn.com

To return to the main page please CLICK below

HOME (CLICK HERE)