Original Pre World War Two German NSDAP Ortsgruppenleitung (Local Level Leadership) Political Visor Cap; with Getes makers label, original owners name in Sütterlin font, and original RZM tag.
The NSDAP or Nationalsozialistische Deutsche ArbeiterPartei, (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), was originally founded in Munich as the DAP, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, (German Worker’s Party), on January 5th 1919. When Adolf Hitler joined in the autumn of 1919 he was to reform what was basically a debating society into an active political party. Appointed as the first chairman of the party on July 29th 1921, AH was to restructure it along para-military lines in a hierarchy. This new NSDAP structure consisted of four ascending levels of government: the Ortsgruppenleitung (Local group leadership), the Kreisleitung (District leadership), the Gauleitung (Regional District leadership), and the Reichsleitung (National leadership). Each group was distinguished by a specific color of piping on the collar tabs and visor cap. From 1936 to 1939 in this scheme, light blue was for the Ortsgruppe level, black for Kreis level, burgundy red for Gau level, and gold yellow for the Reich level. After that the Kreis level changed to white piping.
Featuring a 1934 Pattern Adler (Eagle), Tri-Color Swas Cockade, and gold bullion cord "chinstrap", attached to the cap. The early pattern shape of this cap is what is known as “Tellerform” which features the saucer like shape of the top. The visor is the thin lacquered style that is seen on earlier political visor caps, including Adolf Hitler’s own cap from the period. Inside is the “Getes” Celluloid Makers Label that also reads Wetterfest Imprägniert R.Z.M.Nr. 107. Size 56, and the original owners name written in the old German Sütterlinscript or “Sütterlin Font.”
Of historical note: Sütterlinscripts were introduced in Prussia in 1915, and from the 1920s onwards, they began to replace the relatively similar old German handwriting in schools. In 1935, the Sütterlin style officially became the only German script taught in schools. In 1941, the Nazi Party banned all "broken" (fraktur, blackletter) typefaces, including Sütterlin, and replaced them with Italian-style lettering, such as the Antiqua typeface class.
