Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice service worn late war M43 Wehrmacht Heer (Army) M43, which looks to be in size 56cm. It is constructed of feldgrau (Field Gray) worsted wool cloth, with fold-down panels with scallops to the front and forward sides, covering the entire neck on the sides and rear when in use. When not in use, the panels are raised with their ends resting upon the visor, being joined together by two pebbled aluminum buttons. The visor is reinforced with cardboard, and covered in matching cloth.

Sewn in place in the front of the cap is a Heer cap trapezoid constructed of BeVo style machine woven grey and green embroidered threading in the shape of a standard eagle over an embroidered cockade. This patch is original to the cap and is machine sewn to the outer fabric only. The patch is in very clean crisp condition. The interior of the cap is lined with brown silk-like rayon fabric, which definitely does show wear.

The condition of the cap is very good, though it does show period wear, as well as repairs to the interior lining. There is not any major moth damage that we can see.

Overall, this is a great looking wartime used M43 Heer field cap!

The M43 Feldmütze (Field Cap) is a variety of "Ski Cap" and was based on the Bergmütze (Mountain Hat) used by Austrian and German Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troops) during WWI. Germany had adopted it in 1915, and after the war it spread throughout the military.

The skirt that surrounds the cap is made in the same wool as the cap, and can be folded down over the ears, though this was rarely done outside of the Mountain troops, which had a double-thickness skirt. The skirt has a small dip in the front quarter with a divide secured by one aluminum button which is covered by an embroidered cockade. The small section in the front quarter was built shorter to show the insignia, and cover the wearer's chin or mouth, without disturbing breathing by covering the nose. There were also later M43 caps, such as those used by the DAK, that omitted the skirt entirely, as it had little use in the desert heat.