Eastern Territories Visor Cap

Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories Ministerium Fur Die Besetzten Ostgebiete

PERSONNEL ATTACHED to the Ministerium fur die Besetzten Ostgebiete used a distinctive service visor cap in the traditional "saddle" form.

The cap was worn in the 1942 to 1944 period and was of orange-brown cloth with a dark brown cap band. Piping was of gilt or silver wire cord for higher ranks and of brownish-orange thread for lower ranking officials. The coloration of the caps was roughly identical to the SA color, in that much of the material used came from surplus SA clothing depot stocks.

A black polished leather or fiber visor was worn with the service cap and chin cords were dependent upon rank: higher officials of the Ministry wore gilt wire embroidered cap cords with pebbled gilt side buttons; middle ranking personnel utilized silver wire embroidered cap cords with silver pebbled side buttons, and lower ranking officials wore a brown leather chinstrap which was secured by brown enameled metal side buttons.

Cap piping matched the cap cords and was graded accordingly. Official's hat insignia consisted of a diplomatic eagle in gilt or glossy silver wire embroidery mounted on the front of the crown over the vertical seam ofthe cap. An embroidered (wire) national cockade of black-white-red flanked by a stylized oak wreath having "wings" or horizontal oak leaves was attached to the band. Diplomatic insignia was worn because of the close association of this Ministry with the Diplomatic Corps.

Lower ministerial ranks wore metallic insignia in natural-colored finish.

ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL SERVICE CAP

Administrative personnel attached to the Ministry for Occupied Regions wore a visor cap similar to that of ministerial officials for the Eastern Regions.

This saddle-formed visor cap, worn from 1939 until 1941 (and thereafter only to be worn by highest level officials), was made of field-grey cloth. The dark blue cap band was piped with silver wire, as was the leading edge of the cap's crown. A black fiber visor similar to the Army style was worn.

Chin cords were of interwoven silver wire material and were secured to the sides of the cap by pebbled aluminum buttons.

Cap insignia consisted of a silver wire embroidered or silver metal diplomatic eagle mounted under the leading edge of the crown.

A national cockade within a stylized oak wreath and flanked by horizontal "wings" of four oak leaves each was secured to the cap band. This insignia too existed in glossy wire (silver) embroidery or in silver-colored metal, depending on the rank of the wearer.

Following 1940 a variant of this service cap was issued to high ranking officials who were permitted to wear it in conjunction with their dark blue service uniforms. Fittings and insignia remained as before, though the cap body was of dark blue woolen doe-skin with a dark blue cap band. Insignia was silver embroidered with a glossy finish.

Tom Shutt: "Dress and Field Service Hats of the Third Reich", H.S.M. Publications, 1981