Tropical Cap for Review

[bergrenner]

Hello everyone,

I assume this is a repro, but is this one of the Felina's?

I appreciate the info.


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[bergrenner]

2

[bergrenner]

3

[bergrenner]

Last pic. Back of cap.

Thanks again for the help!


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[OSS]

A fake for certain but I don't know who the culprit is.

[msteve21]

Junk

Total rubbish, possibly Janke by the look of it
Mark S

[Tim O'Keefe]

Not A Felina, but is a fake for sure. Maybe the Eagle is good though ?, hard to tell from my phone.

[90th Light]

The basic cap and soutache does seem to have a "Felina" look to it.

However, I have never seen a Felina that had the eagle machine sewn across the top with an exposed stitch. On all the examples that I have handled, the eagle has always been machine sewn across the top then folded over and machine sewn around the rest of the eagle. What they call "zip & flip". Have a look at the image below to see what I mean.

Also it that a second model tropical cockade on the cap that started this thread ? Again, most Felina caps have a third model cockade but I suppose a second model is possible. Again look at the image below.

I am wondering if this was one of the Felina work in progress caps or parts of caps found in Poland after the war and finished off post war ?

There is more about "Felina" caps on these threads;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=Felina

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=Felina

Chris

[Tim O'Keefe]

After a better look, Fake cap with original insignia. So not a complete loss. Agree with Chris the insignia location and application & the grommets are not what am used to seeing from "Felina."

[90th Light]

After a better look, Fake cap with original insignia. So not a complete loss. Agree with Chris the insignia location and application & the grommets are not what am used to seeing from "Felina."

Hello Tim,

some of the Felina's (Greiling & Co) found in Poland after the Berlin wall came down had this type of grommet as the example pictured below shows,

Chris

[90th Light]

The million dollar question, when were these Felina's (Greiling & Co) completed and when were the grommets added to the caps ???

Every thing else is 101% i.e. wartime twill 1942 period, wartime thread, wartime cotton lining and war time badges, artifical silk & rayon soutache which burns but does not melt. All very puzzling ???

Chris

[90th Light]

Outside shot of the grommets.

Interestingly, there are two different shades of olive-field grey in the correct shades for a 1942 cap. They have not used the brown or tan seen on later billed tropical caps with the sweat band,

Chris

[msteve21]

cap

Chris,
Observation Re; Cap post #10
3rd pattern cockade on a soutache cap
Possible postwar addition?

[90th Light]

Chris,
Observation Re; Cap post #10
3rd pattern cockade on a soutache cap
Possible postwar addition?

Hello msteve21,

I see what you are saying. However, when you compare with some of the tropical caps found in the "Beehive" find, this appears to be that case in 1942. One of the best examples are the "Weissbach caps because they were all found with soutache. If you compare a "Weissbach" marked "E42" then it has the exact same cockade.

Sadly, I do not have an example dated "E42" but I have taken a comparative image beside my Weissbach marked "E41". There is not much difference between the cockades except that the cockades on the Weissbach's marked "E42" verses "E41" is the amount of cotton used. The cockades on the "E41's" are a cotton blend where as the cockades on the "E42's" seem to be made entirely of rayon/ artifical silk.

The cockades on the Felina shown in post number 10 is the type made of rayon/ artificial silk. This is the same as the "Weissbach E42". All these tropical cockades i.e. the Felina, WB E42 & WB E41 appear to be made by the same maker,

Chris

[Tim O'Keefe]

Hello Chris

Of course your right about these grommets. After seeing the caps that you posted, am reminded of this type of grommet, used to have a cap with the same type, also likely a "Felina." Your point's about when they were added to the cap is the crux of the matter...