History

The SA (Sturmabteilung, storm detachment) was established in 1921 as a paramilitary protection squad of the NSDAP. The members of the SA were tasked with protecting party leaders at political rallies and meetings from the paramilitary forces of the opposing political factions. The SA was first utilised on November 4, 1921 at a meeting held in Munich’s "Hofbräuhaus" beer hall. The organisation was banned after the failed putsch in 1923 and was reactivated in February 1925.

The first Marine-SA unit was founded in 1930. Members wore a navy blue visor cap with a silver national eagle emblem within an oakleaf wreath (later often with an SA cockade in the wreath’s centre). The visor was made of black leather, with a brown leather chin strap on top of it. Buttons were embossed with anchors and could be either silver or gilt, depending on the wearer’s region. The cap band was black.

In December of 1932, the brown leather chin strap was replaced by a black one, and all buttons were to be gold-coloured from then on.

Piping was introduced on October 16, 1933. Ranks of Brigadeführer down to Standartenführer wore gold piping around the crown, as well as two-coloured regional piping on the upper edge of the cap band. Ranks below Standartenführer down to Sturmbannführer only wore the gold crown piping. Ranks of Sturmhauptführer down to Sturmführer wore the two-coloured regional piping around the crown.
The piping was discontinued in March of 1934.

A version of the cap with a white top was authorized in early 1939, but had already been worn since the summer of 1937, mainly by instructors of sea sport schools.