WWII NAZI GERMAN LUFTWAFFE WINTER FUR CAP WW2

Multi-panel, Luftwaffe blue/grey leather and brown wool construction winter cap features four crown panels, dual fold down neck and ear panels and a forward fold down front "visor" panel with a second pattern Luftwaffe eagle to the front. The obverse of the neck, ear and front panels are in the brown wool with the reverses in blue/grey leather with machine stitched seams. The neck and ear panels can be secured in the upright position by Prym snaps and a dual blue cotton tie tapes or folded into the downward position to protect the wearers neck and ears and secured with the tie tapes tied under the chin. The lining is in blue/gray leather. Of Note: A photographic example of this style cap van be seen in J. Halcomb’s & W.P.B.R. Saris’s book, Headgear of Hitler’s Germany Volume I in the middle of page 342.The severe cold encountered on the Russian front in the winter of 1941/42 found the Germans completely unprepared not only in heat retaining cold weather garments but also snow camouflage garments. This resulted in numerous, hastily improvised and makeshift heat retaining and snow camouflage items being utilized including everything from civilian winter clothing to white bed sheets. After the winter of 1941/42 the Oberkommando des Wehrmacht, (High Command of the Armed Forces), recognized the need for heavier winter clothing and testing began in the spring of 1942 to develop suitable garments. In April 1942 Hitler approved the chosen design, and the first models were issued in the autumn of that year, included assorted winter fur caps. The winter garments were issued to all EM/NCO ranks in September and returned to the units clothing depot in April for storage, repair and cleaning to be reissued the following September. Originally Officers and senior NCO’s responsible for purchasing their own uniforms were required to purchase the new winter garments until regulations of December 1942 extended the issue winter clothing to all ranks in the colder theatres of operation. Although there was no official standard model of the fur cap the most commonly encountered type followed the basic pattern of the Mountain and M43 caps with fold down back and side panels designed to protect the wearers ears and neck.