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.

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.

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. One item or an entire collection - Email Us .