BACKGROUND: On June 17^TH 1936, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was appointed to the newly created position of Chef der Deutschen Polizei im Reichsministerium des Innern, (Chief of the German Police in the National Ministry of the Interior), effectively giving him full control of all police agencies within Germany. As a result of this appointment and the restructuring of all the separate German state police into a single national police force new regulations were instituted on June 25^TH 1936 to bring about uniformity in dress for all police through-out the country although it wasn’t until April 1^ST 1937 that it was fully implemented. Visor caps were a standard item for all Polizei personnel with the Dress, Walking -Out, Undress and the Parade dress uniforms as ordered. Officers ranks of Polizei Meister to Polizei Oberst were distinguished from NCO ranks by the addition of silver chin cords on their visor caps while NCO’s utilized blackened leather chinstraps. Regulations of November 1937 also extended wear of the silver/aluminum chin cords to NCO Officer Candidates. Shortly after Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party) ascended to the leadership of Germany, the police, as with almost all civic organizations, incorporated the new style national eagle and swastika on their insignia. The first pattern police insignia to utilize the new style national eagle and swastika was introduced on April 23^RD 1934. On June 25^TH 1936 a slightly modified second pattern police eagle and swastika were introduced to replace the first pattern. Both patterns of insignia were worn on the visor cap. The Weimar Reichswehr era oval black, red and gold cockade was replaced with a circular cockade in black, white, and red on March 14^TH 1933 and was adopted by the Police in April of that year and was utilized through-out the Third Reich period. The Police were divided into eight assorted branches of service with each branch having a distinguishing truppenfarbe, (Branch of Service Color), that was displayed on the uniforms including the piping on the visor caps. Personnel serving with the Gendarmerie, (Rural Police), were allocated orange truppenfarbe. Police Officers holding the rank of Polizei-Leutnant to Generaloberst der Polizei were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and could purchase them through the SS-Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system which was originally established in Munich in 1935. The Officers were allotted a one time clothing allowance from the government with the amount varying depending on the individuals rank. The ranks of Polizei Unterwachtmeister to Polizei-Obermeister were issued their uniforms although they could also choose to purchase privately tailored garments of higher quality although the price may have been restrictive. Of Note: The German Police had no enlisted ranks with the lowest rank being an Unterwachtmeister which was equivalent to the German army rank of Unteroffizier.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, private purchase, Gendarmerie Officer’s visor cap features a slightly mottled, police green wool body and crown with a brown wool centerband and orange wool truppenfarbe piping, to the crown edge and to both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The internal crown stiffening wire and a vertical stiffener to the internal front center are all still intact and retain the caps "Tellerform" shape with a nice, high, central, forward peak. The overlapping side panels of the cap each have two, green enamel painted, inserted, screened, magnetic sheet metal ventilation grommets. The front center of the cap has a three piece national tri-color cockade consisting of a black, fluted, alloy base, a silver washed, alloy roundel and an inset red felt central dot. The roundel shows moderate age tarnish and small spots of wear to the base alloy. The front center of the centerband has a silver washed, stamped, aluminum, second pattern, (circa April 1936-May 1945), police eagle clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in its talons, encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath. The eagle and wreath retain about 75% of their silver wash and show moderate age tarnish which only enhances the details. The cap has a bright, interwoven, twisted silver/aluminum chin cord secured by two, small, silver washed, pebbled, alloy buttons. The cap has a extended, forward, black lacquered vulcanfibre visor with a subtly raised lip to the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined with a loosely woven, off-white cotton/rayon lining to the body and an orangish/tan oilcloth lining to the crown. The crown lining has a clear celluloid sweat rhomboid fully intact with the faint, gilted impressed manufacturer’s name, script and location that appears to be, "Marie Slama & Sohn Spezial-Uniform-Mützen-Erzeugung Wien V Rainergasse 34". The lining beneath the sweat rhomboid has a black size inkstamp, "57". The interior of the cap also has a wide tan alkor sweatband with ventilation perforations to the front forehead section. The sweatband appears to have some replaced stitching and as is typical the alkor has stiffened with age. The cap is in overall good condition with light age and usage toning, small areas of light nap wear and about a half dozen pinhead sized moth nips primarily to the front center.

GRADE ***1/4                             PRICE $955.00