Luftwaffe Enlisted Side Cap
Price: $425
BUY / RESERVE THIS ITEMDescription: Nice quality, Luftwaffe blue/gray, wool/rayon blend construction cap features fold down side and back panels with gently sloping, downward scallops to the front and forward sides. The front center of the cap has a machine embroidered, second pattern Luftwaffe eagle in white threads on a cut-out blue/gray wool base & its correct national cockade both neatly hand stitched in place. The interior of the cap is fully lined in a blue/gray rayon-cotton blend; well marked with a “55” size ink stamp. Nice clean original.
Background: The “Schiffchen Form”, (Boat form), style overseas cap was originally developed by the DLV, Deutscher Luftsportverband, (German Air Sports League), the civilian forerunner of the Luftwaffe, in 1933, and was adopted by the Luftwaffe shortly after its official establishment February 1935. The insignia on the caps included the Luftwaffe style national eagle and the circular, black, white, and red national tri-color cockade as introduced in March 1933. The Luftwaffe pattern national eagle was originally introduced for wear by Fliegerschaft, (Pilot Base), personnel of the DLV, August 1934 and was officially adopted for wear by all Luftwaffe personnel on March 1st 1935. The original, short winged, first pattern national eagle was utilized until a, slightly modified, second pattern national eagle was introduced in late 1936 or early 1937. Regulations dictated that the national eagle was to be worn on almost all headgear and on the right breast of almost all uniforms with a few minor exceptions. The overseas caps for Company and Field grade Officers holding the ranks of Leutnant up to Oberst were distinguished from EM/NCO’s caps by bright silver/aluminum piping while Officers holding Generals ranks of Generalmajor up to Reichsmarschall utilized gold colored fittings and EM/NCO’s caps were generally not piped. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own headgear and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the Luftwaffe’s Verkaufsabteilung, (Air-Force Sales Department).