Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 436:
Description
WWII German Heer Artillery Officer’s Visor Cap – Erel Sonderklasse by Robert Lubstein, Berlin, Retailed by Ludwig Schluckebier, Spandau, with Bright Red Waffenfarbe Piping Offered here is a well-preserved private-purchase officer’s Schirmmuetze of the German Army’s artillery branch, immediately identifiable by its bright red (hochrot) Waffenfarbe piping running along the crown seam and both edges of the cap band. The celluloid sweat diamond bears crisp silver-foil printing for Ludwig Schluckebier of Spandau, Charlottenstrasse 28, together with the Erel ‘Sonderklasse’ trademark of Robert Lubstein’s Berlin firm – the ‘Special Class’ designation reserved for that maker’s finest grade of officer headgear. No individual recipient’s name appears on the cap, and no separate biography has been located; the piece is identified and dated on the strength of its maker’s markings, construction, and insignia alone. Officers of the Wehrmacht were required to purchase their own uniforms and headgear privately rather than draw them from quartermaster stores, and firms such as Erel supplied a thriving trade in high-grade caps to officers passing through Berlin-area tailors and outfitters. The vivid red piping seen here denotes the artillery arm, which formed the backbone of German combined-arms doctrine throughout the war, supporting infantry and armor from the Polish campaign through the fighting on the Eastern and Western Fronts. A cap of this quality, purchased through an established Spandau retailer, would have been carried by a career officer or one commissioned from the reserves, and represents the kind of privately tailored dress item that visibly distinguished German officers from their conscripted enlisted counterparts. The cap presents a fine field-grey doeskin wool crown with vibrant red piping intact along both the crown seam and cap band edges, set above a dark bluish-green wool badge-cloth band. It retains its stamped aluminum Wehrmacht eagle-and-swastika badge on the crown and a two-piece stamped aluminum oakleaf wreath enclosing the national tri-color cockade on the band, both showing strong die detail and an attractive age patina consistent with an original silver-washed finish. Silver aluminum bullion chin cords cross the black patent-leather-effect visor and are secured at each side by pebbled silver-toned buttons. The interior retains its light satin-like lining with expected sweat toning, a brown leather sweatband with only minor edge wear and light creasing, and a yellow-backed vulcanfiber visor showing mild surface crazing typical of age. The exterior wool crown and band retain strong original color with minimal nap wear or soiling, and all insignia remain firmly affixed with clear detailing. A handsome, retailer-marked example of top-tier Erel Sonderklasse construction, its unmistakable artillery Waffenfarbe and Spandau provenance making it a strong addition to any Heer officer headgear collection.
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