History

The headgear and uniforms worn by members of the Kriegsmarine were based upon the designs utilized by the Kaiserliche Marine and the Reichsmarine. The official regulations governing the uniforms of the Reichsmarine were issued on April 5, 1921, and they were embraced, with a few alterations, as the Kriegsmarine uniforms in 1935. New guidelines concerning rank insignia were issued in 1936, and in 1938, the traditional saucer form (tellerform) of the visor cap was changed to a new saddle form (sattelform).

This Visor Cap was worn as part of the field grey uniform by Kriegsmarine Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Privates, and Administrative Officials who held coastal artillery positions.

The visor cap is composed of several main elements, including the cloth top cover and piping, the cap band with piping, the visor, and the chin strap/cord. In the cap interior the main elements include the top metal stiffener (removable), the inside lining, the diamond-shaped moisture shield, the brown sheepskin or kid sweat band, and the manufacturer's logo and associated information. Each cap was also adorned with gold-coloured insignia, including an oak leaf wreath and cockade in the centre of the cap band above the lower piping, and a national emblem that was placed above the cap band and along the front seam of the cap.

The top cover is made from field-gray tricot cloth, and lined with gray or dark green piping.

Until 1935, the cap band was composed of field-gray cloth. After 1935, the cap band was composed of dark blue-green cloth.

The visor was primarily composed of black lacquered vulcanized fibre “Vulkanfiber.”

The inside lining of the cap is made of artificial silk or cotton fabric, and the most frequently used colours include blue, tan, or yellow-brown.

The moisture shield is made of transparent celluloid.

While Kriegsmarine caps generally lack manufacturer logos, when present they were placed on or under the moisture shield. The logo tended to be accompanied with the year of production and the size of the cap.

The chin straps/cords reflect the wearer’s rank group. Until 1933, all ranks wore these caps with a black leather chin strap. From July 1, 1933 onward, a silver-coloured chin cord was introduced for wear by Officers up to the rank of Kapitän zur See. After 1938, Officer Candidates (Fähnrich), Senior Officer Cadets (Oberfähnrich), and Naval Medical Officer Candidates (Marineunterärzte), also had a silver-coloured chin cord. Furthermore, the caps worn by Administrative Officials featured a silver-coloured chin cord, but they had silver-coloured insignia instead of gold-coloured insignia. In 1943, the field-gray uniform for Admirals was introduced, and it included a Visor Cap with gold-coloured insignia and chin cord. The caps worn by Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates continued to feature a chin strap composed of black lacquered leather or vulcanized fibre.

The chin strap/cord is attached to the cap via two gold-coloured anchor buttons. The caps of Administrative Officials are the only examples of this cap to have silver-coloured buttons.

Each cap also features three pieces of insignia, including a cockade, an oak leaf wreath, and a national emblem. These insignia were gold-coloured for Admirals, Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Privates, and silver-coloured for Administrative Officials. These insignia may be composed of stamped metal made to look like embroidery, hand-embroidered bullion wire, or machine woven and embroidered celleon, cotton, or artificial silk thread. Generally, the insignia worn on the caps of Officers were of a higher quality of manufacture and material than those worn on the caps of Non-Commissioned Officers.