Luftwaffe tropical M41 officer's cloth billed field cap

[Bob Lyons]

I know these caps can be tricky to call, so interested in getting some comments re this cap, it came from a very well known and respected
DAK collector and author who lives in New Zealand. He picked the cap up via another NZ collector who obtained it from a long standing UK based
collection in the 60's.

The cap is extremely well made, the rivets are correct, and do appear in wartime caps like this, a brass base on a metal grommet. The insignia I think is original.

The cap has no centre seam running down the top of the cap like Heer examples do. Cap has a short bill similar to Mountain Troops caps.

All the stitching is straight, and machined, except of course, for the stitching on the cockade, which is hand applied.

The Erel Logo has me beat, and I think this is the sticking point, but Erel did contract out to other smaller makers, and just supplied parts, so maybe it is OK.

All up, the cap is superbly done, but I have never handled one of these before, so certainly welcome your thoughts ... (I think it is a good cap, and made for a higher
ranked Luftwaffe officer that possibly wore it in Italy during the latter stages of the war).

Best wishes

Bob

[Bob Lyons]

I know tropical caps can be contentious, especially Luftwaffe examples, as they weren't as rigidly controlled as the Heer or KM examples were.

Here are a few more detailed photos....


Bob

[asterperious]

Could the owner have installed a sweatshield from a visor cap over top the cloth label and it has nothing to do with it's manufacturing origin - customization for comfort, style etc? No sweat stains in the crown external - especially if he was bald and in the Med?

[Bob Lyons]

Could the owner have installed a sweatshield from a visor cap over top the cloth label and it has nothing to do with it's manufacturing origin - customization for comfort, style etc? No sweat stains in the crown external - especially if he was bald and in the Med?

Cap could be made by a smaller cap manufacturer, and the parts for the cap supplied via Erel, (thus the size stamp and the logo), and cap possibly worn later in the war in a tropical region
such as Italy.....

[Bob Lyons]

I got this in via an e-mail this afternoon from the collector/author who moved it on to me, which I found very interesting, the comments below are from a US based DAK collector who is also very well
known in the field of collecting DAK tunics/caps etc.

"I forgot to mention that XXXX thought the cap would most likely have been made as part of a uniform, not just a cap ordered on its own. When XXXX started collecting in Germany during the 1950s he advertised in the local press (his father was an officer in the US Army of occupation and XXXX used to spend summer university vacations with his father in Germany) looking to buy WWII uniforms etc. He told me the cap reminded me of private purchase officer uniforms he had seen in Germany".

Bob

[Jerry B]

I don't ever remember seeing a Trop cap with a sweatshield in it before. I thought there was some debate about tropical backed bullion eagles?

Have you had any comments from the big two from down under or John H on WAF?

[Bob Lyons]

I don't ever remember seeing a Trop cap with a sweatshield in it before. I thought there was some debate about tropical backed bullion eagles?

Have you had any comments from the big two from down under or John H on WAF?

It came from the man I think you are referring to from 'Down Under', and he is firm on his opinion that it is correct, but John H disagrees, he doesn't like the sweat diamond....


Bob

[Jerry B]

It came from the man I think you are referring to from 'Down Under', and he is firm on his opinion that it is correct, but John H disagrees, he doesn't like the sweat diamond....


Bob

It sounds like Bob that you already have better opinions than mine.

It sure looks good and real high quality, but sadly that is not enough these days.

You know how it is with not text book items, some will and some wont.

[wizardman]

Personally i like it..has a very good shape that i havent seen on copies.. i would hold out on this till someone really pins it down as being fake..jmo

[Bob Lyons]

It sounds like Bob that you already have better opinions than mine.

It sure looks good and real high quality, but sadly that is not enough these days.

You know how it is with not text book items, some will and some wont.

Thanks Jerry, and yes what you say is true, and wizardman thanks too, I have been right over it, and if they were knocking out fakes like this in the early 1960's then
they must have had a darned good eye way back then, as they have gone backwards since then with repro's since it seems.... Yes I will treat it as good unless some one
can come up with some good argument against it...

Thanks for your time to give the cap a good look over,

Best wishes

Bob