new DAK M34 cap

[LeeG]

Hey guys,

I just bought an M34 Heer side-cap from Bill Shea (no pics unfornately). Nothing glows under black light, the colors and the weave of the shell and lining material all check out, the eagle and cockarde look good. The grommets look good (made of zinc, olive-brown paint on the outside still).
It smells nice and musty.
It is a predicably tiny pin-head size (size 55).

All is good so far. The only thing I'm worried about is that the tricot cotton shell is really light. It feels like linen. I've only played around with one other DAK M34 and it had a feel more akin to denim.
This one is almost as light as my Luftwaffe tropical.

Any opinions? Has anyone seen a similar M34 DAK?

[djpool]

Trop OS cap

Hey guys,

I just bought an M34 Heer side-cap from Bill Shea (no pics unfornately). Nothing glows under black light, the colors and the weave of the shell and lining material all check out, the eagle and cockarde look good. The grommets look good (made of zinc, olive-brown paint on the outside still).
It smells nice and musty.
It is a predicably tiny pin-head size (size 55).

All is good so far. The only thing I'm worried about is that the tricot cotton shell is really light. It feels like linen. I've only played around with one other DAK M34 and it had a feel more akin to denim.
This one is almost as light as my Luftwaffe tropical.

Any opinions? Has anyone seen a similar M34 DAK?

hi Lee,

I bought the other one (cheaper)that Bill had. its a size 54. Mines 100% and from the pics I saw of yours I couldn't find anything wrong with it. Jim

[LeeG]

Thanks,
Yeah, the more I look at this the more I like it. Also, I never doubted that I'd get something off from Mr Shea--but it's always good to be a little paranoid, if only for education purposes, I suppose.
-Lee

[Edelweiss]

Where are the pics of your cap ??? Here's some pics of mine, hope it'll help :

[Edelweiss]

Insignas (here machine stitched) :

[Edelweiss]

Air vent (one side) :

[Edelweiss]

Air vent (other side) and liner :

[Edelweiss]

To end, some pink soutache remains :

[LeeG]

To end, some pink soutache remains :

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the pics, that's a real nice and used DAK you have. The one I have is certainly unissued (who wears a size 55 anyways?).
Unfortunately, as I am new with the forum, I cannot figure out how to load picutures up to show you guys my lastest acquisition.
As a postscript to my DAK cap purchase and evaluation--I am happy to say that I am very pleased with my new cap. It fits the bill in all the ways that it is supposed to according to the books and other examples (I had one of my more experience collector buddies confirm it for me as well).
Now I just need to figure out how to do the picture loading and then I'd be thrilled to share pics of the M34 as well as other selections from my collection as well!
-Lee

[SgtB]

Formidable Chris...

...that Tropenmutze of your's is stunning! I can feel the sand hitting my face now! der Deutches Afrika Korps!!!!

[Edelweiss]

Semper fi !

Thanks, Brian. Yes, this one smells the sand too, and comes from a 1st class guy named Sue, a former Marine member of this forum...

Lee, you can send me your pics, I'll post them for you if Luca is OK for that...

[Rolf D.]

Lee,
You are not making any sense.

Said by LeeG:
[QUOTE]Hmmm, the teeny-tiny size of 55 is a nice touch for a good fake. I usually use that as a secondary condition of authenticity (little undernourished soldiers of the 1940s vs supersized re-enactors of the new millenium).



Said by LeeG:
[QUOTE]Thanks for the pics, that's a real nice and used DAK you have. The one I have is certainly unissued (who wears a size 55 anyways?).

Are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes?

No offense meant


ps:The quote machine doesn't work (still)

[djpool]

DAK Hat

Hey guys,

I just bought an M34 Heer side-cap from Bill Shea (no pics unfornately). Nothing glows under black light, the colors and the weave of the shell and lining material all check out, the eagle and cockarde look good. The grommets look good (made of zinc, olive-brown paint on the outside still).
It smells nice and musty.
It is a predicably tiny pin-head size (size 55).

All is good so far. The only thing I'm worried about is that the tricot cotton shell is really light. It feels like linen. I've only played around with one other DAK M34 and it had a feel more akin to denim.
This one is almost as light as my Luftwaffe tropical.

Any opinions? Has anyone seen a similar M34 DAK?

As I mentioned earlier I bought the other cap that Mr Shea had. I've attached a few pics. The markings are interesting and are also shown in Figueroas book on Tropical headgear. As far as the size is concerned I've seen numerous unissued DAK sidecaps in the last 30 years all in very small sizes. Large stocks of these were found in South Germany during the 1970s. I assume there wasn't a great demand for them coming from the field.

[djpool]

DAK Hat

As I mentioned earlier I bought the other cap that Mr Shea had. I've attached a few pics. The markings are interesting and are also shown in Figueroas book on Tropical headgear. As far as the size is concerned I've seen numerous unissued DAK sidecaps in the last 30 years all in very small sizes. Large stocks of these were found in South Germany during the 1970s. I assume there wasn't a great demand for them coming from the field.

The markings

[LeeG]

Hi Rolf,
To summarize the consistency of my two separate threads dealing with size 55 headgear: most real german headgear that I come across is on the small-sized end of the spectrum indicating it was either (1) unissued, or (2) worn by teenage soldiers of 1944 with smaller heads than healthy-adult modern-day re-enactors (toward whom many of the excellent reproductions are aimed for). Now, of course, larger-sized soldiers served in the Wehrmacht, but it seems to me that most (not all) of the size 58-59 WWII German headgear is sitting permanently in somebody's collection already and is out of circulation. Therefore, it follows that a good faker (the point of my other thread) might use a small fitting size to give it a more authentic look. It is because one can usually count on the smaller sizes being more likely in circulation (and hence more likely authentic) that these particular fakeries are scary.
And no, I am not trying "to pull the wool over" anyone's eyes as you say; I don't really see how are my comments would be doing that, nor do I see what the point of such "wool-pulling" would be.
-Lee




[QUOTE=Rolf D.]Lee,
You are not making any sense.

Said by LeeG:
[QUOTE]Hmmm, the teeny-tiny size of 55 is a nice touch for a good fake. I usually use that as a secondary condition of authenticity (little undernourished soldiers of the 1940s vs supersized re-enactors of the new millenium).



Said by LeeG:

Thanks for the pics, that's a real nice and used DAK you have. The one I have is certainly unissued (who wears a size 55 anyways?).

Are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes?

No offense meant


ps:The quote machine doesn't work (still)