WWII German Army NCO Hat -
The German Army during WWII was made part of the Wehrmacht in May 1935 with the passing of the
"Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defence Forces". The Wehrmacht included not just the
Army and Navy but also a third branch known as the Luftwaffe. Initially, the Army was expanded to
21 divisional-sized units and smaller formations. Between 1935 and 1945 this force grew to consist
of hundreds of divisions and thousands of smaller supporting units. Between 1939 and 1945 close
to 16 million served in the Army. Over 3 million were killed and over 4.1 million were wounded. Of
the 7,361 men awarded the initial grade of the highest German combat honour of World War II, the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, 4,777 were from the Army, making up 65% of the total awarded.
The Allies dissolved the German Army on 20 August 1946.
The item featured here is a German WWII Army NCO hat.
This hat would have been worn with a uniform similar to the ones shown in the
German uniforms
section.
The design of the hat consists of a grayish-light green
rayon
construction body with a medium peak rise. The mid section is of dark
green wool material. The visor is made of black leather. A leather
chin strap is present.
An Army eagle is placed in the upper section. Just below is a metal cockade.
The eagle has the wings fully spread. With three rows of plumeage. The head
is facing to the right. The talons are clutching a wreath with a swastika
in the center.
The cockade consists of a multi-circle button with a red dot in the center. The
outer perimeter has black metal sections in a star pattern. Wreath sections
protrude from the left and right sides of the button. Both, the eagle and
cockade are secured to the hat via the use of prongs.
The chin strap consists of three pieces of leather held together by a couple of
buckles. The anchor straps are secured to the hat by two black metal domed
shaped buttons. One located per side.
White piping covers the perimeter of the hat.
This page is a recognition and identification guide for WWII German hats. Multiple
detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out clearly defined points
that should be noted.
One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my WWII German hat worth?". A price
guide is included here to address this question. The value of the hats is reviewed
over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth of the German
headgear in the collector's market is illustrated.
This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military
antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.
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The inside of the hat shows a leather sweatband. The inside of the visor shows the
traditional checkered pattern. A word of advise about the hat; do not pick it up
from the visor. Over the years the stiching gets loose and can cause it to fall off.
There is no RZM paper tag found.
They would normally be glued to the sweatband area. Over time and through normal
wear they fall off.
The remnant stiches that held the clear plastic diamond shape section are visible. This
plastic component normally displayed the manufacturer's logo and, in some cases, the
name of the soldier who owned the hat.
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WE BUY German Hats and Eagles - All types of German headgear and accessories. Whether it is for military use or a civilian
application.
The process gets started by you sending us an
Email .
We will respond to your inquiry normally within 24 hours and in many cases much faster.
We can tell you what you have, what it is worth and how much we can pay you.
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