colored piping on cap, 1943...Sturbannfuehrer Bochmann

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is an image of a Waffen SS Panzer ace from what appears to be 1943, and one plainly sees the tell tale colored piping on his cap. An image intended to irritate purists. This image is from the Bundesarchiv, which especially for the year 1943 has a lot of Waffen SS pictures in which field caps for officers with a peak loom large in the display.

[BenVK]

Great photo. Notice how he's had the cap shaped so it leans over to one side. A very popluar thing to do it seems.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks for the addenda. My point with this image is to suggest that, though this cap was officially only permitted for wear in 1940, this cap plainly is from somewhat later. The question being in my mind: when was this cap made? Because of rationing of textiles and the cussedness of service, this cap well could have been compelled to soldier on for several years beyond the wear out period (which were abolished by this time and then some), but none of us knows for sure. It may well be that this cap was made later, still. This image with its date (in context with the Kursk battle...) is a kind of footnote.

If you look at the SS Totenkopfdivision images from 1943 in the Bundesarchiv, I almost wonder if some of the old style field caps most sought by collectors were not made in the Etappe of occuppied Russia by other than German craftsmen.

Surely someone can furnish us more data on relevant movements and garrisons of this unit, which I am ashamed to say I do not have at my finger tips. I know many of you do, however.


Do examine all the images together en suite.

There are also images in the 1943 file with colored piping beyond the Bochmann image I have furnished here.

[S.Vestae]

more detail Phil !!! please

the cap of Ben is incredible, I have seen more details in waf in the past, just fantastic...

thank you
Sebastien.

[vady]

terrific pipes and commentary. so very nice to see a piped em one, too - especially for Pz.! I guess old newspaper clips folded inside helped this one to "soldier on," eh, FB?

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Here is another image of Sturmbannfuehrer Bochmann and his cap.

Thanks for the additional data.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The Riefkogel cap, known to some....

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The PZ cap ex the Mollo collection, the original property of Boehmer

[Friedrich-Berthold]

This man known to you all, Tychsen, whose cap is likely also piped in Rosa versus white, I imagine. Again, this image is dated 1943. This being said, there are many, many fake Waffen SS caps with colored piping, that is a simple fact. But also true, and possibly of no relevance, these caps were plainly worn past what the secondary literature indicates was their permitted window of use.

[stonemint]

Count me among the small minority who believes they were produced after 1940. They also continued to be worn up to the end of the war. The problem is that SS color-pipes are faked more than any other TR visor hat, so there is a presumption of guilt before innocence. The really good fakes are Frankenstein WH conversions.

Doug O on the WAF has 2 good color pipes, one being a Cavalry NCO (with a pic in wear by the original SS man), and a Kaps Pz, if I recall correctly. Although I have not inspected either, I did see detailed pics and gave them a thumbs up.

Some people do not like the Riefkogel visor either, mainly because of the seam in the wool below the bottom ring of piping. Having seen this done many times on other visors, to me that is meaningless.

The problem with the study of visors is that a lot of people limit themselves to just one organisation (ie, SS)--to be a true student of TR haberdashery, one has to look at the visors of the Imperial, Weimar, and immediate DDR/BRD, not to mention the visors of other organisations (ie, Reichsbahn, Postschutz, DAF, etc) and by manufacturers. Then, one has to study the ground-up fakes, such as Dr Breuer's products. Simply put, way too many opinions are formed in isolation.