German Der Stahlhelm Veteran's Visor Cap with Early Nazi Insignia
This German visor hat is non-regulation version worn by older members of Der Stahlhelm during the early Nazi era (1933-1945). It is made of olive green cotton with vulkanfiber visor and features three distinct insignia: a Nazi Party eagle (top), Der Stahlhelm hat badge (middle), and a Prussian state cockade (bottom). The reasoning for this hat being non-regulation lies in the placement of these insignia. According to Nazi Party regulations from September 1933, the eagle and swastika national emblem was to replace the use of the Stahlhelm badge at the center of the league’s visor caps. The national red/white/black tricolor and state cockades were to be placed above and below the eagle accordingly.1 This stated, it is plausible that a Der Stahlhelm and Nazi Party member wore this hat prior to the 1933 regulations or just did not adhere to them. From the league’s foundation to the Nazi absorption, Der Stahlhelm used many different style of headdress. Leading officials tried to make a regulatory format but they were unable to standardize a system, making the complete identification of non-regulation hats difficult.2
Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten (The Steel Helmet, League of Frontline Soldiers)
Germany’s losses in World War I were insurmountable. Three percent of the country's total population was killed and twice as many, 4,207,000 soldiers, were wounded. Devastation from the war left returning soldiers at a loss to find jobs, medical care, and tools to rebuild their lives.3 Organizations throughout Germany hoped to assist returning veterans. The largest and most influential of these organizations was Der Stahlhelm, or The Steel Helmet. Captain Franz Seldte formed Der Stahlhelm on December 25, 1918, to promote nationalism, conservatism and to assist veterans.4 Members expressed open disdain toward the Weimar government and Treaty of Versailles. The right wing principles attracted Freikorps members and Der Stahlhelm’s ranks swelled to include women, youth groups and other Germans who had not served in WWI.5 By 1933 Der Stahlhelm grew into a massive paramilitary institution encompassing nearly 600,000 members. The Nazis feared any and all influential organization not directly under the party’s control and saw Der Stahlhelm as a threat.6 Franz Seldte solved this problem by joining the Nazi Party in April 1933 and making Der Stahlhelm subordinate to party leadership. The once immense institution became reorganized under Nazi guidance. Most of its members found roles in the paramilitary Sturmabteilung (Storm Detachment), or SA, and with no further use for the organization, Hitler disbanded Der Stahlhelm on November 7, 1935.7
| Germany | Interwar Period |
| Visor Hat | |
| DFV-01-1204 | |
