Wehrmacht / Gebirgsjager Mountain Troop M43 Cap

[Rossi]

Hello Guys,

Curious on your thoughts in regards to this M43 Cap. Thinking of picking it up for my Gebirgsjager display. I know these are hard to come by and they are not something I know a great deal about. This one from the threads I have seen and research I have done does look to be a good one with some small issues with mothing and discoloration. Later war production with Rb. Nr number inside lining. Overall seems to be 100%. Please opine if you would with your thoughts. Thanks in advance. Rossi

[Danmark]

I guess the thing to determine is whether the badge is original to the cap or if it has been added later .....

[Rossi]

I guess the thing to determine is whether the badge is original to the cap or if it has been added later .....

Thanks Dan. There is some wear only on the tip of the Edelweiss and some plating loss. I am curious as well if it was reapplied during period or after.

[ErWeSa]

Is it just my screen or does the cover and the left sidepanel (seen from behind) have a different colour than the rest? Seems to be a different fabric altogether.
The longer I look at it the worse my feeling gets - hope I am wrong, but how come that the buttons + button holes look brand new whereas the fabric (particularly of the bill) is quite worn?

[Rossi]

Is it just my screen or does the cover and the left sidepanel (seen from behind) have a different colour than the rest? Seems to be a different fabric altogether.

I think one side is faded and likely was displayed in sunlight or exposed but that is a guess from the pictures or it is simply stained. I am not sold on this piece and I am thinking of holding out for a better looking example without the mothing, fading and issues I can see.

[Kohima]

Certainly not fading, which would never occur so precisely.
The right side panel (as worn), is a completely different shade of fabric. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it all appears to have been assembled at the same time (rather than a repair or restoration). It may simply be a later production example, using up off-cuts of cloth.
The thing I find strange is the partially obscured Rb.Nr. I can’t think of a reason for that.

With this being an otherwise standard M43, rather than the specific Gebirgsjäger type, there is a fair chance that the edelweiss is a post-war addition - and one that is difficult to prove either way.

All that said, if it is a genuinely late-war, multi-colour assemblage, it’s certainly an interesting example.

[Rossi]

Certainly not fading, which would never occur so precisely.
The right side panel (as worn), is a completely different shade of fabric. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it all appears to have been assembled at the same time (rather than a repair or restoration). It may simply be a later production example, using up off-cuts of cloth.
The thing I find strange is the partially obscured Rb.Nr. I can’t think of a reason for that.

Thanks much. I see the fabric type being different now that I am on my home computer. I was looking last night on my iphone. I am taking a pass and will keep my search looking for a nicer example. Tough one to find