S16454 GENDARMERIE NCO'S VISOR CAP. (Schirmmütze) 

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. 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 as their truppenfarbe. 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. This NCO’s type of cap would have been worn by the ranks of Unterwachtmeister to the rank of Hauptwachtmeister of the Gendarmerie. 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, private purchase, Gendarmerie NCO’s visor cap features a slightly mottled police green wool/rayon blend body, a mid-brown badge cloth centerband and Gendarmerie orange wool truppenfarbe, (Branch of service color), to the crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The interior wire stiffener, heavy internal padding and a vertical stiffener to the front center are still in place retaining the caps original shape with a nice high peak to the front center of the crown. The front center of the cap has a three piece national tri-color cockade consisting of a black, fluted, pressed cardboard base, a silver washed alloy roundel and an inset, red felt central dot. The front center of the centerband has a stamped, polished natural aluminum, second pattern, police eagle as introduced on June 25^TH 1936, encompassed by a vertically oval oak-leaf wreath. The eagle and wreath show minimal age tarnish that only enhances the detailing. The cap has a blackened patent leather chinstrap intact with two, black painted, rectangular, sheet metal retaining buckles and two black painted, oval, length adjustment buckles. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two, small, black painted smooth finish, magnetic sheet metal buttons. The cap has a black lacquered vulcanfibre visor with a raised lip to the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined with an orangish/tan oilcloth lining to the crown and an orangish/tan cheese cloth lining to the body. The interior crown lining has a clear celluloid sweat rhomboid fully intact. The lining beneath the sweat rhomboid is well marked with impressed silvered, manufacturers crest logo, name and location, "J. A. Hierteis Söhne Mützenfabrikation u. Uniformeffekten Fürth-Nürnberg". The interior of the cap also has a wide tan leather sweatband intact. The sweatband is missing about a third of its stitching at the bottom edge where it is secured to the cap and the leather shows light to moderate age and usage toning. The cap is in overall good condition with light nap wear and age and usage toning and about two dozen pinhole sized moth nips. The cap is roughly size 54.