Time for a bit of collecting history.
As most everyone is aware, during his DAK days, Rommel was almost always wearing a pair of goggles on his Erel visor hat.
Back in the day, a lot of collectors assumed they were standard WH issue:
Rommel's Goggles
Time for a bit of collecting history.
As most everyone is aware, during his DAK days, Rommel was almost always wearing a pair of goggles on his Erel visor hat.
Back in the day, a lot of collectors assumed they were standard WH issue:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
In actuality, they were British made and issued Anti-gas goggles.
They are quite flimsy in construction, and came in both clear and tinted plastic:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
In the 1970's a US company called "Unique Imports" out of Alexandria, VA began to sell them in various magazines as "Rommel's Goggles".
Here is a page from their catalog:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
They came with a brochure showing Rommel wearing them in various photos:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
They are really flimsy, and back in the 70's, even when I put them on my visors, they never looked quite like Rommel's....
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
They get their shape from 2 snaps on either side.
Here, Rommel snapped them incorrectly, and he is wearing them inside-out (the white at the top is the felt strip that is supposed to rest against the forehead):
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
As we know, the German army was fashion-conscious, and Rommel started a trend.
Here are other DAK officers wearing them on a crusher and and a tropical cap (note the officer wearing the tropical cap has the tinted goggles):
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
They attached a pair of "Rommel goggles" to his Normandy visor for display at the Muenster Panzer Museum--however, I don't believe he ever wore them with this hat:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
DAK Officers wearing the goggles on their tropical caps:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
Ritter v. Thoma was wearing these goggles at the time of his surrender to Montgomery:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
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