The Feldmütze M43, also known as the Einheitsfeldmütze 1943, was the standardized field cap introduced by the German Wehrmacht in the second half of 1943 as a practical replacement for the earlier Schiffchen side cap, though the older model continued in limited use until the end of the Second World War. Evolving from the Bergmütze mountain cap worn by Gebirgsjäger units—which traced its roots to Austro-Hungarian ski cap designs of the First World War—the M43 featured a soft wool body in field-grey for Heer and Waffen-SS troops or black wool for Panzer forces, a short cloth-covered visor, and distinctive ear flaps that could be folded down for cold-weather protection or buttoned upward using two metal buttons (or later pressed cardboard versions). Its front typically bore the woven Hoheitssadler national eagle above the Reichskokarde cockade, while SS variants often placed a Totenkopf death’s-head badge at the front with the eagle on the left side; the cap’s teardrop-shaped crown and slightly sloped sides provided a comfortable, helmet-compatible design suited for field service, snipers, reconnaissance troops, and everyday wear. Manufactured in standard wool as well as later simplified HBT drillich and camouflage fabric versions using German or Italian patterns, it proved highly popular among soldiers for its versatility and durability across all fronts. The design’s influence extended well beyond 1945, serving as the basis for post-war headgear in the Bundesgrenzschutz and Bundeswehr mountain units, where similar Bergmütze-style caps remain in service today, and it continues to be widely reproduced for historical and collector purposes.
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LUFTWAFFE
Oberstleutnant Heinrich "Pritzl" Bär (1913-1957), born on 25 May 1913 in Sommerfeld in the Kingdom of Saxony and died on 28 April 1957 in Braunschweig, was a highly successful Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace who flew more than 1,000 combat sorties across the Western, Eastern, and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, claiming around 220 aerial victories (with German Federal Archives records confirming 208, including 16 in the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter). A former mechanic and transport pilot who transitioned to fighters with I./JG 51, Bär achieved his first victory against a Curtiss P-36 Hawk on the French border in September 1939, adding further kills during the Battle of France and Battle of Britain before excelling dramatically on the Eastern Front in Operation Barbarossa with JG 51 under II. Fliegerkorps. His Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes came on 2 July 1941 as Leutnant in 1./JG 51 after reaching 27 victories in the intense opening weeks, notably claiming multiple Tupolev SB bombers on 22 June and five more on 30 June amid JG 51's milestone 1,000th victory day. He received the 31st Eichenlaub on 14 August 1941 as Leutnant (soon promoted Oberleutnant) in 1./JG 51 upon attaining 60 victories, highlighted by an "ace-in-a-day" of six Soviet aircraft on 30 August before being shot down and wounded that same day near Novgorod-Seversky, evading capture by disguising himself as a peasant! Promoted to Hauptmann and appointed Staffelkapitän of 12./JG 51 (later Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 51), Bär earned the 7th Schwerter on 16 February 1942 for his 90th victory, continuing to amass kills in the Crimea with I./JG 77 and later in North Africa, the Defence of the Reich, and with JV 44, where his independent spirit often clashed with superiors like Hermann Göring, who denied him the Brillanten despite three recommendations; post-war he worked as a test pilot until his fatal crash in a LF-1 Zaunkönig.
Hauptmann Heinz Schmidt (1920-1943), nicknamed "Johnny", was born on 20 April 1920 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and volunteered for the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1938, completing basic training and fighter-pilot instruction before being posted in August 1940 to the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52, with which he flew his first combat sorties during the Battle of Britain. He claimed his initial aerial victory in the opening days of Operation Barbarossa and continued to score steadily on the Eastern Front, surviving a forced landing behind Soviet lines in late 1941 after which he walked back to German positions over six days. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 February 1942 and to Oberleutnant on 1 August 1942, he received the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 6 July 1942 while serving temporarily as Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel. In the intense air battles during the German advance toward Stalingrad he reached his fifty-first confirmed victory and was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 August 1942 as Leutnant and Flugzeugführer in the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52. Within the next three weeks, operating over the Caucasus, he doubled his score to one hundred and two aerial victories, for which he received the Eichenlaub on 16 September 1942 as the 124th recipient, still holding the rank of Leutnant. After a second forced landing behind enemy lines in February 1943 from which he returned after two days, he continued to fly with Jagdgeschwader 52 and on 16 August 1943 was appointed Staffelführer of the 6. Staffel. On 5 September 1943, during aerial combat near Markor in southern Russia, he was reported missing in action; it is believed he may have been shot down in error by Hungarian fighters operating in the same area. By that date he had flown 712 combat missions and accumulated 173 confirmed aerial victories, all on the Eastern Front, and was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann.
Hauptmann Heinz Schmidt (1920-1943), nicknamed "Johnny", was born on 20 April 1920 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and volunteered for the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1938, completing basic training and fighter-pilot instruction before being posted in August 1940 to the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52, with which he flew his first combat sorties during the Battle of Britain. He claimed his initial aerial victory in the opening days of Operation Barbarossa and continued to score steadily on the Eastern Front, surviving a forced landing behind Soviet lines in late 1941 after which he walked back to German positions over six days. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 February 1942 and to Oberleutnant on 1 August 1942, he received the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 6 July 1942 while serving temporarily as Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel. In the intense air battles during the German advance toward Stalingrad he reached his fifty-first confirmed victory and was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 August 1942 as Leutnant and Flugzeugführer in the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52. Within the next three weeks, operating over the Caucasus, he doubled his score to one hundred and two aerial victories, for which he received the Eichenlaub on 16 September 1942 as the 124th recipient, still holding the rank of Leutnant. After a second forced landing behind enemy lines in February 1943 from which he returned after two days, he continued to fly with Jagdgeschwader 52 and on 16 August 1943 was appointed Staffelführer of the 6. Staffel. On 5 September 1943, during aerial combat near Markor in southern Russia, he was reported missing in action; it is believed he may have been shot down in error by Hungarian fighters operating in the same area. By that date he had flown 712 combat missions and accumulated 173 confirmed aerial victories, all on the Eastern Front, and was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann.
Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2020/01/foto-tokoh-third-reich-yang-mengenakan.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=206833
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