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WWII Crusher and Garrison Caps

Hondo

One Too Many
Messages
1,655
Location
Northern California
Matt:
Mine is almost like KilroyCD but its a repro, a Lancaster, I like it very much, fits great, much better than those U.S. Wings. In this photo shows repro Eagle, but I found an original one from 1940s from Garcia's a while back.
I can scan better pics later.

>> Broken Photo Link <<

Matt Deckard said:
I'm curious to see them and am on the lookout for one.

I'm thinking of getting a repro and have a big original cap i don't want to squish... I'm more interested in the originals that were made to be crushed.
 

KilroyCD

One Too Many
Messages
1,966
Location
Lancaster County, PA
Spitfire said:
Isn't it US Wings caps which has that special South American dictator look?
The Flying Tiger Surplus looks more or less like that too.
My repro crusher originally fit that description too, but I did some work on it to make it appear less so. This is a crusher that I purchased in the late 1980s from the Ken Nolan catalog.
100_0819.jpg
 

Hondo

One Too Many
Messages
1,655
Location
Northern California
Photo doesn't do real justice to cap, much better looking than image.

Sorry to say that I got mine from History Preservation, they have since sold out.

USAAF Officers’ Olive Drab or Khaki Crusher Cap
Last-Ever Lancaster-Made Caps.

>> Broken Photo Link <<
 

Rnmusik

New in Town
Messages
14
Location
New Orleans
Crusher Hat Brim and Prices?

I want to buy a crusher WW II hat for $80-120? Who sells a good reproduction for that price and with the right Brim color not too dark like most of the Reproductions. I saw Flightjacket.com and their crush hat brims seem too dark of a shade?? Thanks guys.
 

aswatland

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,338
Location
Kent, England
By far the most authentic curshers are the Diamond ones made by Diamond Dave and sold through Eastman or direct from Dave in the USA.
 

Zemke Fan

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,690
Location
On Hiatus. Really. Or Not.
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
As I recall there is a really old thread on these caps tucked away some wheres. Someone had mention that the cheaper ones offered were dimensionally incorrect, so while they looked similar to the originals they were not at all close enough to be a satisfactory reproduction.

There may have been some pictures or dimensional listings for comparison to illustrate the differences. (My searching here is more miss than hit for this stuff so you should make a search if you can.)
 

Viola

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,469
Location
NSW, AUS
Not a newbie but putting in a very, very late-to-the-party vote for the garrison cap. Way better and sharper looking than most of the other allowed-for-females styles I saw and the one I had to wear in my Navy Boot photo especially which I hated and which cost 70 dollars to the males' cover's 10.

And I will never vote for berets.

EDIT: I mostly saw it on enlisted though not officers. Still a better look IMO.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
So, I've been researching these caps for two days. I've always wanted one, but was never moved enough to purchase one, as they all look so different, and I've been disappointed many times buying stuff through the 'mail.'

I like the look, and authenticity, of the Diamond cap, with its slanted-back look at the front of the hat. Makes it look very casual, which is what I am after.

But I cannot bring myself to spend between $260 and $300 for such an item.

So, what I have decided to gamble on, based on all the info here at FL and other sites, is to go with a less $$ cap that isnt as broken in, and have at it myself. WWII Impressions doesnt have any crushers (that reference was posted 3 years ago). The What Price Glory crusher looks to be the closest thing I'm going to find to the 'real thing' for the price I am willing to spend. Would I prefer to spend $60? Sure, but the USWings hat has gotten lousy reviews in both quality of hat and service, although Dixie seems to like his.

So I guess my plan is to get a WPG crusher and wet, beat, belt, and wear it into submission. Thats what made the original crushers 'crushers,' right? They were originally standard hats with the wiring removed for ease of headset use, and the passage of time made them what they became.

Am I making any big logical flaws?
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I just found what looks to be a more accurate reproduction at Flying Tigers.

http://www.flyingtigerssurplus.com/shbg.php?id=7&shbgid=5423

Upon closer examination of the WPG hat,

http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopexd.asp?id=132&bc=no

it appears to be quite tall, a la Noriega-style. The FT model looks a lot like this one, which also strikes me as more authentic:

http://www.americanairpowermuseum.org/store/product.php?productid=17566&cat=414&page=2

The FT is also less $$ than the WPG.

Any opionions before I purchase? TIA.
 

MPicciotto

Practically Family
Messages
771
Location
Eastern Shore, MD
"Real" crusher caps have a soft leather brim that can be rolled easily. Standard military visor caps have a rigid visor so although you can remove the stiffener the visor will still be stiff.

Matt
 

WW2WaltUSMC

New in Town
Messages
44
Location
Boston, MA
Well, Im no Officer, I work for a living, but I have to go with garrison cap. Gyrenes such as myself would never remove the stiffener from our barracks covers (service caps in Army parlance), and I prefer not to wear one at all outside of dress blues. Ill take my pisscutter any day. Cocked sharply to the right of course!
 

olkev

New in Town
Messages
12
Location
West Texas
scottyrocks said:
I ordered the FT version. I'll post my impressions, FWTW, when I get it.

Just wondering if you got the Flying Tigers cap and how it turned out. Of note, it says the Flying Tigers cap is made of cotton twill as opposed to the wool elastique.
 

Doc

New in Town
Messages
14
Location
Calif.
I once was a pisscutter man, now I have seen the light. Crusher all the way! I find that the garrison cap falls off too easily, get’s lost even easier. The one thing I like about the garrison is slanting it to the side.
 

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