Steyer Militaria - Top
Display your banner here
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26

IJN peaked caps

Article about: I have a question about IJN peaked caps I hope someone can shed light on. Once in a while, I see them with branch of service piping around the band. When was this done? I assume it was short

  1. #1

    Default IJN peaked caps

    I have a question about IJN peaked caps I hope someone can shed light on. Once in a while, I see them with branch of service piping around the band. When was this done? I assume it was short lived?
    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2

    Default

    As those specializing in the IJN cannot seem to help you, I am ready to step in, but being an IJA specialist, I have no idea what you are talking about. By peaked cap, you mean officer's visor cap or do you mean the IJA type field cap style? What kind of colors do you see as branch piping, and is the piping above or below the band?

    Of course a photo is worth a thousand words in this case.
    Uniform regs are all in B&W, so I need clear pointers on which part to read.

  3. #3

  4. #4
    ?

    Default

    It was called shikibetsu-sen 識別線 (differentiation line) and done for non-line branches until April 1st, 1942. It is hard to see in photos since the line is small and some of the colors look almost black when viewed in B&W.

    Period example of an officer in the 1st Expeditionary Fleet's cadre, 1929

  5. #5

    Default

    The 1914 regulation specified that non-combat branches like accounting, medical, engineering, etc were to be identified by their branch color piping above and below, but a quick glance at the 1919 regs no longer mentions it. Such officers were treated as officers in the army, but not in the navy, where they were segregated as Soutou-kan (officer equivalents). Only Soutou-kan wore these pipings. Sorry, it's time for me to hit the sack so that's all for now.

  6. #6

    Default

    Thank you adachi and Nick.

  7. #7

    Default

    I realized I was reading the dress hat specs for the 1919 regs, not for visor caps. So the branch piping on visor caps continued to be used in the 1919 regs as well.

    There were 8 piping colors at that time, (1) purple for engineers, (2) red for doctors and pharmacists, (3) white for accountants, (4) burnt sienna for ship construction and mechanical engineers, (5) red brown for weapons manufacturing engineers, (6) blue for navigators, (7) indigo for musicians, (8) green for carpenters. The last 2 were used by warrant officers only, not by officer equivalents.

    Anyway, they were all specialists that were not allowed by the navy to use the title of "navy officer", putting them within a segregated minority, which makes them rarer and thus appear to be short-lived. However, the majority of collectors would only want items from "real navy officers", so I assume from my collecting experience in Wehrmacht items that collector interest in this neck of the woods is minimal and not worth further investigation by me.

    However, my personal interest was aroused enough to go back and check the accuracy of the movie costume worn in the 2019 film, "The Great War of Archimedes". And indeed, the hero is wearing a visor with white piping for an accounting officer.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture IJN peaked caps  

  8. #8
    ?

    Default

    The "not real navy officer" mindset is a remnant from the extremely discriminatory culture among regular officers in the IJN, which extended not only to non-line but also reserve and special duty officers. It was bad enough that some regular officers would tell their men "the reserve officers are idiots, you don't need to salute them." I think most collectors and history enthusiasts today can see beyond that mindset and appreciate non-line officers and those who joined the navy outside of the Etajima Academy in their own right. I was somewhat guilty of ignoring non-line officers but after someone introduced me to the accounts of their late father who was a medical officer in the 8th Combined SNLF in the Solomon Islands among other places and I felt extremely guilty for overlooking their important role.

  9. #9

    Default

    That's very interesting. I would think Navy engineer officers would be considered important.
    Thank you.

  10. #10
    ?

    Default

    They’re all uncommon,important and collectible

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Bundeswehr peaked caps.

    In Bundeswehr forum
    02-15-2021, 05:02 PM
  2. Question Need help identifying peaked caps

    In Headgear and Steel Helmets of the RKKA, Red Army, & Soviet Army
    01-08-2021, 10:45 AM
  3. Soviet peaked caps ?

    In Headgear and Steel Helmets of the RKKA, Red Army, & Soviet Army
    05-28-2020, 04:38 PM
  4. 02-28-2016, 08:32 PM
  5. grey SS peaked caps.

    In Cloth Headgear
    12-08-2015, 09:08 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Lakesidetrader - Down
Display your banner here