SS Camouflage Headgear

The idea of camouflage for the head area was by no means unimportant to the overall concept of bodily protection. initial advances were made with a camouflage cover to conceal the helmet. First introduced in 1936, it was readily accepted and production continued throughout the war. In 1942 a slight modification was made to the cover by adding loops to attach foliage. The helmet cover was produced in all of the major patterns printed by the SS, with the exception of the Dot pattern. The need for lightweight camouflage headgear when the helmet was inappropriate, gave rise to a camouflage cap. On 1 June 1942, a camouflage field cap was introduced to meet these requirements. The cap was fully reversible (like smocks) allowing a choice of two different color schemes. It was intended to be worn without insignia, but Himmler authorized a special colored version of the insignia to be worn with the cap later that year. This was shortly reminded, however, and the cap was again issued without insignia.

In addition to using a camouflaged cover for the head or helmet, beginning in 1936 testing was conducted with regard to facial concealment. A face veil was produced which gave the wearer adequate camouflage, but came at a cumbersome price. The veil proved to have some operational drawbacks and was withdrawn from use. In 1942, considering the absence of any other suitable facial camouflage, the veil was reissued and was in service for the remainder of the war. A padded facemask was issued in the winter for both camouflage and cold protection. These came in both white and printed camouflage patterns.