Hi all,
Was wondering if everyone could take a look at this cap and let me know what they think.
It was acquired 1 week ago from a veterans Grandchild, but have the opportunity to return it if it looks bad. With the provenance I'm quietly confident it's ok but just want expert opinion.
It was brought back by a member of the 8th US Army Infantry Division (Pathfinders). The Veteran fought in Normandy and then all the way to Berlin including the battle of the Bulge. It was brought back with a number of other items, including a Walther P38 with holster (which he also offered to sell to me), banners, another heer side cap and insignia pins and even a SS Wiking tunic which the family sold last year. This hat is notionally attached to the tunic but with his grandfather deceased there is no way to 100% prove this. The hat is noted in the signed letter from the family they provided me that this hat is attached to the tunic through stories they were told by their Grandfather.
I'm an amateur but will try to described it as best I can.
The hat looks to me to be a late war unconventional construction. It’s definably not a typical pattern SS side cap as far as my amateur research can tell me. But happy to hear if someone has seen something similar before.
The insignia is composed of what I’m led to believe is an embroidered ‘hammerhead sleeve eagle’ and an early Skull which appears to be hand embroidered with quite a lot of detail. I’m assuming these have been removed from another garment and recycled onto the hat as I haven’t seen a SS side cap in my research that has this type of insignia, but I could be wrong.
The hat itself of dark green course wool. The wool has a slight speckled appearance and I’m assuming there might be a component of recycled wool in there. Where the cap is folded up the wool has been protected and the protected wool has a slightly fuzzy appearance whereas where it is worn there is decolouration and the loose fibres are gone clearly showing the weave of the wool material. There is greater discoloration of the wool at both the front and back peaks.
The side cap has 2 brass grommets (or what I believe to be brass). they are a one piece grommet
The inside has some sweat staining right around the outside rim of the cap and in particular around the forehead. There are no stamps on the inside of the cap that I can see. The inside is a grey material. Some yellow spot staining is evident.
The insignia were attached when it was brought back but was removed 20+ years ago when the veterans son used it for a Halloween costume and his wife unfortunately unpicked the insignia. She also removed the insignia from her husbands US army coat to use in the costume.
There are clear marks at the font of the cap where the insignia has protected the wool. The insignia matches up perfectly with these marks. The insignia still has some of the thread dangling off that was unpicked/cut. while the tread to attach the majority of the insignia is a black tread, At the top of each insignia is a thread of green, similar to that of the hat stitching. This thread was tied to the hat and the insignia, almost like a pinning process to hold the insignia in place while proper stitching occurred. you can see this in some of the pics. in particular the top of the eagle.
The front of the insignia has quite a dark cream discoloration (notably with one side of the eagle more discoloured than the other) over the white tread whereas on the back the thread is still quite white where is has been protected.
The insignia has been embroiled on a layered felt and wool. The absolute back is a very thin grey felt and on top of this is a thicker Back wool or back felt (see pics)
If anyone would like some extra pictures posted let me know. I can take close-ups of stitching and construction as well as the insignia. Or check aspects of the hat.
Happy to take and post as many pictures as people request.
Although it is definitely not a conventional construction it appears on the surface to be period to me. My thoughts on the unconventional nature is that a SS member has removed early insignia from a tunic or similar and has cobbled together this hat as a field built piece. Or that a factory has used up a stockpile of early insignia or recycled insignia to make what I’m assuming to be, a late war hat.
My biggest concern is that the eagle has a quite an open zig zag stitch along the wings, something that in my research I haven’t seen. But considering it’s had embroidered I suppose it may not be a huge issue.
The skull seems extremely well made with a lot of detail.
Any thoughts welcome. If you know anyone who specializes in this kind of thing feel free to pass this thread or the pics on.
Thanks All, I have my fingers crossed this is good, but if not has been a learning experience
PS: (I have the veterans name and enlistment record but not much else – if someone knows where I can research US army records for free let me know. I’m from Australia so don’t really know where to start for US records)
Cheers from Down Under
Was wondering if everyone could take a look at this cap and let me know what they think.
It was acquired 1 week ago from a veterans Grandchild, but have the opportunity to return it if it looks bad. With the provenance I'm quietly confident it's ok but just want expert opinion.
It was brought back by a member of the 8th US Army Infantry Division (Pathfinders). The Veteran fought in Normandy and then all the way to Berlin including the battle of the Bulge. It was brought back with a number of other items, including a Walther P38 with holster (which he also offered to sell to me), banners, another heer side cap and insignia pins and even a SS Wiking tunic which the family sold last year. This hat is notionally attached to the tunic but with his grandfather deceased there is no way to 100% prove this. The hat is noted in the signed letter from the family they provided me that this hat is attached to the tunic through stories they were told by their Grandfather.
I'm an amateur but will try to described it as best I can.
The hat looks to me to be a late war unconventional construction. It’s definably not a typical pattern SS side cap as far as my amateur research can tell me. But happy to hear if someone has seen something similar before.
The insignia is composed of what I’m led to believe is an embroidered ‘hammerhead sleeve eagle’ and an early Skull which appears to be hand embroidered with quite a lot of detail. I’m assuming these have been removed from another garment and recycled onto the hat as I haven’t seen a SS side cap in my research that has this type of insignia, but I could be wrong.
The hat itself of dark green course wool. The wool has a slight speckled appearance and I’m assuming there might be a component of recycled wool in there. Where the cap is folded up the wool has been protected and the protected wool has a slightly fuzzy appearance whereas where it is worn there is decolouration and the loose fibres are gone clearly showing the weave of the wool material. There is greater discoloration of the wool at both the front and back peaks.
The side cap has 2 brass grommets (or what I believe to be brass). they are a one piece grommet
The inside has some sweat staining right around the outside rim of the cap and in particular around the forehead. There are no stamps on the inside of the cap that I can see. The inside is a grey material. Some yellow spot staining is evident.
The insignia were attached when it was brought back but was removed 20+ years ago when the veterans son used it for a Halloween costume and his wife unfortunately unpicked the insignia. She also removed the insignia from her husbands US army coat to use in the costume.
There are clear marks at the font of the cap where the insignia has protected the wool. The insignia matches up perfectly with these marks. The insignia still has some of the thread dangling off that was unpicked/cut. while the tread to attach the majority of the insignia is a black tread, At the top of each insignia is a thread of green, similar to that of the hat stitching. This thread was tied to the hat and the insignia, almost like a pinning process to hold the insignia in place while proper stitching occurred. you can see this in some of the pics. in particular the top of the eagle.
The front of the insignia has quite a dark cream discoloration (notably with one side of the eagle more discoloured than the other) over the white tread whereas on the back the thread is still quite white where is has been protected.
The insignia has been embroiled on a layered felt and wool. The absolute back is a very thin grey felt and on top of this is a thicker Back wool or back felt (see pics)
If anyone would like some extra pictures posted let me know. I can take close-ups of stitching and construction as well as the insignia. Or check aspects of the hat.
Happy to take and post as many pictures as people request.
Although it is definitely not a conventional construction it appears on the surface to be period to me. My thoughts on the unconventional nature is that a SS member has removed early insignia from a tunic or similar and has cobbled together this hat as a field built piece. Or that a factory has used up a stockpile of early insignia or recycled insignia to make what I’m assuming to be, a late war hat.
My biggest concern is that the eagle has a quite an open zig zag stitch along the wings, something that in my research I haven’t seen. But considering it’s had embroidered I suppose it may not be a huge issue.
The skull seems extremely well made with a lot of detail.
Any thoughts welcome. If you know anyone who specializes in this kind of thing feel free to pass this thread or the pics on.
Thanks All, I have my fingers crossed this is good, but if not has been a learning experience
PS: (I have the veterans name and enlistment record but not much else – if someone knows where I can research US army records for free let me know. I’m from Australia so don’t really know where to start for US records)
Cheers from Down Under
Comment