Original German WWII 17th Infantry Regiment Officers Schirmmütze Visor Crush Cap by Peküro with Braunschweig Skull Hussar Traditions Badge

Original Item: Only One Available. This cap is a wonderful service used example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Infantry Officer's Schirmmütze (visor cap), fitted with a great Braunschweig Totenkopf (Brunswick Skull) traditions badge. The cap has a lovely gently "Crushed" or "saddle-form" shape that is highly desirable, accomplished by removing the crown support stiffener ring, and it really looks the business.

It features lovely feldgrau (field gray) "doeskin" weave wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) "badge cloth" band and a traditional high forward crown. The cap also has matching Weiß (white) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Infanterie (Infantry) and Motorisiert Infanterie (Motorized Infantry. It has the correct silver bullion chin strap, indicating that it is for an officer.

It is decorated with a well detailed zinc eagle insignia on the peak and and an early pattern hand embroidered bullion wreath surrounding a bullion tri-color cockade on the band. The peak eagle has lost much of the original silver finish, now displaying a whitish oxidized zinc patina, while the wreath shows some fraying and loss of the bullion. The red felt insert inside the cockade is present and still vibrant.

Between the insignia is a fantastic genuine Wehrmacht "Braunschweig Skull" Totenkopf Hussar traditions badge, indicating that the owner was a member of the 17th infantry regiment of the Army. These badges were used to show the lineage of certain units back to the days of the German empire, and in the 17th regiment only the first and fourth companies were allowed to use the Braunschweig style skulls on their headgear and insignia, in remembrance of 92th Braunschweig Infantry regimental history. This unit had been awarded the badge in 1912, and before this it had been worn by the 17th (Brunswick) Hussars cavalry regiment.

The officer's bullion chin strap is attached with the standard pebbled buttons on either side of the cap, which look to be steel, and now show oxidation. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting moderate wear along the edge and is checkered gray on the underside. The top shows a lovely pattern of checking and crazing, which occurs as the black enamel finish degrades over time. The stitching attaching the visor to the cap is still solid.

The cap is lined with burgundy rayon on the top, and ochre rayon on the sides, looking to be bespoke. The original celluloid sweat shield diamond on the crown is almost fully intact, however there are no markings we can see anywhere on the inside. The sweatband is made from slate gray pressed paper faux leather, which does show degradation due to age and use. There are several tears all the way through the band, though it is still firmly attached to the cap. The size seems to be about a 56-57cm.

Overall condition is very good, with no mothing we can see and the colors relatively well retained, showing just a bit of age toning and staining to the white piping. The metal insignia and chinstrap are in good shape, with a great patinated look.

A great example of the classic hat worn by a German Army Infantry Officers in the 17th Infantry Regiment during WWII. Very impressive and ready to display!

The German Schirmmütze Visor Cap:
The visor cap (Schirmmütze) was an important part of the headgear worn by German uniformed military, civil, paramilitary and political organizations during the Third Reich. This was the standard cloth headgear worn as a part of the service uniform. Visor caps were worn outdoors as well as indoors, and were often required to be worn by all personnel on duty. Visor caps were made in versions specific to each organization and were often further differentiated through the use of insignia, colored piping, or style of chin cord, to indicate rank, role or branch. The insignia used on these caps ranged from simple stamped metal emblems, to elaborate hand embroidery. Visor caps were issued to enlisted soldiers and NCOs in the military and in some other organizations. Officers had to purchase their own hats, and lower ranks could choose to purchase caps that were of a higher quality than the rather basic, issue examples. The private purchase caps were generally made in very high quality, with fine materials. A wide variety of fabrics were used, from Trikot and doeskin, to heavy wool, or even lightweight white fabric for summer wear. In the military, issue of these caps was generally suspended shortly after the outbreak of the war, but they continued to be worn by some troops until the end of the war.