M43 Luftwaffe Einheitsfeldmutze

[piw]

I have an immaculate luftwaffe M43 cap for sale which came from Gerard at Relic Hunter if anyone is interested!

[BenVK]

Luftwaffe M 43 Caps - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

Well worth taking the time to look through this thread which shows many Luftwaffe M43's. What stands out is how many are RB or RF numbered, probably 90% of them.

[Canuck63]

Luftwaffe M 43 Caps - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

Well worth taking the time to look through this thread which shows many Luftwaffe M43's. What stands out is how many are RB or RF numbered, probably 90% of them.

Yep,but apart from the fact that many uber-fakes (be they caps,awards,daggers,PARA and Luftwaffe CAMO HELMETS,schirmmutzen aso) have been pushed by the "usual suspects",i.e. the same ol' gang of WAF "cognoscenti",the fact that this caps lack a RFNr,a RBNr or an "Ersteller" means nothing to ME since at least a dozen WH/LF M43s out of my collection and coming straight from the woodwork only have a size stamping and no makers name or code of any sort.
If Jay passes on it and the seller agrees on taking it back should I deem it a repro I'm more than ready and willing to buy it,and rests assured that once in my hands it would undergo a thorough hands-on inspection looking for all those details I (we all!) want to see on an M43 and then some!I'm 90% confident that this cap could turn itself a keeper...and I like the Italian WW2 herringbone rayon...almost impossible fo be found these days and not produced after WW2.
Further...IMHO this cap could as well have been made in Northern Italy or Austria.
This is one of those case in which having the item in your hands before returning a verdict is mandatory!
Cheers
Manny

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Guys, I was a little bit on the fence when I first saw this one, hence my initial lack of reply. I was interested to see what others thought of it. I think I would pass on it going by these photos. To me, the quality of the wool looks just too good.

Cheers, Ade.

[LondonJay]

I would like to thank everyone for their excellent input
I've just e-mailed the seller to make sure 100% that they will take it back so it's in their court but they're away for a few weeks so we'll have to wait on this one!
Thanks once again.
Jay

[BenVK]

Hey Manny, it's not like you to say controversial things!!

Seriously though and leaving aside what the "usual suspects" get up to I'm sure you'd would agree with me that this cap is not your typical Luftwaffe M43 and could be a risky proposition to most collectors that don't have the experience with them as you do. I'd include myself in that group as well. Never handled anything made from this Regia Aeronautica bright blue HBT.

If you've got time, it would be cool if you could post a thread regarding Italian materials and their use in TR garements. It's a very undocumented subject. I spent some time trying to find another Luft M43 cap with the same lining but couldn't find any right now but I know I have seen one or two before. I did find this Fliegerbluse on WAF though which looks fine to me although it's not my area at all.

[Canuck63]

Hey Manny, it's not like you to say controversial things!!

Seriously though and leaving aside what the "usual suspects" get up to I'm sure you'd would agree with me that this cap is not your typical Luftwaffe M43 and could be a risky proposition to most collectors that don't have the experience with them as you do. I'd include myself in that group as well. Never handled anything made from this Regia Aeronautica bright blue HBT.


If you've got time, it would be cool if you could post a thread regarding Italian materials and their use in TR garements. It's a very undocumented subject. I spent some time trying to find another Luft M43 cap with the same lining but couldn't find any right now but I know I have seen one or two before. I did find this Fliegerbluse on WAF though which looks fine to me although it's not my area at all.

That would be an interesting topic Ben."Liberated" Italian lining material has been thoroughly used in the last two years of the War,when the Germans came to visit the "Bel Paese" in masses LOL!
I should gather tunics,caps,trousers and coats and that would be a hell of a job but I'd be glad to do that.Please consider that The Italian Army/Air Force/Navy put an incredible array of different materials to good use after 1936 (the Country was sanctioned and anything useful was used...my mom used to knit gloves and sweaters at school for the soldiers with artificial/recycled wool called "Lanital",which stands for Lana Italiana,i.e. Italian Wool!),including nettle,which was used to produce the (in)famous "Panno Ortica" (Nettle cloth) hated like hell by Italian Soldiers earlier and German ones later but paradoxally loved by the collectors today...me for one! It's coarse,rough,stiff,cold (it's made of vegetal fibers mixed to recycled and artificial wool) yet oh-so fascinating..............we're a bunch of weirdo,aren't we?LOL
Cheers
Manny

[BenVK]

we're a bunch of weirdo,aren't we?

Very much so according to my girlfriend!

[LondonJay]

my wife concurs with that statement too!!!!
Jay

[Canuck63]

my wife concurs with that statement too!!!!
Jay

I must be one lucky fella then...when I sold my collection my girlfriend said that I was doing the wrong thing...but when I told her that I had kept twenty complete mannequins in the other house's war-room her eyes glowed!Hey,wait a minute.....MY GF's a WEIRDO....WEIRDESS....SHE-WEIRDO....one of US!!!!!