History

The Ski Cap was first introduced in 1934 and was used for both sporting activities and mountain combat training.

There were two patterns of the Ski Cap produced. The first pattern was issued from 1934 until 1935 and featured a single button which secured the two side flaps together. The only insignia on the cap was a metal skull insignia attached to the front.

The first pattern caps were produced in black and earth-grey cloth.

The second pattern was issued in 1936 and featured a two-button closure. In addition, this second pattern had entirely new insignia. The front of the cap was adorned with a cloth skull and a cloth eagle was attached to the side.

The second pattern caps were manufactured from earth-grey cloth and in 1937-1938 a black version of the cap was introduced. The earth-grey cloth caps featured brown buttons and black buttons were used on the black caps.

In 1939, the SS moved towards Army pattern uniforms and during this time, the ski cap was replaced by the mountain cap. Despite the ski cap being discontinued, it was used by many SS units during the first couple winters of the war, as cold weather clothing was in short supply.