Germany, Luftwaffe. An Officer’s Visor Cap, Owner-Attributed Example, by N. Schega & Neffe

(Luftwaffe Schirmmütze für Offiziere). A Luftwafffe Officer’s visor cap, constructed of dark grey wool. It features reinforced side walls, fully lined on the exterior with a black mohair cap band. Both the top and bottom edges of the band are trimmed with lengths of silver aluminum wire piping, while an additional band of identical piping surrounds the outer edge of the crown. The former’s internal wire reinforcement has been removed by the owner, giving the cap a popular but non-regulation Sattelform appearance. Stitched onto the peak is an insignia consisting of a dark grey wool backer bearing a silver aluminum wire Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika, measuring 76 mm (w) x 44 mm (h). Directly below the eagle, the centre of the cap band features an additional insignia in the form of a black wool backer bearing a silver aluminum wire wreathed and cockade, measuring 145 mm (w) x 42 mm (h). The lower sides of the cap band are flanked by pebbled aluminum buttons which accommodate a chinstrap constructed of multiple rows of twisted and rolled silver aluminum wire. Completing the exterior features is a protruding vulcanfibre visor which is finished in black on the obverse and in green on the reverse. A multi-piece grey rayon line encompasses the interior, while the walls are surrounded by a brown leather sweatband. An intact transparent plastic moisture guard is retained on the crown, and covers an intact maker’s label reading “N. SCHEGA & NEFFE, MÜTZENERZEUGUNG, GRAZ”. A hollow insertion slot set into the moisture guard also retains a paper label bearing a typewritten owner’s name of “WALTER GIEBELHAUSER”. A handwritten size mark of “56” is also visible on the sweatband. The cap measures approximately 23.5 cm (w) x 28 cm (l) x 15 cm (h). Some issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include sporadic mothing and material fatigue the exterior, bending of the side walls, and minor soiling of the interior. This owner-attributed example remains in a very fine condition.