Germany, Heer. A Panzer Troops Officer’s Visor Cap, Owner-Attributed with von Trapp Connection, by EREL

(Heer Schirmmütze für Offiziere der Panzertruppe). An extremely well-preserved Heer Panzer Troops Officer’s visor cap, constructed of field-grey whipcord wool. It features reinforced side walls which are fully lined on the exterior with a dark green wool cap band. Both the top and bottom edges of the band are trimmed with rose-pink piping, while an additional length of identical piping surrounds the outer edge of the crown. Pinned onto the peak of the cap is an aluminum insignia consisting of a Wehrmacht eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, measuring 65 mm (w) x 25 mm (h). Directly below the eagle, the centre of the cap band features an additional insignia consisting of a padded dark green wool base bearing a hand-embroidered silver aluminum wire oak leaf wreath surrounding a tri-colour cockade. The lower edge of the cap band is flanked on each side by pebbled aluminum studs which accommodate a chinstrap constructed of multiple rows of twisted and rolled silver aluminum wire. A protruding vulcanfibre visor completes the exterior features, and is finished in black on the obverse and light brown on the reverse. A multi-piece beige rayon liner encompasses the interior, while a wide light brown sweatband surrounds the side walls and is perforated with ventilation holes through the forehead. Stitched onto the crown is a transparent plastic moisture guard which bears the “SONDERKLASSE” maker’s mark of EREL (the former firm of Robert Lubstein, Berlin”, along with a distributor mark of “MILITÄRWARENHAUS HANS DÜBECK, WIEN IX. BERGGASSE 31”. An additional silvered EREL mark is visible on the right side of the sweatband. Inserted into the guard’s slot is a paper label bearing a typewritten owner’s name of “MAJOR HANS V. KRISCHER-WEHREGG”. The cap measures approximately 23 cm (w) x 27 cm (l) x 17 cm (h). Minor soiling consistent with wartime wear is visible to the interior, but this owner-attributed cap remains in an extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Notable not only for his military career, Hans von Krischer-Wehregg was the brother-in-law of Erna Trapp, a relation of Georg von Trapp and family of Sound of Music fame.