A Common but Rare Schirmmütze

[stonemint]

(Yes, the title is oxymoronic.) Probably one of the most common visor of the Third Reich is for the Fire Services organisations, the Feuerwehr. There were 2 separate branches: The Freiwillige Feuerwehr (volunteer fire departments) and the Berufsfeuerwehr, or professional (ie, full-time) fire fighters (the latter being in the larger towns/cities).

Feuerwehr visors are often mistakenly rebadged and sold as Reichsbahn. However, Feuerwehr used carmine piping, whereas the DRB used red.

This hat is rare for a few reasons. The first is that it was worn only for a short time, up to 1934. It is Third Reich production, but you will note that it has no eagle/wreath/swastika. What it has is the national cockade on top, and the Prussian cockade (black/white) on bottom. By 1934, the cockade would have been removed and replaced with the first style police eagle/wreath:

[stonemint]

The second reason that it is rare is that it was not converted (either by the original owner or an unscrupulous dealer/collector) into either a 1934 or 1936 FW visor by removing the Prussian cockade:

[stonemint]

The other reason for its rarity is that it survived in stonemint condition for the past 80 years, unmolested and untouched, and probably stored in a footlocker in a dry attic somewhere in Deutschland.

The leather chinstrap signifies an NCO rank:

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The wool is Prussian Blue doeskin (in contrast to the later TR FW caps):

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It is a high-quality cap for an NCO piece. Sweatband is leather, and it has a waterproof lining:

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This uses the 1/2 moon Stirndruckfrei system--it only exists at the front of the cap:

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The rear has no cushion. Note that it is hand-sewn, which is rare to see in later TR visors:

[stonemint]

& this is a maker I have never encountered before. He used the logo of the Cuirassiers of the Guard (under the Kaiser of WW1), "Suum Cuique", which means "To each his own."

He couples it with a medical staff, or caduceus (which is also a symbol of commerce):

[stonemint]

This is an anomaly--there are 2 threads at the back which are original to the hat. I have no idea why they are there, but they may have held the price tag, stock code, or something else, but would have (presumably) been removed at the point of sale:

[stonemint]

Last pic: "brothers in arms" (or firehoses). These 2 hats are separated by 10 years. The one on the left is a wartime Erel Feuerwehr--note the higher peak and the much darker blue wool body, along with the M-36 insignia: