Description
Product Description: This is a textbook original SS Panzer M43 Cap. The exterior of this late war cap is made of a distinctive thin black wool fabric with a soft feel. On the front, the typical embroidered “pirate skull” trapezoid is factory machine sewn with zig-zag stitching in black thread. The insignia is perfect, with all the details one expects to see. The buttons are the standard plastic type. The underside of the visor is bare cardboard, an instantly recognizable feature of this type of cap. The buff-colored card stock is clean, with some wrinkles as is typical. The interior is lined with gray rayon HBT which is perhaps the most common of the fabric types used to line these. The markings are also typical, with a large size stamp “56” and no manufacturer or date. While issued and worn examples of this type of cap are known, most of these on the market were found in the SS clothing warehouse at the Dachau concentration camp when it was liberated in the spring of 1945, and were taken as souvenirs by GI veterans. This is one such example, unworn and unissued. The exterior shows slight wrinkles and dust from long storage. The lining is clean. This SS Panzer M43 cap is a very attractive and desirable piece of headgear that remains in outstanding, excellent/near mint condition.
Historical Description: Prior to WWII, all branches of the German military issued their soldiers a field cap in the traditional “side cap” style (there were other types of field caps for certain specialized units). This type of field cap, called “little boat” (Schiffchen) by the troops, was found to be inadequate in the harsh extreme cold weather conditions on the Eastern Front in the brutal winter of 1941-42. As a result, in 1942, some units started issuing a type of field cap that had flaps and a button closure that could be folded down and fastened under the wearer’s chin, to provide protection to the ears. This type of cap, known as the M42, saw limited issue and was replaced a year later with a new model field cap, the Einheitsfeldmütze, that was intended to be issued to all branches. This final model of Wehrmacht field cap, which collectors have termed the M43, was based on the cap that had originally been issued to Wehrmacht mountain troops and featured the fold down ear flaps, as well as a visor. These caps were made out of wool and were intended for year-round wear in all regions where tropical uniforms were not issued. The caps were apparently very popular, as they very quickly replaced the earlier models on the heads of the troops in the field. By 1944 this was the most commonly seen field cap in combat units. These caps remained popular after the war, and many had their insignia removed and were worn out and discarded.
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