Original German WWII Heer Army Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper Officer Schirmmütze Visor Cap with Edelweiß Badge

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic example of a German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper Officer Schirmmütze (visor cap), complete with a lovely metal Edelweiß Badge. It features the typical feldgrau (field gray) “whipcord” weave wool construction with a flaschengrün (dark bottle-green) “badge cloth” band and a traditional high forward crown. It also has matching hellgrün (light green) piping along the top edge and flanking either side of the band, the Corps Color (Waffenfarbe) for Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops), Skijäger (ski troops), and Jäger (light infantry troops). It still has the stiffener ring around the crown to maintain the shape, though it has still sunk a bit, giving it a great gently sloped look. It is decorated with a well detailed stamped aluminum eagle insignia on the peak and and an open aluminum wreath surrounding an aluminum tri-color cockade on the band. The insignia look great, showing a lovely lightly aged patina, and the red felt insert in the cockade is still vibrant and undamaged. Between the eagle and wreath is a beautiful aluminum Edelweiß badge with a gilt aluminum center. This flower, found in the mountains of Southern Germany and Austria, is the symbol used by Gebirgsjäger mountain troops. The braided silver bullion chinstrap, designating the wearer as an officer, is attached with the standard pebbled buttons on either side of the cap. It is in very good condition, showing light overall wear but no fraying or oxidation. The vulcanfibre visor has a smooth black leather-look upper, exhibiting light wear along the edge and is checkered beige on the underside. The top of the visor has a lovely pattern of crazing and checking, which only happens after decades. The light blue finished leather sweatband is still supple, with the stitching still intact almost all the way around the edge. It shows some light staining from use, as well as a tear on the left side where the visor meets the body, where the stitching has degraded. The interior of the cap is lined with cream colored rayon fabric, and the original celluloid sweat shield diamond is present and mostly complete, with partly intact stitching. There are no longer any maker or size markings present, and it seems to be about a 57cm / US 7 1/8 in size. Exterior condition is very nice, showing just only light wear and age toning. We do not see any major moth damage or staining, and it looks to have seen only light use during the war. A very nice example of the classic hat worn by German Army Gebirgsjäger Mountain Trooper Officers in WWII, ready to display! Gebirgsjäger material is among the most popular of all German WWII items. They were the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (Gebirgstruppe) of Germany and Austria. The word Jäger (meaning “hunter” or “huntsman”) is a characteristic term used for light-infantry or light-infantryman in German-speaking military context. The mountain infantry of Austria have their roots in the three Landesschützen regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The mountain infantry of Germany carry on certain traditions of the Alpenkorps (Alpine corps) of World War I. Both countries’ mountain infantry share the Edelweiß insignia. It was established in 1907 as a symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Landesschützen regiments by Emperor Franz Joseph I. These troops wore their edelweiss on the collar of their uniforms. When the Alpenkorps came to aid the Landesschützen in defending Austria-Hungary’s southern frontier against the Italian attack in May 1915, the grateful Landesschützen honored the men of the Alpenkorps by awarding them their own insignia: the edelweiss. Together with the Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army. The German Schirmmütze Visor Cap:The visor cap (Schirmmütze) was an important part of the headgear worn by German uniformed military, civil, paramilitary and political organizations during the Third Reich. This was the standard cloth headgear worn as a part of the service uniform. Visor caps were worn outdoors as well as indoors, and were often required to be worn by all personnel on duty. Visor caps were made in versions specific to each organization and were often further differentiated through the use of insignia, colored piping, or style of chin cord, to indicate rank, role or branch. The insignia used on these caps ranged from simple stamped metal emblems, to elaborate hand embroidery. Visor caps were issued to enlisted soldiers and NCOs in the military and in some other organizations. Officers had to purchase their own hats, and lower ranks could choose to purchase caps that were of a higher quality than the rather basic, issue examples. The private purchase caps were generally made in very high quality, with fine materials. A wide variety of fabrics were used, from Trikot and doeskin, to heavy wool, or even lightweight white fabric for summer wear. In the military, issue of these caps was generally suspended shortly after the outbreak of the war, but they continued to be worn by some troops until the end of the war.