Original German WWII 1944 Dated Field Police Rabbit Fur Pelzmütze Winter Hat with RBNr. Marking - Size 54cm

Original Item: Only One Available. The Feldgendarmerie (Field Police) were a type of military police units of the armies of the Kingdom of Saxony (from 1810), the German Empire and NSDAP Germany until the conclusion of World War II in Europe. When Adolf H came to power in 1933, Feldgendarmerie were reintroduced into the Wehrmacht, with the new units receiving full infantry training and were given extensive police powers. They were employed within army divisions and as self-contained units under the command of an army corps. They often worked in close cooperation with the Geheime Feldpolizei (Secret Field Police), district commanders and SS and Police Leaders.

After the catastrophic winter of 1941-42 on the Eastern Front, the German military rapidly designed improved cold weather clothing. By the Fall of 1942, a variety of winter fur lined caps (Pelzmütze or Winterfellmütze) had been introduced. There were no standardized "model numbers", but this version is a commonly encountered pattern, except instead of the Heer or Waffen SS, it was intended for use by the field police.

It has a police blue green wool body, which is lined with light blue green rayon fabric, and it features a visor and fold down ear flaps backed with rabbit fur. The front visor originally would have been tack stitched in the open, and is rarely seen in the "down" position. The stitches look to have failed, so it is now held in place by a pin through the fabric. As with those used by regular soldiers, a cap badge is installed on the front flap, which in this case is an aluminum civic police eagle insignia. The flaps are usually held in the "up" (open) position by a single button on one flap, which fits into a loop on the other flap, however the loop is torn and the button fell off long ago. The white cloth ties for fastening the flaps under the chin are present on both sides, and are tied together to keep the flaps in the right position.

This fine example is offered in very good condition with over 90% of the fur intact, and the interior rayon lining shows light overall staining from use. It is still marked with the complete manufacture information, which is mostly legible:-

R.B.Nr.
0/1200/0747
Gr. 54 1944

We have unfortunately not been able to identify the RB Nr. marking, which is pretty typical, as the records are highly incomplete. However, we have definitely seen this exact number on other examples we had handled before. These have become very hard to find on the market today and even decent reproductions sell for hundreds of dollars. This is one of the few examples we have had of the Police type, and it's definitely a good one! Ready to display!