Germany, DAK. An Afrika Korps Logistics EM/NCO’s Overseas Cap, by Hans Brandt

(Deutsches Afrikakorps Schiffchen). This is an extremely well-preserved Afrika Korps Logistics EM/NCO’s field cap, constructed of olive-drab cotton twill. The cap is fully surrounded by fold-down side paneling, which is held in place by dual pieces of machine stitching at the front. It is flanked on each side by a ventilation hole reinforced with a zink eyelet, painted a glossy olive-green on the exterior. The peak is adorned with an insignia in the form of a grey-threaded, BeVo-style Wehrmacht eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, set on a light brown rayon backer and measuring 68 mm (w) x 32 mm (h). Underneath the eagle is a light blue soutache surrounding a tri-colour cockade, similarly constructed of multi-coloured, BeVo-style threading on a tan-coloured backer, measuring 32 mm (w) x 32 mm (h). The interior of the cap features a complete red cotton liner, marked with a maker’s stamp of “HANS BRANDT, MÜTZENFABRIK, MAGDEBURG-N, RITTERSTRAßE 12-15”, a size stamp of “56”, and a date of “824” (August 1942). The cap measures approximately 286 mm (l) x 104 mm (h). Free of evident faults, this is a rare example of a Hans Brandt cap with a factory-applied soutache in extremely fine condition.