The appeal of the Einheitsmütze!

[Friedrich-Berthold]

To be sure, this sort of cap is still in service in the Bundeswehr and the Bundesheer, two fine institutions of great merit and marvelous comradeship.

Due to the banking crisis and the caprices of geo strategy, these two persons and their animals will soon represent a significant fraction of the soldiers in central Europe.

How unlike when I began my career in a different time in the same place.

[HPL2008]

We still wore something very similiar in the German Red Cross in the early 90s, although with non-fuctional buttons and flap:




(Yes; this is actually my old cap and tunic, saved from the wastebin. During this period, the old grey uniforms were already in the process of being phased out in favor of a new-model "civilian-style" service dress that included a dark blue blazer, light grey trousers and no headgear.)

The Malteser Hilfsdienst had something similiar, complete with a functioning flap:



(I don't know how long this was actually in use, though; I don't remember them wearing anything but black berets.)

[BenVK]

That Malteser Hilfsdienst cap is very appealing with the double row of stitching on the peak and twisted cord piping around the crown.

[HPL2008]

That Malteser Hilfsdienst cap is very appealing with the double row of stitching on the peak and twisted cord piping around the crown.

The photograph is a bit deceiving:

It does indeed look like cord piping in the image, but the piping is actually made from cloth whose ribbing is a bit coarser than that of the rest of the cap and running in a different direction from the cloth on the cap's body and crown.
The Red Cross cap has the same type of piping, but it looks less pronounced since the cloth appears to be identical to that used for the rest of the construction. Higher "ranks" of the Red Cross did wear silver or gold cord piping at the time, though.

(By the way, both caps are actually from the same manufacturer, Alkero.)

Here are two close-ups:

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The red cross caps are not radically dissimilar to Bw caps, actually. I own a Bw Gebirgsjaeger cap and it is almost the same. I must buy the caps I illustrated from the Forstkleidung wholesale place. Thanks for the data. Bravo that you served in the DRK/Malteser. Albert Kemp makes a lot of Bw caps, too.
Thanks for the contribution.

The Hungarian army also wears a Baschlikmuetze still because of the heritage of the double monarchy.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here one sees present day Hungarian soldiers with their Baschlikmuetzen neue Probe.

The crowns of such caps should bring joy to the hearts of "peak" obsessed collectors.

In the custom of the double monarchy, they also wear their rank on the cap.

[texasuberalles]

The reason is the same reason a German Luger pistol or an MP40 submachine gun are popular; they just "look right". Somewhat wicked and good examples of how a generic cap, pistol, or subgun should "look".

[spandau]

Gotta agree with you Ben.

It's the only cap I ever wanted as a boy and finally bought one from the Army and Navy stores after watching cross of iron for the first time.

A bundy surplus one no less.

Wish I still had it.....................................