BACKGROUND: Visor caps were a standard item for all Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces), 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. Originally the insignia worn on the visor caps consisted of the Weimar Reichswehr era, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), pattern oak-leaf wreath and cockade. On March 14TH 1933 the Reichswehr’s oval black, red and gold cockade was replaced with a circular cockade in black, white, and red and on February 17TH 1934 the Third Reich pattern national eagle for the army was officially introduced for wear on the visor cap. In March 1935 a new, more detailed, pattern wreath and cockade and a second, larger pattern national eagle were also introduced for wear and were utilized until the end of the war. The new insignia came in a variety of manufacturing styles to include stamped alloy, hand embroidered and even machine woven in some instances. EM/NCO ranks generally utilized the stamped metal type of insignia on their visor caps as opposed to the hand embroidered insignia usually used on Officer’s visor caps. Of Note: Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own headgear items, including the insignia, and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The clothing allowances for Officer’s consisted of a singular pay out of roughly, 450.00 Reichsmarks, ($180.00USD), followed by a maintenance allowance of roughly 30.00RM, ($12.00USD), per month. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their headgear and insignia from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase items of higher quality.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, transitional (1933-35), hand embroidered, opened topped, oak-leave wreath with six, small, acorns in bright, silver/aluminum wire threads and metal national tri-color cockade all mounted on a cut-out, padded, blue/green badge cloth base. Roughly 62mm wide x 42mm tall.