Polizei Crusher Feldmutze Alter Art

[Richard P]

Well...as much as I hate to be disagreeable, I am on the subject of the posted Police crushers, and Po crushers in general.

I for one, and maybe the only one, can find no serious fault with Winkler's cap. Do I like the way the insignia is set up...not really, but it was not up to me. If authentic, it was up to the maker/owner. The placement was probably meant to be more like the typical Po visor cap, where the insignia is always offset above the cap band. I really do not see a big stretch with this cap's insignia placement or type, due to the scarcity of Po crusher insignia.

The Po crusher eagles are, I believe, quite scarce. I doubt if there was much of a supply of them even in WWII. I do not see much of a stretch to put an officers flatwire overseas cap insignia on the crusher. I think it more logical than the metal insignia, which is what I have seen in most period photos.

I do have a Po crusher with the correct Po crusher special insignia. I have never seen another like it. I think they are quite rare in this form. Anyone is free to question it's authenticity of course. There was a rather large discussion on the WA Forum when a strip of 12 of the crusher eagles was discovered. Many called them fake, but they sure as heck sold fast, and the original seller won't even respond to me as he has a few left, and I said I would like just one, and name your price.

The following is my research on the Wallmann produced Po crusher offered by Winkler. I searched and found info on it's rather obscure maker, etc. Besides being a hat maker he also worked in leather and fur, hence his title "Kurschnermeister". Winkler also had for sale another very early Po visor and some envelopes from the Wallman firm. In th eWinkler Archives there was a Heer EM visor cap from Wallmann. One envelope was from the RZM Ministry...interesting. These items were all from an old collection that Winkler's updates are coming from, and the collector actually lived in the same city as the Wallmann firm.

What follows are various photos in support of the things I have brought up.

Richard

[Richard P]

2. Here are two more period photos, one already posted, but now enlarged. Those insignia in the second photo sure look awful flat for metal insignia when enlarged.

[Richard P]

3. Crusher from the Stefanob collection and a loose Po crusher eagle.

[Richard P]

4. My Po crusher, and a close up of the same type eagle machine sewn to the cap band during construction.

[Richard P]

5. Two more views.

[Richard P]

6. Standard mounting of metal Po insignia on a standard visor...note the position.

Wallmann label in an a Heer infantry visor.

[Richard P]

7. Another Wallmann produced early Po visor with yet another label.

[Richard P]

8. Close up of Wallmann label and an envelope from the RZM.

[Richard P]

9. Two more Wallmann envelopes.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Richard, all interesting stuff. Thanks for posting it.

Cheers, Ade.