Waffen-SS NCO? schirmutze

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Apropos quality, here is a very early C Wagner enlisted cap with a silken interior and a leather peak. The later caps from this firm were not nearly as nice.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is the interior, very similar to an officer's Sonderanfertigung cap of early make. There is no RZM nomenclature in this cap. It was the property of some Professor Dr. SS member. The cap badges were also the earlier variant upgraded with the change of same in the years 1934-6.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Compare the above image with this of an SS officer's Sonderanfertigung cap ca. 1935 for an officer.

My colleague in Arizona will warrant me that this kind of orange-ish silk was used widely in early NSDAP caps (I shall not say which " Form X..." but likely in that of Form II, if such was the first in a Reichswehr cut.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

another very early SS officer's cap of the Sonderanfertigung type (ca. 1934..?) Where are the directives, correspondence, memos etc. that governed these changes? Happy collecting.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is the general arrangement and the early RZM tag, ca. 1934, I think. It was also retailed through the RZM, which also speaks for it having been made at an early date, i.e. before the advent in 1935 of the Kleiderkasse SS.

But who really knows? What I write above is the result of piece-ing together many scattered bits.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

the interior of an early party cap courtesy Bob Coleman

[Friedrich-Berthold]

of note, this item, since 2008.....

- - Updated - -

Compare the above image with this of an SS officer's Sonderanfertigung cap ca. 1935 for an officer.

My colleague in Arizona will warrant me that this kind of orange-ish silk was used widely in early NSDAP caps (I shall not say which " Form X..." but likely in that of Form II, if such was the first in a Reichswehr cut.

In the interval, the RZM circulars are at hand and illustrate a lot about these things that I did not know fully in 2008.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This is another from Shea, very similar to that on the Gottlieb site.

It too was in nearly unworn condition. This is not the most revealing image, but I did actually look at this cap. I assume these were extra wear thingies of mid war which endured in a locker or Kammer. That is, they are not worn in combat; they are not sweated up; they lack the patina of combat.

Happy collecting...

This cap is now my property.