Germany, Kriegsmarine. An Officer’s Dark Blue Board Cap, Late-War Example

(Kriegsmarine dunkelblaues Schiffchen für Offiziere). An extremely well-preserved Kriegsmarine Officer’s board cap, constructed of dark blue wool. It is fully surrounded by fold-down side walls which are trimmed along the edge with golden-yellow wool piping. Stitched onto the peak is an insignia consisting of a dark navy blue rayon backer bearing a machine-embroidered golden-yellow Kriegsmarine eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, measuring 65 mm (w) x 30 mm (h).  Directly below the eagle, the front also bears a machine-embroidered tri-colour cockade presented on a dark blue rayon backer, measuring 30 mm (w) x 30 mm (h). The interior is fully encompassed by a multi-piece black rayon liner, which bears the faintly-legible remnant of a stamped manufacture date of “1944”, topped by the illegible outline of what appears to be a Reichsbetriebsnummer (RBNr.), and a size of “56”. The cap measures approximately 26 cm (l) x 12 cm (h) when folded on a flat surface. Demonstrating no notable damage or wear, this late-war example remains in an extremely fine condition.

Footnote: While this example was most likely issued to an Officer, with the use of wool piping and Enlisted ranks insignia reflecting wartime material scarcity, it is also possible that the former indicates that the recipient was an Officer candidate awaiting a full uniform upgrade.