An Afrika Korps Panzer Anti-Tank Battalion NCO's/Enlisted Man's Side Cap

Constructed with an olive green-brown cotton twill exterior, with two rising peaks forming a valley between the two, fold down panels with gently sloping, downward scallops to the front and forward sides, the panels unable to be turned down fully as they are stitched in place at the front. Sewn in place on the front peak is a machine embroidered gray Army (Heer) tropical eagle on a khaki background, illustrating an eagle sitting, its talons gripping a wreath swastika below, a machine embroidered cockade in red, white and black with a khaki background just below the eagle on the skirt, the cockade framed by two rows of angled bright pink twist piping indicative of a Panzer Anti-Tank Battalion, the piping forming an inverted triangle over the cockade, a single olive green finished zinc eyelet along the top edge on either side for ventilation. The interior is lined in red cotton and is stamped in black ink in the dome with the "CLEMENS WAGNER BRAUNSCHWEIG-HAMBURG" maker mark inside an oval, with the date "MAI 42" (May 1942) in the centre of the oval, the size stamp "55" overprinted with "53" below, with an additional "53" size stamp to the right of the maker mark. The cap measures 105 mm x 265 mm, with fraying evident in the bright pink piping, light soiling on the embroidered cockade, exhibiting loss of the olive green finish on the left side eyelet, both eyelets with oxidation evident on their undersides, near extremely fine.