Heer Side Cap for Artillery Officer
Price: Sold
Description: Nice quality, M38 pattern, feld-grau wool construction cap. The cap features fold down side and back panels with scalloped slopes to the forward side panels. The crown edge and the forward scalloped side panels are both piped in bright, interwoven, silver/aluminum braiding. As is typical the fold down panels are stitched in the upright position at the front center of the cap. The front center of the cap has a bevo-machine woven national eagle. The front center of the fold down panels has a matching bevo-machine woven national tricolor cockade. The cockade is flanked by a red-silk soutache in an inverted “V” pattern. The soutache is applied in the proper manner running through slashes at the seam near the caps bottom edge and stitched in place. Of Note: Regulations of July 1942 abolished the use of Waffenfarbe (branch of service soutache) and ordered it to be removed from the caps, although the directive was not strictly adhered to. The interior of the cap is fully lined in Hbt cotton and with a partial, leather brow-sweatband, typical of these Officer side caps. The lining is well marked, ink stamped as what appears:, “GD” & ‘43’; Excellent condition with all original stitching; nice untouched piece.
Background: The Officer’s M38 overseas field cap was originally introduced in December 1938 as a replacement for the old pattern visored field cap that had been introduced in March 1934. The design of the Officer’s M38 overseas cap was based on the M34 overseas cap as worn by EM/NCO’s. Originally the M38 was only produced in field-gray until March 1940 when a black panzer version for Panzer officers was introduced. Company and Field grade Officers M38 overseas caps were piped with bright silver aluminum braid while Officer’s with Generals ranks typically utilized bright gilt braid piping.
