BACKGROUND: The Allgemeine-SS, (General-SS), was originally formed in May 1923 as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler (Shock Troops Adolf Hitler), and was redesignated Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad), in April 1925 with the official acceptance of the name verified on the second anniversary of the failed Munich "Beer-Hall" Putsch on November 9^TH 1925. On January 6^TH 1929 Heinrich Himmler was appointed as Reichsführer-SS, (National Leader {of the} SS), and on July 20^TH 1934 shortly after the, June 30^TH 1934, purge of the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm Troopers) on the "Night of the Long Knives", the SS was rewarded by Hitler by being granted the status of an independent organization under direct control of the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party). From its inception the SS began an aggressive policy of expansion which resulted in the formation of the SS-SD, SS-Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei, (SS-Security Service and Security Police), in June 1931, the SS-VT, SS-Verfügungstruppe, (SS-Special Purpose Troops), and the SS-TV, SS-Totenkopfverbände, (SS-Death’s Head Units), in March 1933 which would eventually evolve into the Waffen-SS, (Armed-SS), in December 1939. Originally members of the fledgling SS had no official uniform or headgear until April 1925 when they adopted, what was to become known as the, "Tradition Uniform" and personnel were outfitted with the same brown shirt uniform and kepi as the SA, Sturm Abteilung, (Storm Troopers). In 1923 the Stabswache (Headquarter Guards), was the first SS unit to adopt the Imperial Prussian Danziger style skull for wear on their headgear which was extended to all SS personnel in April 1925. In November 1925 personnel of the newly formed SS adopted a black Kepi to distinguish them from their SA counterparts and in 1927 the SS were the first to adopted the national eagle insignia for wear on their headgear. In 1932, the first black SS service visor caps were introduced for wear to replace the kepi as the standard headgear for all ranks. Originally, SS personnel wore the Danziger style skull and the political 1927 pattern national eagle on their visor caps. In an attempt to distance themselves from the SA, the SS introduced a new pattern cap skull to replace the previously used Danziger style skull on October 6^TH 1934 and in February 1936 a new SS pattern national cap eagle was introduced. Both these pieces of insignia were worn through-out the war. Originally all ranks wore white piping on the visor caps until regulations of June 23^RD 1934 introduced silver/aluminum piping for the ranks of SS-Oberführer up to the rank of Reichsführer-SS while the ranks of SS-Anwärter to SS-Standartenführer continued to utilize the white piping. Also originally all ranks utilized a blackened leather chinstrap until regulations of 1935 introduced silver/aluminum chin cords for the ranks of SS-Oberführer up to the rank of Reichsführer-SS. After the outbreak of WWII the black service headgear were eventually phased out of wear for all but Allgemeine-SS personnel. SS Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and headgear and as a result the SS established the SS-Kleiderkasse, (SS-Clothing Account), system in Munich in 1935. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s were allotted a one time clothing allowance from the government with the amount varying depending on the individuals rank. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could also choose to purchase privately tailored garments of higher quality although the price may have been restrictive. The RZM, Reichzeugmeisterei, (National Equipment Quartermaster), was officially founded in June 1934 in Munich by the NSDAP as a Reich Hauptamt, (State Central Office), and was based on the earlier SA Quartermaster’s Department. The functions of the RZM were not only to procure and distribute items to Party formations, but also to approve chosen designs and to act as a quality control supervisor to ensure items manufactured for the Party met required specification and were standardized. Starting in late 1934 items manufactured for the SS came under the quality control of the RZM and were marked with an RZM/SS approval mark or tag. In 1943 the Waffen-SS assumed full control over their uniform item production and no longer fell under the authority of the RZM.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, black wool construction visor cap with a whipcord weave. The centerband is also constructed in the same black wool with the whipcord weave but with the weave ribbing running in a different direction. The cap has white wool waffenfarbe piping to the top crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but the internal padding and an additional vertical stiffener to the front center of the cap are still intact and give the cap a nice, relaxed, saddle form shape with a high, central, front peak. The front center of the cap has a second pattern, silver washed, stamped tombac SS style national eagle, with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in its talons, as introduced in February 1936. The eagle only retains remnants of its original silver wash and has mostly reverted to the base tombac. The eagle is nicely convexed to fit the contours of the cap. The front center of the centerband has an early, old Imperial Danziger style Totenkopf, (Death’s Head), as adopted by the SS in May 1923. The 1923 pattern, silver washed, stamped tombac skull and cross bones features detailed, slightly oval, eyes and an inverted triangular nose cut-out and two rows of teeth superimposed over crossed bones. The skull has a subtle cranium detailing. The skull has no bottom jaw and is roughly twice the size of the panzer collar tab skulls. The skull has lost almost all of its original silver wash has mostly reverted to the base tombac. The cap has a blackened, patent leather chinstrap with two, rectangular, sliding, sheet metal, length adjustment buckles and a central, sheet metal, retaining clip all intact. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two small, smooth, black painted, sheet metal buttons. The cap has a black lacquered vulcanfibre visor with a raised lip near the forward edge. The visor has a couple of small scuff marks and shows minor surface cracking to the lacquered finish. The orangish/tan bottom edge of the visor has a subtle, repeating diamond patterned and is well marked with black inkstamped SS runes encompassed by the initials, "RZM". The interior of the cap is fully lined with orangish/tan oil cloth to the crown and tan cheesecloth to the body. The crown lining has had the original celluloid sweat diamond removed with stitch holes remaining as evidence. The crown lining is well marked with the gilt printed, circular bordered, outline of the SS runes encompassed by a second circular border. The original gilt print has soiled to a greenish hue. The crown lining also has a green size inkstamp, "58". The interior of the cap also has a wide, tan leather sweatband with ventilation perforations to the front forehead section. The sweatband is in overall good condition with a couple of small tears and the leather is still quite supple. The cap has a black oilcloth RZM/SS tag with white printed script and black inkstamped manufacturer’s numerical code, machine stitched beneath the sweatband near the reverse of the cap. The script on the tag includes the RZM logo, designation, "Tuchmütze für SS", (Cloth cap for the SS), and, "Uniformteile müssen sichtbar das Schutzzeichen der RZM der NSDAP tragen. Bekanntmachung vom 16. 1. 1935. Reichzeugmeisterei der NSDAP", (Uniform items are obliged to carry a visible trade mark of the RZM of the NSDAP. As per the proclamation of 16. 1. 1935 of the National Equipment Quartermaster of the NSDAP). The cap is in overall very good condition with a small tear to the white wool waffenfarbe at the reverse, bottom edge of the centerband and a small vertical, crack to the internal centerband stiffener near the front.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $5,355.00