The cap fan poll

[Frog]

F-B:

Thanks kindly; you have inspired many of us, for sure.

As a final shot, here is the whole liner of the A1/15 cap; the sweatshield is gone:

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is another example of a cap so stamped. In this case, what one does not see much at all: an officer's cap.

Thanks for your visual essay on the SS Totenkopfverbaende pieces.

I am happy to have had what I hope is a beneficial impact.

Surely others on other sites spread doubt, foster envy, and otherwise act in an irresponsible manner behind the shroud of the computer screen.

This officer's hat only appeared briefly and never turned up again. Some pieces do that.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

other things of note. Of course, we are likely cutting our own throats by doing this here, since this site is now more popular than some, and the Arschl@ch fakers will copy all my careful research, and that of my friends. The caps with the VA stamp are the exception and not the rule in my experience. Also, many of these enlisted caps were actually not issued and "auf Kammer" where they remained until souvenir hunters found them.

[Frog]

Quite unexpected, at least to me.

Did these (perhaps) recently-promoted chaps stop by the PX on their way to the front?

[Friedrich-Berthold]

It is impossible to know precisely, but I think the bulk of black uniforms from the part timers in the Allgemeine SS were purchased by the member in a brauner Laden versus the issue pieces for units for those in barracks on the national versus the party budget, as was the case with the SSVT and the SSTV. The latter enlisted ranks got issued a uniform, as in regular military service, I imagine, and such pieces were stamped. At least this is my interpretation of the SS adaptation of the military system of property management/quartermaster. Officers of all branches of the SS were Selbsteinkleider, i.e. they got a clothing allowance to buy their own uniforms and equipment, ergo the Kleiderkasse SS also a part of the Verwaltungsamt SS.

The SSTV by 1938 was financed by non party sources, i.e. the ministry of the interior, I think.
The Kaienburg book on the SS Wirtschaft is especially informative on this score.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Viz: read it and join the handful who actually understand what is going on here.... I have cited this book numerous times.

[Frog]

A jest on my part; this information most helpful. Even today this is true; my son, an Army 1LT and Company XO, had the option of a private-purchase visor for his dress uniform, as I understand it. Forgive the sentimentality, but here we are at his wedding two years ago:

[Friedrich-Berthold]

You can be very proud of your son, and his fine record as a leader of his troops in combat. Such is fully more important than our musings about some old clothes. I have many colleagues and comrades at arms, and I am proud of them, too, but they are not my kith and kin.
Thanks for the nice image.

[history-buff1944]

I went against the grain here and voted for Army-since that's where my focusing for my collection is in. Also, as I can't afford W-SS or Allgemeine--I stick with an area that's cheaper to collect in. I had three different caps from diff branches at one time, an LW M-42 Offz Cap, a KM Uboat Officers Schiffchen and an Artillery Off peaked visored cap. I traded one of the caps away some years ago.

An interesting note about my KM Officers Overseas cap-is that the man who originally wore it-was a Leutnant Ing-serving on a Uboat. Well, the cap itself if an Enlistedmans overseas cap with the officers piping on it. That Vet told me that this was how he got it when he got it from a Kriegsmarine Uniform Dpeot in France in 1944 before they went on one of their longest war patrols-which took them to Asia. Anyway, this Enlisted "upgrade to Oficer" grade-happened to be the only type of overseas cap available at that moment in time-so he bought it as he needed another cap. This cap also comes with the metallic eagle and kocarde and such. Anyway, he gave it to me for my birthday back in 2003. Can't complain about that at all.

[S.Vestae]

thanks all for your participation here,
F.B thanks for your explication and pic, great !
28 votes, how many explications ?
Sebastien.