SA Kepi Gruppe Warthe

[Aldo]

My latest addition is this iconic SA Kepi which I believe pertains to Gruppe Warthe. The cap is in nicely worn condition. The most surprising element of the cap is the matching colored grommets. On my SA Kepi group Südmark, the grommets are tan, not painted to match the color of the felt.

description courtesy of IMA

"Blue felt top. This indicates use by the SA Gruppe Warthe, named for Reichsgau Wartheland. Originally known as Reichsgau Posen, this was a NSDAP German Reichsgau formed from parts of Polish territory annexed in 1939 during World War II. It comprised the region of Greater Poland and adjacent areas. Parts of Warthegau matched the similarly named pre-Versailles Prussian province of Posen. The name was initially derived from the capital city, Posen (Poznań), and later from the main river, Warthe (Warta)."

[Aldo]

[ErWeSa]

An ODD (Otto/Oskar Dittmann/Dresden) product? Do the initials on this cap remind us of somebody?

[Aldo]

An ODD (Otto/Oskar Dittmann/Dresden) product? Do the initials on this cap remind us of somebody?

Yes, LOL I knew you would catch it

[ErWeSa]

Al, what is the material in the red circle? Any pictures from behind the sweatband?



ODD wasn't one of the most precise producers, as it seems (yet the cap is a gem!)

[Aldo]

That's the RZM tag sticking out. I agree it's peculiar in the small details. Behind the sweatband it's also not very neat.

[Aldo]

It has found a home

[ErWeSa]

Al, thank you for the pictures! I have always been admiring the old master cap makers - even if they didn't work with perfect precision they still are light years better than everyone trying to copy these caps today. Presently I am trying to reproduce (apart from the German visor caps) Austrian Monarchy's caps - which is a challenge (for me) as you need to construct an asymetiric (lower at the front than at the back) conic section.

How only did (some of) the master cap makers do it? And why do we still admire the elegant outcomes of their work?

I'd love to measure this one in your collection:

[Aldo]

That's a late war Pekuro made out of a very coarse wool. It has a natural built in saddle shape. I'd be glad to provide any details you need if you email me

[ivbaust]

Nice kepi! Congrats!

Could it be that the kepi is from the SA group „Hessen“ and the color is marine blue (instead of Warthe and cornflower blue)? The cornflower blue is a very bright blue. In the below photo one can see the two different blue colors.