Luftwaffe or something else?

[SprogCollector]

Starting a new thread as an offshoot of the grommets/no grommets discussion.

I picked up this cap via auction a year or so ago along with some early Luftwaffe uniform items.





I have 4 pre-1962 Luftwaffe M-56 caps -- two with grommets and two without. Three of the four share the same gabardine wool as used on (presumably) all issue M-56 caps. Of my caps, just the one shown has a slightly different fabric. The color is extremely close and variation could be due to fading/wear than dye lot differences.

Differences this cap has from my other caps:
- slightly different fabric. This cap being more coarse and somewhat like doeskin.
- the buttons are either polished nearly smooth or they are a type smoother than the normal pebbled cap buttons. Altgold in color.
- the turn-down at the front of the cap begins much further forward than on my other caps.
- no stock numbers.

I do not believe this cap is:
- Berlin Polizei
- DRK
- Bayern Feuerwehr
- Bundespost
- THW

Via this reference site on German Wikipedia, I am looking into the possibility this is a Luftschutzhilfsdienst cap.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histori...in_den_1960ern

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftschutzhilfsdienst

Found this thread from here at the WAF:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=417014

This uniform is pretty close but the color is far more grey than my cap (credit: CollectingSteve):

[uscob]

Later I'll have a look on my Caps, but I think they're all w/o Grommets.

[Asbjoern]

The colour of the early woolen ZB Winteruniform is often described as "Anthrazit" which would be transleted best as "charcoal-grey" . Its defietely not a bluish grey ... . The later ZB denim stuff is identical to the THW uniforms which is indeed a more bluish tone. But to my knowledge there never was a woolen uniform / hat in this colour.

Regards,

Jens

[Forseti]

Hm... Ok. Much had been said in the other thread. I still believe that this cap is NOT BW, for many reasons I (and others) mentioned.

Is there maybe any stamp on the backside of the leather sweatband?

Are the buttons perbled? Any stamps on the buttonbackside?

regards
Fors

[SprogCollector]

Fors,
There are no stampings visible anywhere on the cap, including the underside of the leather.

My guess is the buttons are/were smooth and were never pebbled. No markings present on the buttons and they appear original to the cap.

The cockade and wing appear to have been in place for a very long time. The areas under both a visibly darker.

I've had no luck in finding color Luftschutzhilfsdienst uniform photos. My guess is that this organization was part of THW and wore the same uniforms with different badging. Just a guess.

Chris