Tropical cap for review

[compressore]

Hi,
I recently aquired this cap.
The inner liner is green as for Kriegsmarine, but the eagle is a Heer one ?

The national cocade is double stichted (outer rim in khaki, inner rim in red-brown)
Your comments appreciated.
Thanks
Christian

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Details

Details

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Pics

[90th Light]

101% original KM billed tropical M42 cap made in 1943 which has had tropical WH badges added to it at some stage.

Anyone's guess when the trop. WH badges were added or why ???

The tropical WH badges appear to be 101% original based on those images.

Also it would appear that you might have a first model WH tropical cockade that it is worth very good money in its own right and are hard to find,

Chris

[compressore]

Cocade

Hi,
Chris, thanks for the answer.
Here a close up.
The outer stiching of the national emblem in khaki is using the same thread as the eagle, stichted NOT through the liner.
The red-brown inner thread IS stichted trough the liner.

Thanks
Christian

[90th Light]

Interesting cap in more ways than one

The maker code "RB NR 0/0520/0017" is for HPC (Hermann Potthoff Coesfeld)

Usually HPC KM billed tropical caps are marked excatly that "HPC" To see this makers RB number in a cap is very rare,

Chris

[RGD51]

Interesting cap! Notice how there is no top stitch to the upper front panel seam and the insignia appears to be padded and then meticulously pick stitched. Neat piece for sure.

Robt.

[GAMS1]

I already saw original unissued late KM tropical tunics with tropical Heer breast eagles , original factory sewn as a triangle ?
with KM buttons or without .
So why not a cap ?
IMO the eagle has been carefully hand resewn , but when ? period or post war ?
Nick

[don_kihotis7]

Hi guys, i have found this thread through google while searching for the maker of the RBNr. code 0/0520/0017.

So thanks to Chris now i know it's HPC

I have seen this Heer cap with the same stamp and different grommets. I am attaching 2 photos for reference. I know it's not a problem to find different kind of grommets on caps from the same maker but is it ok to have different stamps?
If you look closely the stamp on the KM cap and the Heer one are similar but not identical.

Thanks in advance
Chris

[Tim O'Keefe]

Hi Chris & 90LT

Here are a couple more photos of the Herr M40 by this HPC maker. Notice the differences in the stamp, grommets, & insignia application, & yet the same maker, just goes to show...

[don_kihotis7]

Hi mate, thanks for adding the extra pics.

Both caps look original to me so the only reasonable explanation for the different fonts is that HPC had 2 different stamps? Maybe the Heer cap which has no sweatband was a late '42 production thus the variation of the stamp? Or one of them is a very good fake and we have been fooled?

[Tim O'Keefe]

Hi mate, thanks for adding the extra pics.

Both caps look original to me so the only reasonable explanation for the different fonts is that HPC had 2 different stamps? Maybe the Heer cap which has no sweatband was a late '42 production thus the variation of the stamp? Or one of them is a very good fake and we have been fooled?

Agree HPC had two different types of stamps and grommets, & insignia application as well. As did many makers. These caps are not fakes i can assure you

cheers
Tim

[don_kihotis7]

Thanks mate.

Regarding the insignia, is it safe to compare the application since the KM cap has Heer insignia which no one can say for sure when they had been applied?

[Tim O'Keefe]

Would like to hear other opinions as to the Herr eagle application on the KM cap. Just comparing the cockade applications in the above comment...

[don_kihotis7]

Btw note the application of the cockade on the KM cap.

It has 2 different stitches. Horizontal in red thread and vertical in tan