Tough to Find and acquire

[Panzer Crewman]

Here are a couple of caps you probably won't encounter. The camouflaged field cap with original camouflaged insignia is one of five known originals worldwide. They (Dachau SS-BW) was only authorized to put the insignia on the caps for 15 days before the order was rescinded.

You will come across Waffen-SS tropical field caps but never a tropical overseas cap. This is made by Schmid & Menner and was captured in a SS clothing depot in the Linz area. Probably manufactured by slave labor at Mathausen. It has the super rare autumn camouflaged insignia. Notice the difference with the camouflaged field cap. It's insignia is block cut and machine sewn. On the tropical overseas cap, the insignia has been cut out and hand sewn.

[TrondK]

These colored insignias is not something you see everyday, and especial not still attached onto militaria.
Beautiful collection of caps you have here!

[Panzer Crewman]

Thank you, TrondK. Your statement is correct. The colored insignia is nearly impossible to find. The most common of the four pieces of camouflaged insignia is the green skull, and that is like finding chicken's teeth. The hardest to find is either piece of the autumn camouflage. The tropical cap eagle is also very difficult to find. They just didn't make a lot of it. Imagine coming out with an order from SS-HQ authorizing camouflaged insignia for the camouflaged field cap. The acquisition process is not quick and immediate. A clothing or insignia manufacturer has to be identified. Once a contract is in place, the manufacturer can begin, but they need to identify who can provide the colored thread. They've gone through and approved of the exact shade of green and brown. Now, which company out there can provide it. Once the thread is produced and shipped to the clothing or insignia manufacturer, they can begin. The manufacturer may or may not have had to design, get approval for, the insignia itself. When all of this comes together, and even under the Nazi system, which was an organizational nightmare, the insignia can be produced, inspected, packaged and shipped to SS-BW. At Dachau SS-BW, they've had to make a place in their human assembly lines to apply the insignia. They get started and WHAM! SS-HQ changes their minds and rescinds the order. So very few camouflaged caps ever saw camouflaged insignia. The manufacturer did not release the unused insignia so it never got field applied. Somehow the autumn insignia got to Schmid & Menner, probably through the contract process whereby the SS provided the insignia.

[Panzer Crewman]

Here are some Waffen-SS service caps on the "Not Easily Found" list. The cap without insignia is an SS-VT cap. My European friends get first look-see. Enjoy.

[TrondK]

Do you know for how long period of time they produced and attached these camoflage on the caps?

Btw, great Visors. I need to get myself one of each down the road.

[Panzer Crewman]

The official order covered 1 December 1942 to 15 December 1942. I'm speculating here but the contracts, designs, materials, shipping, upgrade to production line, etc. had to have been done before the official order came out. You couldn't do all the things I put up above in that windbag post of mine. It takes preparation time to get started. I'm speculating that camouflaged field caps manufactured during those 15 days got the camouflaged insignia. Everything was in place on 1 December 1942 and the order was given to proceed. So the order really only impacted KZ Dachau.

[Panzer Crewman]

More goodies. Legal officer cap named to man in SS-Hauptamt. The SS general's service cap made by RZM-approved tailor in Vienna.

[CBH]

Beautiful rare items you have there , thank you very much for sharing your treasures with us .

[Silberkreuz]

Hello Willi,

Your collection and knowledge of the hobby is a great addition to our forum.
Please keep us entertained with many more of your toys.

Love your very rare camo's and of course your SS GENERALS MORE

Best Colin

[harryamb2]

wow