Veterans Association Headgear: Kyffhauserbund; RKB & NSKOV

[spandau]

Hi Mr Stonemint

Here's my veterans caps

We have in order of appearance left to right...

top row: soldatenbund, nskov, rkb 1st pattern insignia, post war kyffhauserbund
bottom row: nsrkb 1939 pattern, transitional cap, 1936 pattern nsrkb, 1936 pattern cap with rkb insignia








cheers

tony

[screensize]

Hey guys here are my two caps.
As far as I have learned from this discussion it seems to be:
RKB 1936 pattern
and NSRKB 1939 pattern
is that correct?

Left one I received in this condition, I did not change anything, right one I received without the eagle and oakleaves (I don't know how it is called in english).

Regards,
Chris

[spandau]

here' some insignia I've been after for a while that came in this week.

A veteran organisation only open to the "12 pointers" who were NCO's and could pass the civil service entrance tests.

Reichstreubund cap insignia.

This guy may have been a feldwebel in IR 37 and joined the bund once he got to his eleventh year of service to enable him to get a civil service job.







cheers

tony

[screensize]

Thanks Tony,

here are more pictures. I do not know the difference between state and national cocades

What is strange is that the "older" cap has a label "N.S. Reichskriegerbund Dienstmutze" and the printed "Deutscher Reichskriegerbund (Kyffhauser) Ges.Gesch.", while the newer cap only has a label "Kyffhauser Mutze" inside.
So the left cap is post-1938 ? I always thought it was pre 1938.

All those different Kyffhauser caps are really confusing me...
Chris

[spandau]

Hi Chris,

Don't worry about being confused because the whole area is a minefield !

There were literally thousands of soldiers organisations in the 1920's and early 1930,s, The nazi's politicised them from 1935 onwards and that's were this standardisation of uniform and badges comes from.

There were specific firms contracted to produce the caps and thats what the white label in the back of the cap shows. The printed number is the firms unique reference.
This system allowed quality control and conformity of item.

The marks on the underneath of the celluloid also show different types of design. Most have some format of the tower with kyffhauser mentioned as it was the organisations main name .
From 1938 onwards they also had a swastika 2nd emblem embossed on them.

The ones that you have are fine and all were produced after 1936 when the cap band of the tower and swastika came in.

The left cap has the pre 1939 insignia and you said it has the NSRKB sticker in the rear of the cap.

This may mean that the cap was produced after 1938 but the owner stuck with the old insignia. The other option is that the insignia has been changed round at some point. The easiest way to check is to lift the sweatband and look at the inside of cap band pasteboard (front) were the insignia is, any extra holes in it means there has been something else there at some point.

Finally, the difference between state and national cokades is that the state cockade has the colours of the individual german state on ie black for prussia cap on the right by the look of these pictures and the national cockade has the colours red, black and white as shown on cap on the left.

blimey.....hope that helps because I think I've confused myself now !!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers

tony

[spandau]

Here's a photo of all the insignia from 1935 onwards.....( not a good photo sorry)

It's display in the middle.....

top row is pre 1935
middle row is 1936-1938
bottom row 1939-1945 (well 1943 to be precise when organisation was folded)

[dean427]

Hi Tony,
Nice collect you have! Is there anything you can tell me about this 1936 pattern NSRKB that I just pick-up? If you notice the buttons for the chin strap are different than most. Is this common? Or do you think these were changed out? The buttons that you see here are attached different then just sewn on, meaning they have Two metal prongs that bend back to hold the buttons in place. Are any of you buttons on your Vet cap attached this way? The buttons look brass in the photo's but look like they might have been black at one time. Anything else you can tell me will be a big help....Thanks Dean

[screensize]

great, now I know where these buttons are from... !
I always thought these were cufflinks.

[spandau]

Dean,

Nice cap. A minty 1936 pattern (insignia) veterans visor. Looks a good one and has all the usual attributes of blue inner lining, peak with raised lip and a proper chin strap. The owners initial are AH ? ....didn't come from a bunker did it ?

The buttons you ask about are non regulation in respect that they have a swaztika but the two pin fold back buttons are common on these caps as any other. A nice touch on an original piece. Makes it stand out abit more.

I notice the following post to yours also verified the buttons existance and gave us a nice look at them off a cap.

thanks for showing !

[debbi082009]

Hi spandau. Thread #22. Your bottom visor.
This visor is wrong. Body, band an inside-diamond are correct. Its a Reichskriegerbund visor. Eagle doesnt fit to this visor and the sign with silver oaks and white center (tower and Iron cross) is from a 1960 Kyffhäuser visor (still worn by the members of actual Kyffhäuserbund)