Luftschutz NCO Visor Cap, Near Mint
Price: Sold
Description: Custom tailored ribbed blue/gray, wool/rayon blend construction visor cap features a black wool centerband, and lilac wool piping to the crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. The front center of the cap has a second pattern, (Circa 1938-1945), stamped aluminum, stylized RLB eagle clutching a canted, black enameled, swastika, superimposed on a sunburst pattern. The front center of the centerband has a silver washed, stamped aluminum, winged, opened top, laurel leaf wreath encompassing a highly vaunted, three piece national tri-color cockade. The wreath has three, narrow, horizontally extended “wings’ ‘ to each side. The cockade features a fluted, black, alloy base, a polished natural aluminum roundel and a red felt center insert. The cap has a black, patent leather chinstrap with a black painted, vertically rectangular, metal, retaining clip and a sliding, length adjustment buckle. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two, smooth, black painted sheet metal buttons. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, vulcan fiber visor with a subtly raised lip to the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined in blue-green silk with a full celluloid moisture shield having the maker’s logo; wide, gray leather sweatband having single wear spot at brow. This tailored Cap is near mint.
Background:Formed in late 1932 the Deutscher Luftschutzverband (German Air Protection League), was a voluntary organization designed to provide civil air raid protection in large civilian centers. Shortly after Hitler ascension to power the Deutscher Luftschutzverband was restructured and placed under the supervision of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, (National Ministry of Aviation), under the control of Hermann Göring. On April 29TH 1933 the Deutscher Luftschutzverband was renamed RLB, ReichsLuftschutzBund, (National Air Raid Protection League), and was given status as an official, national, organization tasked with all aspects of civil air raid defense. The RLB remained a voluntary organization with a small cadre of paid, full-time, uniformed, officials to oversee the organization’s functions until June 1935 when obligatory service was introduced. Only the most basic uniform and equipment items were supplied to the cadre personnel, with the rest having to be bought personally by members. Most uniform and headgear items of the RLB closely followed that of the Luftwaffe and included a visor cap. Originally RLB personnel utilized the first pattern RLB emblem, (Circa 1933-1938/39), on their visor caps that consisted of a forty-eight point white star burst pattern with the stylized initials, “RLB” to the center, positioned above a small, canted, swastika. In October 1938 the first RLB emblem was redesigned and a new distinctive, stylized, national eagle was introduced for the visor cap. The ranks of Luftschutz-Truppmann up to and including Luftschutz-Obertruppmeister utilized blackened leather chin straps on their visor caps while the ranks of Luftschutz-Führer up to and including Generalluftschutzführer utilized silver chin cords and the ranks of Generalhauptluftschutzführer up to and including Luftschutz-Präsident utilized gilt chin cords.
