History

The German Wehrmacht was composed of three main branches, the Heer, the Kriegsmarine, and the Luftwaffe. The Heer and Kriegsmarine uniforms were based upon the designs utilized by their predecessor organizations, the Deutsches Heer and the Kaiserliche Marine. Conversely, the Luftwaffe uniforms were based upon the uniforms worn in the sports and para-military organizations that were the forerunners of the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe uniforms were specifically designed to deviate from the designs of the other Wehrmacht service branches. It was also necessary that the uniforms differentiate between military and civilian pilots.

The Tropical Visor Cap was permitted for wear by all Luftwaffe personnel, but due to its limited produced and unpopularity it was mostly worn by Officers; the NCO/EM ranks caps are rarer.

All of these caps feature a Luftwaffe pattern national emblem eagle and a national-colours cockade surround by a wreath with spread wings. On Officer caps, these insignia may be machine-woven with flat aluminum wire, while on NCO/EM ranks caps the insignia are composed of off-white and coloured thread. These caps also feature detachable neck flaps.

The chin cord for Officers is composed of aluminum cords, and the chin strap for NCO/EM ranks is composed of black material (leather).

The inside lining of the caps is generally composed of red cloth.

The manufacturer mark, when present, was stamped on the inside of the cap. The inside lining may also be stamped with the RB numbers, size, and place and date of manufacture.

These Tropical Visor Caps are also known as "Hermann Meyer Caps".