BACKGROUND: Field-grey uniforms and headgear had been used by the German navy as early as 1919, and continued into the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine eras for land based personnel. In 1935 a new "saddle" form version of the field-grey visor cap was introduced for naval land units to replace the Reichsmarine "saucer" form visor cap.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, post-1935 pattern, visor cap with a mottled, field-grey, wool/rayon, construction body and crown and a blue/green badge cloth centerband with dark green wool piping to the crown edge. The internal crown stiffening wire has been removed but an internal vertical stiffener to the front center is intact and gives the cap a nice, relaxed, saddle form shape with a low central peak. The front center of the cap features a hand embroidered national eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, in golden yellow celleon threads mounted on a cut-out navy blue wool base. The eagle is neatly handstitched to the cap. The front center of the centerband has a post-April 1935, gilt washed, stamped alloy, oak-leave wreath encompassing a separate, stamped alloy, national tri-color cockade. The oak-leave wreath retains all of its age dulled, gilt wash and the national tri-color cockade retains about 70% of its respective black, silver and red finishes. The cap has a twisted, bright, silver/aluminum chin cord which is secured in place by two, small, fire gilted, alloy buttons. The chinstrap retaining buttons have a horizontally ribbed background field with an embossed, fouled, anchor and a simulated twisted rope outer edge. The cap has an extended, forward, black lacquered, cardboard visor with a machine stitched, simulated, black leather trim to the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined in brushed tan cotton/rayon blend material. The interior of the cap has a light tan alkor sweatband machine stitched in place. The sweatband has numerous tears. The cap has no visible size or manufacturer’s markings. The cap is in overall very good condition with light to moderate age and usage toning and a couple of small, moderate nap wear spots. The cap is roughly size 55. Scarce visor cap.