Neat beute overseas cap

RyanE · Mar 1, 2020

Picked this up from a fellow member: a Soviet pilotka dyed blue (I think?) with German insignia added. You can still see where the Soviet star was punched through on the back side. Luftwaffe caps usually do not have the waffenfarbe soutache, so maybe it was died feldgrau but came out looking blue? I don't know. No eagle, but as you can see, the piloka shape doesn't have room for it. Moscow 1941 marked, I have seen this stamp before but I do not know the maker.

Impossible to know if this thing is real or not, but it is neat and price wasn't crazy.

CanadianAR · Mar 2, 2020

What was the intended purpose of this? Like they captured and used a bunch of them? Or a guy flipped sides? I’d admit to knowing nothing about a captured cap. Pretty neat
Though.

RyanE · Mar 2, 2020

CanadianAR said:
What was the intended purpose of this? Like they captured and used a bunch of them? Or a guy flipped sides? I’d admit to knowing nothing about a captured cap. Pretty neat
Though.

Converted ushankas make sense (warm), but an overseas cap less so. I can't imagine this was an official conversion, so I'm guessing local shortages in a flight or para unit? A conversion for a Hiwi is also an interesting possibility, though. It would definitely make sense.

Hambone · Mar 2, 2020

There was a fair amount of hiwi related conversion of such things. It is clearly a Soviet pilotka, and may very well be a Soviet airforce pilotka in that color. It may or may not be dyed. It may be a female German auxiliary cap. Below is an original Soviet infantry Pilotka from 1941, the field version, for comparison.

CanadianAR · Mar 2, 2020

I only bring it up as I’ve read some first account books and they mention these hiwis often and they make a point of saying no eagle insignia on their uniforms.

Neat beute overseas cap

RyanE

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