Original Item: Only One Available. The second most predominant item of Heer tropical soft headgear was based on the M-34 / 38 overseas cap, nicknamed in German army slang as Schiffchen, or literally “little ship” as it resembled an up-turned row-boat. It lacked a peak or visor, and was made in the same cotton as the M-40 ‘Afrikamütze’ cap. The production of these also started in 1940. The schiffchen utilized the same brown enameled stock for the vent holes as the M-40.
As with the continental wool version, the tropical overseas cap had turn-down sides, but these could not be folded down to cover the ears for cold weather protection because they were stitched in the front and back. Later war versions retained the seam, but were entirely sewn down, now just a separate part of the exterior.
The cap was also lined with red cotton, the sides being the last to be sewn in place. The insignia was sewn to the shell before the lining was added, and used exactly the same eagle, roundel and soutache as the M-40 ‘Afrikamütze’. From 1943 onwards, as with the M-40 billed cap, the eagle can be seen to be sewn on some examples on a triangular backing. This was a simple measure to speed up production, although it tended to lend the cap with a less attractive appearance.
The overseas cap was popular with armored vehicle crews due to the lack of a visor,…
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