ODD M43 CAP w/ EDELWEISS INSIGNIA...

[Milton]

Hello folks. A strange bird here. Shows pretty heavy wear throughout, with much heavier wool knapp still remaining beneath the fold-down sides. Shows heavy wear w/ some internal repairs to the sweatband area as well. The buttons appear to have been sewn on w/ the same thread as the Edelweiss insignia, however the trapezoid stitching is more consistent w/ the thread used in the caps construction. It also is pretty light when compared to the heavier woolen types I'm used to seeing. Not sure if I have a "civilian" type cap w/ trumped up Mountain device, or if it's perhaps a legit cap, (perhaps field or theater made), w/ added Edelweiss. The cap itself DOES show a good amount of wear throughout. Additionally, although it might be hard to ascertain from the photos, the eagle also seems a bit "off", inasmuch as the birds chest seems to culminate w/ very short legs above the wreath, w/ o much definition between the breast and legs. I HAVE seen this though, on other supposed "period" insignia. The sweatband is only on the front half of the cap, and there are NO vent grommets extant. Lastly, I can find NO markings at all. A few pix below for your perusal and appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

[Milton]

2

[Alfred.R]

interesting cap you have here sir, maybe made in Italy? i like it

[Milton]

Hi Alfred. Interesting, and strangely enough, Italian theater made had also come to mind for me, based on some other examples I've seen in trying to research how this example was made. Hopefully other qualified members will comment as well. Thank you for commenting.

[Milton]

Anyone else?? It'd be good to get some additional feedback on this piece considering its seemingly non-standard construction. Thank you.

[ErichK]

I feel it is a civilian cap - this model had been popular with civilians for many years after the war - with, to me anyway, postwar added insignia. I'd personally not wish to have it in my collection.

[Milton]

Most certainly a possibility, however one that's probably not easily proven either way. It DOES exhibit quite a bit of wear overall, and the trapezoid insignia also appears to be period...If anyone has other examples of Italian theater made caps in this configuration, it'd be helpful. From my point of view, the construction seems to be more consistent w/ something "cottage" made, (in theater), rather than a German production piece, even IF post-war. From my experience, w/ the post-war German manufacturing capacity basically back at stone-age levels (due to the bombing), I'd not suspect much of ANYthing was being produced like this for quite a while. If nothing else, mostly I've seen former military clothing that was simply stripped of its insignia being worn post-war due to the huge clothing shortages.