Today’s poll

[Bob Hritz]

This panzer NCO, Helmut Kilsch, is wearing a pink piped hat to match his pink piped collar tabs and shoulder boards, of his black panzer tunic. it would be most easy to quickly overlook this hat, as white piped, from a black and white photo.

Bob Hritz

[stonemint]

This was on one of the Brit sites--either Hannah's Reich or Last Reich. It was sold when I came across it, but is supposed to be a mint Cav--anyone here buy it?:

[DougO]

[SSgentleman]

Good buy if its mint, it must be Doug

[Martin Stiles]

piping

I have never owned, or had in hand an original SS officer colour piped cap, nearest I have had, was an SS NCOs red piped visor which had been upgraded with the addition of a velvet band and cords, by his mother!
Having said that they were no doubt made and worn.

[TonyS]

I missed this thread while I was away but I would say certainly less than 100 and probably less than 50 have survived. I can count less than ten I've seen that appeared to be authentic, including the Riefkogel and Bohmer visors.

3000+ is a "pie in the sky" dream where you are living in a world of make-believe with flowers and bells and leprechauns and magic frogs with funny little hats.

On the thread in the SS forum on this subject, not many were posted but I guess collectors are not thrilled about having their pride and joy pieces ripped apart.

Always an interesting subject though. Here's the link.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ht=color+piped

[BenVK]

Great photo of Sturmbannfuhrer Arzelino 'Lino' Masarie, 3rd SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, April 43.

[phild]

The photo above may show a Heer cap converted with SS insignia. The cap band looks to be the same shade as his collar too me....hard to say. It is for sure a wool cap band and not velvet....I realize that I lot of SS officers used upgraded EM caps in the field.

I love the top photo of Kilsch. IMO he is wearing an actual crusher cap, which makes the colored piping all the more interesting. We have at least one forum member with a colored piped SS officer crusher cap that I believe is 100% period.

[Antiquefrog]

Tend to agree with Nick that Arty is the most identifiable color visor from pictures, and this makes sense looking at the numbers.

But still, I have seen only a handful, probably less than a dozen, examples of CP visors that I consider correct. There are probably far more, fiddled with perhaps at the time, but we tend to tear them apart at the slightest flaw.

I suppose, if you do the math, that the number of CP visors surviving from this narrow window in such an early war year would be quite small, especially as this option was an elective during a difficult time - available at a premium, for a whole new cap, for those interested.

I still say less than 50 around, and far fewer in collectors' hands.

[Vet44]

Hi

Here is a SS Photo of December 1940.
How do I find this photo shows a good overview of the headgear.
We can see color piped crusher and visor and all the other types of caps.

Andi

[TonyS]

Very nice photo.

Any idea what Regiment or Division they are from?

[Uscha]

i think on the bottom stand:"Meine Ausbilder von Berlin-Lichterfelde"

[Antiquefrog]

Audi

Very nice photo indeed.

Interesting, the older age on most of these chaps, despite their lower ranks. Not many youngsters here. Even the leader is only a Leutnant, and he looks 45!

[Vet44]

This photo show us a little overview of trainers within the Leibstandarte barracks in Lichterfelde from 1940.

The question is:
" How many truly authentic officers color piped SS visor exist today? "

1940 there were around 100000 men in the Waffen SS. I dont know how many officers. And how many officers had a color piped visor or a crusher during this narrow window of time in the year 1940.
I dont know, maybe it was 5 - 10 % from all officers in the time i think.

My vote to this question is : less than 100

Greetings Andi

[BenVK]

Great photo Andi. notice how all the NCO's visors have Heer chinstraps.