History

The Old Style Field Cap was introduced in 1937. It was produced in field-grey or earth-grey. The cap was lined in grey-green or beige-grey matte cotton or artificial silk.

Initially, this cap featured a death's head button at the front. It was white, but later versions were often painted field-grey or green. Eventually, the button was replaced by the regular death's head emboidered insignia.
The Waffen-SS style eagle emblem was worn on the left side of the cap, touching the scallop point.

The cap doesn't feature any piping and seems to have only been worn by NCO/EMs (non-commissioned officers and enlisted men).

Sometimes, these caps would featured a soutache in branch colour, in the form of an inverted V around the death's head insignia.

A simplified approximation of branch colours follows:
Silver or grey: Generals
White: Infantry
Red: Artillery
Black: Engineers (“Pioniere”)
Lemon yellow: Signals
Pink: Armoured/Anti-Tank
Copper brown: Reconnaissance (1940-1942)
Golden yellow: Cavalry/Reconnaissance (1942-1945)
Dark blue: Medical
Grass green: Mountain Troops
Light blue: Supply Troops
Orange: Field Police/Special & Technical Services
Dark Green: Reserve & Special Services Officers (1940-1942)
Red & Grey: Special Services Officers (1942-1945)
Carmine: Veterinary
Wine red: Judicial
Light brown: Concentration Camp Personnel
Light pink: Transport Troops
Light salmon pink: Military Geologists
Sky blue: Administration