Kriegsmarine Bundesmarine Visor Caps

[Gordon Williamson]

We have seen in earlier threads some fine examples of original caps and many will know that a favourite trick of fakers is to convert postwar Bundesmarine caps back to Kriegsmarine sometimes by simply re-badging or by completely re-working. Early Bundesmarine caps may not have huge values but are quite collectible in their own right so its sad to see them being butchered to turn into fake KM caps.

Here are some early BM caps, inlcuding some points you definitely don't want to see in originalKM caps.

Firstly a nice early blue top NCO cap. Note the near perfect shape when compared to wartime. Still featuring the floppy brim, wide peak bidning etc.

Externally, the give aways, apart from the plastic chinstrap, are the plastic material used for peak binding, and the distinct horizontal ribbed pattern on the non-removable black band.l

[Gordon Williamson]

Lining - the same blue lining as found on issued wartime caps. The sweat diamond is plastic, but is fairly stiff and very near to the feel of wartime celluloid diamonds, nothing like the soft plastic used on later Bundesmarine caps.

[Gordon Williamson]

The leather sweatband is attached to the body of the cap via a plastic strip. The cap band stiffener is shiny card, not the opaque celluoid or impregnated waterproofed buckram material used on originals.

This cap probably survived because although of perfect shape and many of the "wrong" features could have been reworked, the non removable outer black band of the wrong pattern was probably too much effort

[Gordon Williamson]

A Leutnant white top. Very nice example in good quality by Alkero (Albert Kempf) this piece has a plastic chinstrap ( which could obviously be very easily replaced with a leather one) and has leather binding to the peak, so not all BM caps have plastic here.

[Gordon Williamson]

Sweat diamond showing the Alkero mark and various Bundesmarine codings. A complete giveaway for its postwar origins but easily removable.

[Gordon Williamson]

A dead giveaway - the interior lining with white top removed. Originals have a cheesecloth covering here. Postwar caps have a paper thin felt like cloth covering.

[Gordon Williamson]

The tan leather sweatband is attached to the cap by a plastic strip, but actually has a cork type padding strip for the forehead portion as found on many wartime caps.

[Gordon Williamson]

A very nice Kapit?n cap. This piece has a leather chinstrap, but plastic binding to the peak. Nice larege floppy top though. This and the previous cap have the tops in ribbed twill rather than the waffle pattern most commonly found on wartime white tops.

[Jan Arne S]

Thanks Gordon !

Great and informative thread .

Jan Arne

[Gordon Williamson]

Interior. Grey sweatband with white interlaced ribbon, and attached to the body not by plastic but by a leathercloth strip.

[Gordon Williamson]

Ribbon tied in a very decorative bow at the rear.

[Gordon Williamson]

Maker ISKO, distributed through the Bundeswehr Kleiderkasse

[Gordon Williamson]

Interior with white top removed, again, covered in paper thin felt type cloth.

[reinoudmilitary]

Very interesting information!!!! Thanks Gordon.