Original Rare German WWII USGI Bring Back Waffen SS Officer's Schirmmütze Visor Crush Cap - Schutzstaffel

Original Item: Only One Available. The SS (Schutzstaffel - 'Protection Squadron') was originally formed in 1925, ostensibly to act as a small, loyal bodyguard unit to protect the Führer, Adolf H. Under the direction of the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS grew to be the most ruthless and feared organization of the 20th century. They were the vanguard of NSDAP and eventually controlled nearly every function of German life and much of Occupied Europe.

When WWII began in earnest, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) (SS Dispositional Troops) became the Waffen-SS ("Armed SS"), an official military branch of the SS organization. Its formations included men from NSDAP ruled Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

This is an very good service used condition extremely rare German Waffen SS Officer's Schirmmütze (Visor Cap), just acquired directly from the family of a WWII veteran, who brought it home from the ETO. It has a fantastic well broken in "crush" shape that everyone loves, accomplished by removing the crown stiffener, which allows the sides and rear to slump down. The cap shows high quality fabrication, made with typical army type feldgrau (Field Gray) green / gray "whipcord" weave wool with a black velvet plush material band and a traditional high front. The Weiß (white) wool triple piping is still in great shape, showing just a bit of wear and staining. As with the Heer, this is the SS Waffenfarbe (Corps Color) for Infantry, Motorized infantry, and Panzergrenadier troops.

The original Reichsadler (National Eagle) and Totenkopf (Skull) emblems are present, and in good patinated condition. They both look to be stamped zinc alloy, which was originally silvered, but over time that plating flaked off, allowing the material to oxidize. We have checked the attachment points for the insignia, and can see no evidence that they are not original, so the relatively high placement of the Totenkopf is how it was originally made.

The silver bullion officer's chin strap is still present, retained by the correct pebbled silver buttons, one of which now is missing all of the silvering. It is still in very good condition, with no major damage or oxidation visible, and just some light wear near the left side button. The black vulcanfibre visor is in very good condition, with a gray underside. There is some checking and finish flaking on the top of the visor, as well as some age related warping of the shape, but it still looks the business and is solidly attached to the body of the cap.

The interior is lined in blue gray rayon fabric, which shows some age and wear related discoloration. The top celluloid sweat shield "diamond" is still present, with most of the original stitching intact, though the celluloid itself is cracked and torn. We were not able to find any maker markings anywhere in the cap, which suggests that the cap is a bespoke example made by a small shop. The sweatband is gray finished leather and is in very good condition, showing light to moderate wear. The edge stitching is well retained, and the size seems to be about a 57cm.

Overall condition is very good, with the main condition issue being moth damage to the crown and sides of the cap. The top is worn, with some small moth holes towards the rear, while the sides of the crown show numerous holes, particularly at the rear where it was more protected from the light. The largest of this is about an inch long, with numerous smaller holes. One can really picture this cap sitting an old closet for decades after being brought back from the ETO before being discovered.

A very nice "salty" condition rare German Waffen SS Officer's Visor Crush cap, 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.