Nazi ideology surely played a role in UM, all assertions to the contrary notwithstanding. Here is a laudatio to Ernst Hoffmann, the head of the Vereingung der deutschen Muetzenindustrie e.V. and a forty year veteran of the firm of his father G.A. Hoffmann in which his role in nazifying the cap industry is extolled, as well as his efforts to expel Jews from the textile trade. This article confirms the self evident aspect of our little thread here. In Berlin especially, this phenomenon would have been especially pronounced, and shows, too, how forces in politics, and society were present in our interest.
Not an especially pretty article, and much mention is made here of the desire to return cap making to its guild and estate basis versus the methods of modern capitalism, i.e. the methods of the Jews.
But in the course of time, and as the possibility of inflation asserted itself with the heating up of the economy after 1936, price controls were enacted on NSDAP and other party head wear. Do recall that Germany had cartels, that is, that the free market did not operate as the Milton Friedman people tell us.
By the way, this phenomenon accounts for the decline in the quality of some caps in the later 1930s, or at least is a partial reason.
The Wilkins book surely makes a start at a project that is likely much complex than many of our hobbyists believe possible.
It is not unreasonable to assume that if the town had a garrison, and tailors, that there also existed hat makers as well as the cap industry as cooperative i.e. Lago. Someone has to do the order of battle of these organizations, in addition merely to tallying up the "known makers." This is why all the data in UM is so significant. You cannot get there from here merely taking all the images from Shea's sight and assuming that this tranche somehow includes all of reality. It is a flawed historical method.
The place to start, really, is with the Handbuch d. RZM. That would be the baseline, and surely it is more than is in Wilkins.
I think in the UMs it mentions how many headwear makers were issued licenses.
The other place are these Nazi organizations in industry and the crafts in the DAF or NSBO or whatever, focused on the cap industry and craft, and there, too, in addition to the RZM would you find the data you seek.
The collector tope totally over focuses on Lubstein, which in UM is not an especially noteworthy presence. One gets the sense that they put more effort into Tschakos and Thale helmets as into the caps for the Heereskleiderkasse. The fact is that the German Army was the dominant service. The adverts of Kupper and Wagner are far more frequent in UM in the years 1935-1939 than are those of Lubstein. What does that mean?
I am a scold, Mr. Chris, for which I apologize, but you need a sabbatical in Germany, and to hire a research assistant in the Bundesarchiv to find what you want.
No, I need a scolding now and then, given the fact that what I have been attempting to do is the historical equivalent of "reverse engineering", despite the fact that I was trained to do otherwise as a history major in college.
I need a 2-year sabbatical--1 year to study and learn German, then a year to research. Unfortunately, my chosen profession does not lend itself to such endeavors.
Brings to mind that old question, "why is education wasted on the young?"
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
No, I need a scolding now and then, given the fact that what I have been attempting to do is the historical equivalent of "reverse engineering", despite the fact that I was trained to do otherwise as a history major in college.
I need a 2-year sabbatical--1 year to study and learn German, then a year to research. Unfortunately, my chosen profession does not lend itself to such endeavors.
Brings to mind that old question, "why is education wasted on the young?"
Dear Mr. Chris, to each his own, as Frederick II said. Your role in these sites has been as a leader. You have done very well with the reverse engineering as far as this method can take us. It is ONE avenue to the truth, and we must follow several.
The UM has allowed me to substantiate what I always intuitively knew to be true after many years with German economic history, as well as professional life there alert to these things, to the extent that one can see them decades later.
Thanks for your leading role and I am sure there is far more to find in all of this than we think.
Re: Muetzenfabrik
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by Friedrich-Berthold
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