Luftwaffe Officer’s Summer Visor – EREL

Product Description: This Luftwaffe Officer’s Summer Visor is a very nice and rare cap. It’s a top quality, private purchase piece, in outstanding condition. The maker is the firm of Robert Lubstein (EREL). The top of this summer style cap is removable for laundering, and is made of a white fabric with a diagonal weave. It shows a very light patina, predominately on the crown area, with slight age toning. The front of the cap boasts a complete set of deluxe bullion insignia. The rare and impressive Luftwaffe eagle and swastika emblem is backed with white wool, which shows some small moth nips along the top edge. The eagle is affixed to the cap with three prongs, which would enable it to be removed for cleaning purposes. The black ribbed cotton center band with silver piping is immaculate, with a deluxe three-dimensional bullion winged cockade emblem that is hand applied on the front. The correct officer style braided wire chin cord is intact. The surface of the patent leather visor shows slight haze from age. Inside, this Luftwaffe Officer’s Summer Visor is lined with a high quality cream colored lining. The full rhomboid sweat shield is completely intact, and is beautifully embossed with the EREL Sonderklasse Extra maker mark, as well as the address of the Verkaufsabteilung der Luftwaffe, all executed in gold foil lettering. The deluxe vented leather sweatband is fully intact, with no wear, and is embossed with the EREL maker logo. An original synthetic stiffener is still in place in the front interior of cap, under the lining. The original paper retail size tag is still attached to the side seam of the sweatband, and identifies the size as “55.” These caps are hard to find. This is a stunning example, that would be very hard to upgrade. The condition of this cap rates as excellent.

Historical Description: The visor cap (Schirmmütze) was an important part of the headgear worn by German uniformed military, civil, paramilitary and political organizations during the Third Reich. This was the standard cloth headgear worn as a part of the service uniform. Visor caps were worn outdoors, as well as indoors, and were often required to be worn by all personnel on duty. Visor caps were made in versions specific to each organization and were often further differentiated through the use of insignia, colored piping, or style of chin cord, to indicate rank, role or branch. The insignia used on these caps ranged from simple stamped metal emblems, to elaborate hand embroidery. Visor caps were issued to enlisted soldiers and NCOs in the military and in some other organizations. Officers had to purchase their own hats, and lower ranks could choose to purchase caps that were of a higher quality than the rather basic, issue examples. The private purchase caps were generally made in very high quality, with fine materials. A wide variety of fabrics were used, from Trikot and doeskin, to heavy wool, or even lightweight white fabric for summer wear. In the military, issue of these caps was generally suspended shortly after the outbreak of the war, but they continued to be worn by some troops until the end of the war.

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