Waffen-SS Overseas Caps

Thought I'd share some Waffen-SS Overseas Caps with my fellow forum members. Ask questions if you want:

 

Hi Bob!

What´s with the fourth one from above. Does not look like time took its toll. In what unit was it used?

Thanx!

 

That belongs to a friend of mine. It's a Waffen-SS enlisted tropical overseas cap. You can find the field caps far more easier but this is the only tropical overseas cap I've ever seen in person. There are a couple in books. This is also very rare in that it has the very rare autumn camouflaged insignia instead of the sand/tan tropical insignia. This came from a U.S. Army doctor who was ordered to go down to Mauthausen Concentration Camp and help out with the inmates. They stripped them of their clothing, washed them, sprayed them with disinfectant (for lice), but didn't have any clean clothing. So this doctor took a couple of trucks into Linz where there was a clothing depot full of Waffen-SS tropical uniforms and caps. He keep this one, as well as a field cap, for himself. My friend didn't get the field cap. These were made in the camp for Schmid & Menner, a clothing contractor. It is interesting to note that normally the camouflaged insignia (that was short lived and sewn onto camouflaged field caps for about a 15-day period) were block cut and machine sewn. This has been cut out and hand sewn. A really rare cap in mint, unissued condition.

Bob