Panzer EM OS cap

[Richard P]

Here is a 1939 dated example of a copper brown piped pz side cap with the exact same type of soutache material which appears to be cotton. I have also seen this material in pink and lemon yellow on original side caps.

I prefer the zig zag stitching to look like it does on this eagle, but that just my preference. It all depends on the skill of the person doing the job and how many they have done. Maybe it was the cap eagle sewing girl's first day and this was her third cap...you should have seen the first two. The point being none of us really know, and we can only speculate when it comes to unusual or poor machine stitching on an original piece.

Maybe this cap is not bad after all.

Richard

[90th Light]

Here is a 1939 dated example of a copper brown piped pz side cap with the exact same type of soutache material which appears to be cotton. I have also seen this material in pink and lemon yellow on original side caps.

I prefer the zig zag stitching to look like it does on this eagle, but that just my preference. It all depends on the skill of the person doing the job and how many they have done. Maybe it was the cap eagle sewing girl's first day and this was her third cap...you should have seen the first two. The point being none of us really know, and we can only speculate when it comes to unusual or poor machine stitching on an original piece.

Maybe this cap is not bad after all.

Richard

Hello Richard, well they certainly used zig-zag stitching on the eagles on Panzer sidecaps from 1940 onwards but this is one of the other points I am investigating with Karl Kubach. Did they use zig-zag ? The eagle on my veteran field grey one is hand applied and this is how my tropical ones are done as well so that is a question mark at this stage for sure.

but until I found this field grey example, I had never seen a Karl Kubach where the bottom of the liner was finished off by hand so that too was a question mark until now.

May-be this maker used a combination of machine or hand finishing.

Who is the maker of your cap ?

Chris

[Alex Ciavaglia]

Althought we haven't any pic of the internal view of the grommets, from the external, they are not convinced.
Alex

[Richard P]

Hello Richard, well they certainly used zig-zag stitching on the eagles on Panzer sidecaps from 1940 onwards but this is one of the other points I am investigating with Karl Kubach. Did they use zig-zag ? The eagle on my veteran field grey one is hand applied and this is how my tropical ones are done as well so that is a question mark at this stage for sure.

but until I found this field grey example, I had never seen a Karl Kubach where the bottom of the liner was finished off by hand so that too was a question mark until now.

May-be this maker used a combination of machine or hand finishing.

Who is the maker of your cap ?

Chris

Chris,

Here is a photo of the maker B. Trug & Sohn. I have seen so many different combination of hand and machine stitching on caps, but I never kept track of them. I have seen different types of machine stitching of the insignia on Clemens Wagner side caps, but never kept track, except mental notes, that tend to get lost.

Richard

[billbert]

Richard
I would view with suspicion a 39 dated black panzer overseas.. POSSIBLY a tailored cap but the heer official intro date came later... Billbert
If it has green insignia on it that might be a plus..

[90th Light]

Richard
I would view with suspicion a 39 dated black panzer overseas.. POSSIBLY a tailored cap but the heer official intro date came later... Billbert
If it has green insignia on it that might be a plus..

Hello billbert,

recently some cap collectors were discussing if some of the smaller manufacturers of caps actually up-dated their stamps as soon as the year started and some of the larger manufacturers for that matter too.

I mean come 1 January 1940 could a maker still be stamping caps with a 1939 date ? More likely than not perhaps. Then come 1 Febuary 1940 may be not so likely and all the 1940 stamps would be in use.

Same question for 1941 caps, are some of these in fact still dated 1940 yet they were made in early 1941 which might explain some of the grey on black eagles and later style of cockades used on a 1940 dated cap.

Also there are those manufacturers who put the makers stamp and date on the liner when it was made not when the cap was assembled and actually finished off so you could get a 1940 finished off cap with a 1939 dated liner or a 1941 finished off cap with a 1940 liner.

Even though the Germans follow rules very closely there is always a case in the making of any product in a factory where old stock or parts from the year before is used up despite the year the item is being made in.

These are not food products where the date has any real bearing on the use of the product so may be something made in early 1940 could still be dated 1939 ???

Just a thought but your opinion on this would be of value,

Chris