Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 440:
Description
Full catalog title: WWII German Heer M34 Artillery Enlisted/NCO Overseas Cap. WWII German Luftwaffe Enlisted/NCO Fliegerbluse Schiffchen (Overseas Side Cap) with Bright Red Flakartillerie Soutache, Interior Stamped "B 5471" Offered here is an original World War II Luftwaffe overseas side cap, or Schiffchen, rendered in the distinctive blue-gray wool issued to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers of the German air arm. The cap displays a woven national eagle and swastika above a round tricolor cockade set on a diamond-shaped backing, with a bright red inverted-chevron soutache framing the insignia – the Waffenfarbe denoting Flakartillerie, the anti-aircraft artillery branch of the Luftwaffe. The interior twill lining carries a clear ink stamp reading "B 5471," almost certainly a depot or unit inventory marking; the cap is not attributed to a named wearer. Introduced in the late 1930s as standard Luftwaffe issue, the Schiffchen was designed for practicality – compact, foldable, and easily stowed when not worn, yet fully able to convey both national affiliation and branch of service at a glance. The eagle and cockade signaled allegiance to the Luftwaffe, while the colored soutache told a trained eye a soldier’s specific role within it. Flak units wearing this red piping served in a demanding dual capacity throughout the war, manning the extensive network of anti-aircraft batteries that defended German cities, industrial centers, and troop concentrations against Allied air power, while in the war’s later stages many Flak crews and their guns were pressed into direct ground combat roles as the fighting reached German soil. This cap’s insignia situate it firmly within that history, though it carries no unit or personal identification beyond the interior stamp. The wool body retains its characteristic folded side panels and peaked rear crown. At the front, the BeVo-woven eagle sits above the cockade, itself mounted on a blue-gray diamond, with the red soutache stitched in a crisp inverted V around it. A metal ventilation grommet is set into the left side panel. The lining is a light twill, bearing the legible ink stamp "B 5471."
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