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 winter visor cap was worn by Luftwaffe personnel serving in extreme winter climates, such as the Eastern Front.

The visor cap is composed of a leather body that ranges in colour from white to black and features fold-down neck and skirt panels. The entire visor cap is lined in fur.

The insignia on the visor cap includes a Luftwaffe pattern national emblem eagle and a tricolour cockade. For Officers, the insignia may be composed of silver-coloured bullion insignia. For NCO/EM ranks, the national emblem eagle is machine-embroidered in cotton thread, and the cockade is machine-woven. There are also instances where a metal national emblem eagle insignia was worn in the place of an embroidered one.