Absolutely stunning cap with very interesting history. Cap is in very nice overall condition showing signs of wear, but still very clean. The exterior has a great shape to the body and perfect insignia and piping. The interior has some sweat staining to the band and has the initials “HW” stamped to the one side. The sweat diamond is intact and has the paper name tag still present. Cap comes with a complete binder full showing the different awards he was issued as well as brief story of Wackerle. Just a stunning piece and the type of cap that you do not see very often .Below is more info on his time in service.
DACHAU
In 1933 Wäckerle was picked by his old ally Himmler to be commandant of the newly established Dachau concentration camp.[6] Under orders from Himmler, he established ‘special’ rules for dealing with prisoners, rules that instituted terror as a way of life at the camp.[7] His initiatives included execution of four prisoners for ‘violent insubordination’ and ‘incitement to disobedience’[8] for which he was charged criminally. He left the post a few months later, with Theodor Eicke taking his place.
WAFFEN-SS
Wäckerle was an early member of the units that became the Waffen-SS and finally came to be an officer with this group, serving in the Netherlands. He led his SS-battalion during the breakthrough of the Dutch Grebbe-line and was wounded in the process. He also served in the invasion of the Soviet Union.[6] His service was spent with the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking.[10] He had reached the rank of Standartenführer by the time he was killed in action near Lviv in 1941.