black SS officer's cap

[BenVK]

while I do not wish to endorse dealers etc as a rule, these items I have enclosed here are authentic in my opinion.

This dealer has certainly found some very nice examples.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This dealer has certainly found some very nice examples.

These caps come from a large, old dormant collection, which, as I have written elsewhere, is the true cornucopia versus the fairy stories about veterans and their treasure troves. They did not come from the local branch of the SS Kleiderkasse. I have no commercial interest in this piece nor is it from my collection, either. My only point is to illustrate pieces I deem to be real for the use of others. I also have no interest in the ups and downs of dealers and collectors, and the love/hate relationships qua Hatfield and McCoy feuds that are the center of most of these websites as part of the idiotic Zeitgeist. When I was a wee tyke there was next to no way to see real stuff save by accident, and I am not certain that the present richness of images has necessarily improved the world. In many ways, I long for the innocence and the past and its opaque glow versus the utter confusion of the present. I own more than one cap of this type, the first of which I got about 40 years ago...for what little such is worth. Maybe they are all fake? Or made by widows in the rubble of 1946 for the black market.....or maybe they came from Mars.

sapere aude.

[BenVK]

FB, did you ever happen to find any documentation in regards to black interiors for Officers caps? I'm wondering why and when the decision was made to use black for these particular caps which is quite an unusual choice of colour for a lining.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

FB, did you ever happen to find any documentation in regards to black interiors for Officers caps? I'm wondering why and when the decision was made to use black for these particular caps which is quite an unusual choice of colour for a lining.

I have no such documents of the era. In fact, as you know, the Kaps/Neisse caps you like often have a black lining, and so do others of my experience.

The uniforms are lined in black, so I guess they did the same for the officer's caps, I guess.

The main point is the distinction between the higher quality cap with the runics and silken lining and the ordinary cap with the black lining.

But the persons, dates and events in which these decisions were made are lost to time.

The Herstellungsvorschriften d RZM lay down many details of headwear, but N O N E for the SS. I looked. That is why we need Saris here, as he is the boss of these files. Maybe colleague Derek has an idea, too?

[BenVK]

In fact, as you know, the Kaps/Neisse caps you like often have a black lining, and so do others of my experience.

Yes indeed, Kaps would rank very highly on my list and interestingly, choose to simply emboss the logo directly on the lining material and sweatband. A touch of class in my book.

[BenVK]

They did not come from the local branch of the SS Kleiderkasse.

Interesting that you should say that. I think most people would assume that the Runes printed, RZM marked and tagged caps would be Kleiderkasse supplied garments, no?

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Interesting that you should say that. I think most people would assume that the Runes printed, RZM marked and tagged caps would be Kleiderkasse supplied garments, no?

My point was that said dealer did not get them at the Kleiderkasse. Many of the pieces I have seen were retailed via the RZM, or from a brauner Laden (see my other posts...) in addition to the Kleiderkasse. See the images in the file on Muetzenfabriken. The objects on the site are part of a huge, old and promising collection filled with many remarkable items.

Riddles in questions within enigmas, and the answers to most we shall never, ever know....

[BenVK]

Understood!

A pm has headed your way.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Understood!

A pm has headed your way.

Ben VK is surely a pillar of this and other sites and all his doings here have made us all better souls, with less forehead pressure and with happier prospects of having a wonderful collection. He is an able student of this material, shares his knowledge in a pleasant manner, and can even relieve forehead pressure with the best of them! He sets a fine example that others can well emulate.

We salute him.

I wish I could find all the original documents that would unveil the definitive answers to the questions we pose of the past, but I am unable to do so. I rather think that someone has done the work, or someone could do the work, with much patience and skill. Some of these issues defy any answer in the sense that you or I might seek them, which is just as well. The imponderables have a certain poetry to them, especially in our age of cut and dried lists and a false certainty that is a chimera.

[BenVK]

I have this photo on file, apologies, I do not remember where it came from.

Surely the evolution behind the design of these style caps came from previous tradional ideals of dashing Cavalrymen and "sports" horsemen and their preference for lighweight yet stylish headgear that would be supple enough to take a few falls and knocks.
I do think the term "crusher" in terms of folding them up to place in a kitbag or pocket is a total misnomer whether it happened or not. That wasn't the primary function.

As you can see with this example, it's evident that the metal spring is still present to hold the shape around the top of the cap. Contary to popular belief, the metal spring was not always removable, some were sewn into the cap and to remove it would mean destroying the cap.