Germany, Luftwaffe. A Flight Personnel/Fallschirmjäger EM/NCO’s Visor Cap, Late-War Example, by Marie Slama & Sohn

(Luftwaffe Schirmmütze für Mannschaften der Fliegertruppe/Fallschirmjäger). A Luftwaffe Flight Personnel/Fallschirmjäger EM/NCO’s visor cap, constructed of dark grey wool with a pronounced whipcord weave. It features reinforced side walls which are lined on the exterior with a ribbed black mohair cap band. Both the top and bottom edges of the band are trimmed with golden-yellow piping, while an additional length of identical piping surrounds the outer edge of the crown. Pinned onto the peak is an aluminum insignia consisting of a Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, measuring 65 mm (w) x 45 mm (h). Directly below the eagle, the centre of the cap band is pinned with an aluminum insignia in the form of a one-piece wreath and tri-colour cockade, measuring 125 mm (w) x 45 mm (h). The lower edge of the band is flanked by blackened magnetic metal studs which retain an original multi-piece black leatherette chinstrap, itself adjusted with two functional metal buckles. A protruding vulcanfibre visor completes the exterior features, and is finished in black on the obverse and in green on the reverse. The interior is encompassed by a multi-piece beige rayon liner, while a wide brown leather sweatband surrounds the walls. The crown retains an intact transparent plastic moisture guard which displays the partially-legible maker’s mark of Marie Slama & Sohn, Vienna, topped by a late-war “MARKE BERLIN” logo. The cap measures approximately 23 cm (w) x 29 cm (l) x 17 cm (h). Issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include sporadic material fatigue throughout the out wool, loss of finish to the peak eagle with replacement of the prongs, significant fatigue to both the interior liner and sweatband, and partial detachment of the visor. This late-war cap, which demonstrates all of the hallmarks of field use, remains in a very fine condition.