Article about: As a somewhat novice cloth headgear collector, I only have the Gary Wilkins book as well as Volume 3 of Headgear of Hitler’s Germany…not extensive enough to answer my question, thus I th
As a somewhat novice cloth headgear collector, I only have the Gary Wilkins book as well as Volume 3 of Headgear of Hitler’s Germany…not extensive enough to answer my question, thus I thought I’d ask this here.
As a collector who is also a reenactor, I sometimes am in need of reproduction headgear for obvious reasons.
I was recently shopping for a Janke reproduction visor and noticed a variety of branch-piped and colored SS caps on the Extra Klasse website; of these caps; many I have never seen original examples of.
Just to name a few examples:
W-SS crushers with an array of waffenfarbe such as medical, transport, signals, etc. (I know that even a white-piped crusher is ultra rare and that other piping was only authorized for a small period of time).
White-top SS visors in doeskin wool (For these I have only seen trikot weave examples without piping, and some pictures of black-piped trikot caps for the Olympics).
Are these purely fantasy items? Has anyone seen original examples of such items either in person, books, literature, or period photographs?
Forgive me if this is not an appropriate place for such a question. I admire the vast knowledge I see in this forum, thus I wanted to ask the experts.
Many of these existed - the white topped WSS caps (see Wim's 2nd volume Headgear books) with white pipings with non-removeable tops as well as such with removeable tops made of marcella. They are, hoewever, the exception to the rule. Many were made on special order contrary to regulations.
WSS "crusher" caps with piping other than white shouldn't have existed - there was the short period you mentioned when Waffenfarbe piping was allowed for visor caps but at that time the "Feldmütze alter Art" didn't officially exist no longer (which doesn't mean that somebody had it made by a cap maker and wore it, contrary to all regulations). If you search the internet you'll find original pictures of many of these "fantasies", they did exist, although they shouldn't have - for what reasons ever.
You can also search for pictures of such caps here on the forum, there is a special thread for it here:
Thank you so much for the links to those other threads! It seems the SS waffenfarbe was discussed ad nauseam and I have already learned a few things by reading the first few pages of discussion.
I will certainly have a look at your site! Thanks!
Fantasy Items?
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