The cap fan poll

[Friedrich-Berthold]

I do not know if you followed the gyrations in the USAF in the last decade about their dress uniform, but your image from the Second World War speaks volumes about what we miss today.

Actually, the Italian paramilitary police, the Carbineri have superb uniforms, especially those on motorcycles. Generally, the Italian police and military uniforms are impressive, fit well, and have the kind of flair and dash that is gone from our present.

I guess I am a crank.

Thanks Mr. Chris Stonemint for the nice illustration. Even Ike looks natty in his moneky jacket. All those cigarettes kept him fit worrying about the second front and keeping the alliance intact. Google has Life Magazine on line now, and I cannot help but be struck by the adverts of the era (now looking at them again as a person with metabolic syndrome and the travail of 21st century early old age), which were booze, cigarettes, automobiles and heavy, fattening food. People did not live as long, but they surely did not have the idiocy of email, and I am sure the smokes and booze tasted good before you had a stroke or a heart attack. The women looked better, too, in fact. I know this is a wholly retrograde attitude, but then I am retrograde.

I am sure that US troops stationed in the UK in the years 1942-1944 had access to skilled hands for their kit.

[Karl S.]

Sebastian, forgive me for getting off track here but I thought some of our colleges would appreciate this fine quality piece of headgear. My friend recently acquired this, I think from EBay at a very small price. I was greatly impressed by the superb quality .

[Frog]

Karl -

Do tell us more about this fine-looking piece. I am wholly ignorant about such, not to mention many other things.

[Karl S.]

Karl -

Do tell us more about this fine-looking piece. I am wholly ignorant about such, not to mention many other things.

My buddy is more of the expert, but it's an Artillery Officers. Probably made in the 50s and has doeskin type wool and gilded wire oak leafs. Just a real beauty.

[Frog]

Karl -

Thanks, then.

So, as a follow-up ignorant question (speaking for a few of us, I suspect) - is this Army, or possibly Marines?

I am so clueless here I should probably shut up.

[BobS]

Karl -

Thanks, then.

So, as a follow-up ignorant question (speaking for a few of us, I suspect) - is this Army, or possibly Marines?

I am so clueless here I should probably shut up.

Frog,
Karl was kind enough to post this cap for me. I picked it up on Ebay about 6 weeks ago. It is a U.S. Army field officer dress cap, ranks major through colonel; the scarlet band denotes artillery branch of service. Some other colors are infantry,light blue, cavalry, yellow, signals, orange w/white piping, engineers, scarlet with white piping, etc.
This cap, with bullion peak and piping, likely dates from the WWII or Korean War era. Currrent Army caps are not remotely as well made as these older ones.

BobS

[Frog]

Bob -

Thanks for this, to be sure.

I will forward this on to my son, who has an interest in this field at some point when he has the time.

I was unaware that the Army offered these options during the period you mention. Such examples are probably few and far between today.

In any event, I would guess these choices are not available anymore.

[Karl S.]

Welcome aboard Bob . I think you'll enjoy this forum.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Bob -

Thanks for this, to be sure.

I will forward this on to my son, who has an interest in this field at some point when he has the time.

I was unaware that the Army offered these options during the period you mention. Such examples are probably few and far between today.

In any event, I would guess these choices are not available anymore.

I do not think one can get a cap of this quality made by a regular contractor in the US, but such might well be possible in Asian locales that cater to US forces. The gold wire Effekten must still be possible. Brooks Brother recently offered woolen uniforms to the USN again, so maybe there is hope, but such items are very costly in an age of polyester, goretex and zip locs et cetera.

These caps of the 1940s and 1950s were made like the automobiles and refrigerators of my childhood. They were also a lot heavier than a German cap, too. When I worked at one of the Army Museums in a now BRAC'ed base, we had lots of these as donations from the retirees in the area. They were not rare at all, but this was in the early 1970s.

Kleider machen Leute.....

[S.Vestae]

Nobody for SA ? Ernest is sad !