History

In May of 1934, the SS officially introduced the first pattern of Field Cap, the M34, for wear by Enlisted Men (EMs) and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs).

The cap was an earth-grey colour to match the SS drill uniforms and featured an embroidered SA-pattern eagle on the left side of the cap. At this point in time, the SS style cap eagle had not yet been introduced. In addition, a removable metal button with a raised death’s head was attached to the front skirt. In 1937, the eagle on the side of the cap was replaced with a black triangle that featured an SS-pattern eagle embroidered in white thread.

The cap was modelled after the army pattern and had a scalloped skirt front and a slouched centre ridge. However, unlike the army pattern, the SS field cap did not feature air vents. The M34 lining was generally produced out of a solid coloured cotton fabric. Privately purchased caps usually have lining manufactured out of high-quality cotton or rayon.

In 1935, a black version of the cap was introduced for wear with the black service uniform. This cap features the same insignia as the earth-grey version. As of May 1935, the cap was also being produced in a field-grey colour, although this variant was reserved for wear by members of the Leibstandarte SS "Adolf Hitler" regiment. In 1936, the SS-VT was given permission to also wear the field-grey version, but the majority of SS-VT personnel did not receive the cap until 1937/1938.