Original German WWII Rare Luftwaffe Flight Branch EM/NCO White Summer Weight Schirmmütze Visor Cap

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely condition Luftwaffe Flight Branch EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap, with the standard "Summer" color off white removable crown. The design of this cap is very similar to a naval "combination cap", and allows different crowns to be installed depending on the time of year. The white crown is "whipcord woven" on the exterior, and has a light weight white canvas lining, which is part of the crown, and not permanently attached to the liner band. It still has the crown support band around the edge, so the shape is still well retained.

This EM/NCO Schirmmütze Visor Cap is a very high quality manufactured example, and features some of the original Luftwaffe blue gray Fliegerblau (Flier's Blue) wool on the bottom of the lower band, with a wide black ribbed wool cap band, which has faded a bit towards tan. This is bordered by two rows of goldgelb (Gold-Yellow) color piping around the circumference, the Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for the flight branch of the Luftwaffe. This included Aviator troops such as pilots and ground personnel as well as Fallschirmjäger (parachute troops).

The peak visor cap retains an excellent, high quality, aluminized zinc pin Luftwaffe eagle with swas as well as centrally mounted "winged" aluminum oak leaf wreath with a central cockade, with the paint mostly intact. The EM/NCO leather chinstrap and black enamel securing buttons are still present and in very good condition, with a lovely pattern of checking and crazing on the chinstrap, caused as the black patent finish degrades over time. The visor is a classic vulcanfibre construction example, originally gloss black, but having checked and degraded over most of the top. This gives it a lovely "cracked mud" look that is impossible to duplicate. The underside is a nice checkered green color, and unlike most we see, the edge trim is completely present, showing only light wear with no stitch pulling. The stitching holding the visor in place is still strong.

The interior is lined with lightweight cotton, which shows light overall staining from age and light use. The celluloid "diamond" sweat shield is still present on the inner crown, with no cracking or missing material, and the stitching still in great shape. It shows a silvered triangular logo, which has a maker marking at the top over Wert=Leistung (Value Performance) at the bottom. The interior has a natural leather sweatband, which has unfortunately become very brittle over the years, and how is cracked through in several places. It has also separated from the cap band as it deteriorated. The size seems to be relatively large. about a 59-60cm.

This is a very nice Luftwaffe Flight Branch Summer Weight EM/NCO peaked visor cap, offered in very good lightly used condition. 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.