Tropical Navy M-41 soft cap -- OK?

[DouglasDwight]

Hello All. Was cleaning out and organizing closets this past weekend, and found this tropical Navy M-41 soft cap in a box; hadn't seen it in about 10 years, and have always wondered about it's authenticity. (The top seam is slightly misaligned, I noticed.) Would appreciate input from collectors more knowledgeable than myself!

Thanks in advance.

[DouglasDwight]

More pics...

[DouglasDwight]

Interior...

[antifake]

Original mint cap.

Radek

[GAMS1]

Original cap ! Came in bundles of ten from old KM stocks at the end of the 90's ...
Nick

[Tim O'Keefe]

Agree nice original cap. Here is an interesting thread on these...

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


Looking back for something else ran across this thread and quote from Ralph Heinz on Janke's Franz Ritter M40 repro's. Ralph is one of the most knowledgable scholars on the DAK. From this thread years ago...

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ht=Johann+Vogl

Ralph post #10

"The Janke firm in Germany has used an ink stamp for years in its caps that copies an original ink stamp except that it has slanted letters (italics) and the date and size stamps are different. That stamp is four lines: "Franz Ritter vorm. (formerly) CARL ROTH Dettingen."

I've seen the original stamp in a tropical Kriegsmarine cap and the letters do not slant. I corresponded with Gary Wilkins about this ink stamp and he agreed that Franz Ritter may have bought out an older firm (Carl Roth) in Dettingen and continued manufacture of caps there under the new name. Wilkins reported a very similar stamp with "Franz Ritter vorm. H.K.FLander Minden (Westf.)" in a cap.

It may well be that Ritter bought out a couple smaller companies and added his name to the ink stamps.

For now at least, the Franz Ritter stamp with the Dettingen address that is italicized is the one Janke used or may still use. I find this disturbing -- if they are making reproductions for the reenactor trade why copy an original stamp almost exactly unless it is also meant to deceive collectors in the future? Why not stamp them with the Janke name if there is no intention of fakery?"

Thanks Ralph

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks Radek, Nick, and Tim…and to Ralph Heinz, via TIm. Interesting to learn about the slanted lettering vs. completely straight/upright lettering.

Just out of curiosity, why do KM caps have green interiors, and Heer, red?

Hadn't heard about these KM caps being found in bundles. I did hear about bundles of tropical side-caps with soutaches being found, in Italy, I believe?? About 10 years ago?

Cheers,
Doug

[Tim O'Keefe]

Yes if you can find any of Ralph's thought's here on the WAF very much worth reading and taking in, as he no longer posts.

The Herr choice of red is from the German Tropical Institute located in Hamburg. (also the location of the Clemens Wagner factorys by the way) The studies found that red was the color that deflected the heat the best, not sure of the KM choice ?

The Herr tropical sidecaps cache was found in 1974. Known as the beehive cache it contained not only sidecaps with and without soutache (dated later after Aug '42) but also M40 caps and webb gear & 1st pattern tropical tunics, maybe some later 2nd and 3rd pattern jackets as well ? Here is maybe the best thread on the subject...

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=beehive+cache

cheers
Tim

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks, Tim. Very interesting link.

[NZMark]

Beautiful KM cap in prime condition. Love the detail of the false-seem 'turn-up'.
Tim's links to Ralph's posts are well worth reading at any point. Ralph's research and passion for the subject is infectious.
Wonderful cap Doug.
Mark
NZ

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks, Mark. I appreciate your experience and insight. It would be great to meet Tim and Ralph someday, as well as you!