SA General's Kepi

[Rick C]

I enjoyed viewing the threads on the SA General’s kepi once owned by Bob Coleman (http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...04293#poststop) and now owned by William Kramer. Those prompted me to search “SA General” in the headgear forum for additional eye candy and was surprised that only one other (http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...28420#poststop) came up. Cross searching for “SA tresse” was no-joy as well. Surprised at the lack of examples of General ranked SA headgear, for the hell of it, I thought I would post mine.

Obviously, the red, I believe, indicates High Command. The 2cm wide flat-wire tresse reflects Gruppenführer through Obergruppenführer rank. The cap has no RZM tag and the celluloid sweatshield in the top isn’t marked; the size is 58. I would say it’s rather ‘minty’.

[Rick C]

The tresse on this kepi is Austrian-Hungarian and NOT compliant with the SA regulations even though Jill Halcomb indicates, in Headgear of Hitler's Germany, Volume 3 page 277, only one official pattern was allowed and all others were told to have the unofficial tressing removed by Feb 23rd 1934. That said, the author goes on to state "Various patterns were known, however only one pattern was the official version. All other forms used were in fact not allowed.”

Back in 2003 I exchanged emails with Erich Benndorf who’s credentials are beyond debate. Erich was uncomfortable with the tresse sported by this kepi. In fact, if I recall correctly, he felt non-standard tresse indicated post war fabrication. He said “The few photos that show variation tresse are generally early cap examples, even if they continued to be worn by the owner past 1934.” He related that the only documented period pieces that he was aware of with variant tresse were from the early to mid 1930s (Brückner's pre-33 cap and August Wilhelm's Bandtresse cap from ca. 1933) which I don’t think I recall ever seeing. He closed with: “So, the bottom line - it's possible but extremely doubtful that a kepi with non-standard tresse is completely original.” (closer on the Austrian tresse)

[Rick C]

Erich’s remarks were sort-of a bummer but with respect to Erich didn’t Angolia remark once in the introduction to one of books: “Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.” Clearly there are ‘regulation’ collectors and ‘textbook’ collectors but, when you think about it, the very idea that a regulation change could cast doubt on a surviving piece of militaria because it didn’t exhibit the nuance of the updated or latest regulation is incongruous to me.

I sent it to Bill Shea for a hands on. He found “it consistent in many ways with the one from my collection.” While he too noted the non-regulation tresse he went on to say “I did not see any signs of tampering at all on the piece.” No signs of tampering...

If the argument is that regulations standardized the tresse and that anything exhibiting tresse no longer authorized is suspect, then by that logic we would need to conclude the General’s kepi posted by Bob Coleman here (http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...22#post1905222) with non-regulation tresse is a post war fabrication. Having seen a boatload of ‘non-regulation’ stuff and period imagery I clearly, don’t believe the existence of a regulation renders everything not in compliance with it a fake. Were that true every Alter art crusher still in existence/use at the end of the war is suspect because they were ordered phased out in April of 42.

[Rick C]

Simply put, there are any number of reasons why, regulations be damed, a General’s ranked kepi wouldn’t be sporting the correct tresse based on the latest regulation. The simplest reason might be the guy was too cheap to allow himself to be forced into swapping it out. Or, the guy could’ve died or transferred to another service branch or assignment and his kepi could’ve sat out the rest of the war in his wardrobe along with his old uniforms. Or, he could’ve simply preferred the aesthetic of his Austrian tresse reflecting his long service in the party hierarchy. I reflect on the Bergmutze being discontinued, yet General der Fallschirmtruppe Eugen Meindl continued to wear a Bergmutze festooned with a (non-regulation) gold button, gold Luftwaffe insignia, gold visor cap’s chin cords and gold chin cord buttons until the end of the war. Were anyone to present such a configured cap on the forum it would be deemed a fantasy cap.

[Erich B.]

The kepi with the black top (from Bob C.) is one I examined at a show--IMO a not-well-done piece post-war converted.
Erich

[ebj]

I have a Hochland SA lagermuetze with "unofficial" light blue/white piping and a metal edelweiss on the side. I picked it up from my next-door neighbor who got it from a vet relative. See Halcomb pp. 316 and 584. When I solicited comments on WAF in 2011 Erich B. replied that he had seen an identical one, except with some moth damage. It was also a vet bringback. I also have a couple photos from an early SA photo album showing two men wearing lagermuetzen with similar piping.

However, one of the well-known authors and SA expert contributors to WAF insisted that it could not be original per the regs, that the piping had to have been added post-war. Even when I explained that it was clear from the way the piping was sewn and tucked in it had to have been original to the cap, he still would not believe me!

[ebj]

BTW, I have been researching Diplomat, Government Official and RMBO daggers for a awhile and I have found two photos picturing Ostgebiete officials wearing GO daggers suspended by Heer-style hangers.

[wilhelm Saris]

I have a Hochland SA lagermuetze with "unofficial" light blue/white piping and a metal edelweiss on the side. See Halcomb pp. 316 and 584.

You mention Halcomb, but her SA-book does not have that many pages! I suppose you mean volume 3 in the series "Headgear of Hitler's Germany" (Wilhelm Saris/Jill Halcomb)?
If so, I would suggest to read the pages 310 through 316.

When the blue/white piping was installed is the question. When the SA field-cap was introduced, published with the "Verordnungsblatt der Obersten SA-Füihrung", number 17 from February 1, 1934 (number 19, page 4) it was specifically said: Schnurumrandung, Tresse und farbiger Mützenkopf werden an der Lagermütze nicht getragen", so: piping, braids and a colored top are not worn with the cap.
Nothing about a piping was mentioned in the "Anzugs-Ordnung dür die SA" from March 1, 1934 nor in the "Mitteilungsblatt der RZM", nr. 15 from September 8, 1934, pages 3 and 4 where the manufacturing-regulation was specified. In later years this was not changed. The cap shows the second pattern national eagle emblem as introduced in September 1937. High ranked leaders occasionally did wear a silver or golden piping. This piping was rather small (about 2.0 mm). One should note it never was officially allowed. Later manufacturing-regulations from the RZM (Herstellungsvorschriften) for example from 1938 do not mention any piping.
For the leaders a special headdress was introduced in the form of a kepi (order F 2b. nr. 13700, published December 14, 1936)., known as SA-Lagermütze für SA-Führer.

The question is simple: when was the blue-white piping sewn to the cap? If it was done in 1934/1935 or so, it then was not according to any regulation. It could have been done also after the war, as often collectors tried to upgrade the item in their posession. Some of them are known for such behaviour and are named "Fummler"! It is my guess the last has happened. A pity, but the piping is there obviously!! A skilled person does not have any problem to position a piping properly and correctly...

[wilhelm Saris]

I forgot to mention this form of cap was experimentally worn in mid-1932, but not by the SA-group of Hochland, but at Schlesien and Berlin-Brandenburg (colors eventually used for piping then should be yellow-white for Silezia (which is Ober- and Niederschlesien, Mittelschlesien south and nord, as well as Standarte 11) and black-white for the city of greater Berlin - which is Berlin-east and west - or red-white by Brandenburg - which is Brandenburg east and west).