WWII Crusher and Garrison Caps

[Highlander]

What great fun. This thread far exceeded my expectations. Thanks for all of the information.

 

[Lone_Ranger]

Manfred von Richtofen is shown in several photos wearing what can be described as a crush hat! It seemed to be popular with the Prussian Cavalry, which he came from. As for proper uniform, it was reported he was wearing pajamas under his flight suit on his final mission.

If I'm not mistaken it was called a Schirmmütze, which translates to "peaked cap" or "visor cap."

 

[Stearmen]

Off Topic

Hi Stearman,

Apologies to the original thread starter for going off topic on this. I'll leave it there!

Sorry about the off topic! I usually come back and reply after I have read all the different topics, I thought I was replying to the Red Baron movie in that section. I need to start replying as I read them.

 

[Sgt Brown]

In the vernacular, "crusher" has come to mean any Army service cap with the stiffener ring removed so the top would lay down - ostensibly to facilitate wearing headphones over the hat. However, a true "crusher" is a quite different animal from the service cap in its construction. The major difference is in the bill. Service caps have stiff bills, often laminated of different materials with a leather top layer. True "crushers" have solid leather bills, allowing them to - you guessed it - crush down. If you tried that with a service cap, the bill would crack and split.

Best known of the true "crushers" is the Bancroft Flighter. Quite the rarity amongst officers caps. However, the record holder in rarity is held by the enlisted "crusher". Pure unobtanium. I was lucky enough to pick one up years ago. A couple of my dozen or so officer's caps are true crushers but I don't have photos of them here with me.

Anyhow, here is some photos of my enlisted cap demonstrating its total flexibility.

Sarge

 

[Stearmen]

Home Made Crush

Back when I was flying air shows, i had lots of WWII vets come up to me and show me their Crush hats. After looking at a half dozen, all of which looked to be theater made, I decided to make my owen! I bought a OD Gaberdine cover just a little larger then my head, then I cut two brims out of 1/8th inch finished brown leather. I sowed these together, used some shoe polish on the edge, then sowed it to the front of the cover on the inside. At this point the brim is facing straight down, no problem we will fix this later! Then I sowed a thin leather band around the inside of the cover. Next I carefully worked the brim so that it had the correct bend that a standard cap would have. Then it was a simple mater of putting the chin strap on with the two buttons, and the eagle on the front and one 50 mission crusher! I got lodes of complements eve from ardent collectors wanting to know where I got it! Sadly I sold it and have not made another since. No photos either, pre digital age for me.

 

[Bilko]

This is my unissued mint Bancroft crusher with original box, its soooooo nice.

 

[Bilko]

Here is a better picture.........

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[Phantomfixer]

Very Very nice. which arm and how many legs lol
don't answer that

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Bilko, I am envious!!! What a beautiful collector's treasure. That cap is a museum piece.
I hope when you pass on it ends up in the Smithsonian - it's that good! :eusa_clap

-dixon cannon

P.S. What other treasures do I see lurking just out of camera range????? Hmmmm???

 

[Eyemo]

Crushers are cool!

 

[Edward]

Back when I was flying air shows, i had lots of WWII vets come up to me and show me their Crush hats. After looking at a half dozen, all of which looked to be theater made, I decided to make my owen! I bought a OD Gaberdine cover just a little larger then my head, then I cut two brims out of 1/8th inch finished brown leather. I sowed these together, used some shoe polish on the edge, then sowed it to the front of the cover on the inside. At this point the brim is facing straight down, no problem we will fix this later! Then I sowed a thin leather band around the inside of the cover. Next I carefully worked the brim so that it had the correct bend that a standard cap would have. Then it was a simple mater of putting the chin strap on with the two buttons, and the eagle on the front and one 50 mission crusher! I got lodes of complements eve from ardent collectors wanting to know where I got it! Sadly I sold it and have not made another since. No photos either, pre digital age for me.

Were you ever so motivated as to start makig again, I'm sure there'd be a market for a good but affordable crusher repro.... The ones I see onsale these days seem a scary price (especially bearing in mind I'd be looking to wear it sans insignia as a civilian piece.

 

[Bilko]

Bilko, I am envious!!! What a beautiful collector's treasure. That cap is a museum piece.
I hope when you pass on it ends up in the Smithsonian - it's that good! :eusa_clap

-dixon cannon

P.S. What other treasures do I see lurking just out of camera range????? Hmmmm???

Thanks for the comment, i hope it will be a while before i pass on.....
Bilko.

P.S. Maybe i`ll share my other lurking treasures later.....

 

[fishmeok]

I think this is interesting- it's a late '40's (I think) Luxenberg USAF hat that's a blend between the two styles. Luxenberg made some of the finest WWII crush caps and this retains many of the features- backstrap and smaller cover, while using thew new design- stiff brim, solid peak, etc.

And next to two WWII crush caps- a Dobbs on the left, Lewis on the right:

AND in comparison with the regular issue caps, The USAF is a Bancroft "Pac-Cap" Unissued from 1956, the Felt WWII is from Saxs Fith Ave.

Cheers
Mark

 

[Bilko]

Here are two more from my collection. A tan Flight Ace and a chocolate ,The Fortress........Bilko.

[/IMG]

 

[Dudleydoright]

It wasn't by chance from trips to the bar, with the cap rolled up and stuffed in a pocket was it? 50 weekend passes off base, would put you as having been in the war for some time...

Matt

Of course the guy might've been too old to serve active duty ...... Maybe there were other reasons. There have always been plenty of so-called REMFs who wanted to look cool. Quite natural really. Not everyones' grandfather could be a war hero but they also did their bit and should not be belittled for that. In the US Army the ratio was 10 support service personnel for every infantryman. If there's only been 8 then the infantryman couldn't have fought effectively. ALL the support folks at home and abroad were necessary.

I bet you wouldn't be mocking an Air Force person currently serving in Kandahar and safe for dodging their duty would you ? They can't all be out there kicking in doors Nd if you'd ever seen some shooting yourself you'd soon realize you'd give pretty much anything to become REMF yourself.

I'm saddened it is thought funny to mock anyone who gave up a part of their youth to serve their country.

Dave

 

[Lone_Ranger]

I bet you wouldn't be mocking an Air Force person currently serving in Kandahar and safe for dodging their duty would you ? They can't all be out there kicking in doors Nd if you'd ever seen some shooting yourself you'd soon realize you'd give pretty much anything to become REMF yourself.

I'm saddened it is thought funny to mock anyone who gave up a part of their youth to serve their country.

You would still be mocking the REMF, if you happened to be one of the door kickers. That's a universal, in the military. (And in some situations that stereotype, is well deserved)

These days, there is no 'rear area,' and the new enemy, that wears no uniform, will often choose the REMF unit to attack. They know that it will not be as well trained, and equipped to fight back, as a front line troop.


Though, as a former infantryman, I don't share my comrades view of the USAF. I happen to think they are the one branch that gets it right. The enlisted prepare the 'steed' for battle. Then they send their officers off to fight, in the age old tradition of the knight.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Though, as a former infantryman, I don't share my comrades view of the USAF. I happen to think they are the one branch that gets it right. The enlisted prepare the 'steed' for battle. Then they send their officers off to fight, in the age old tradition of the knight

fftopic:
That may not be the case before long as the Air Force is looking more and more to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) such as the Predator and Rapier drones as the future of air combat. My understanding is that the drones and their ground crews are deployed forward in theatre while the "pilots" fly the missions from Stateside bases. Unlike jet combat aircraft, the current generation of drones have a much greater endurance (they can stay aloft up to 24 hours) but obviously lack the range -- they're powered by a snowmobile engine! The Air Force has plans to train more drone pilots (who require less training) than traditional fighter/fighter-bomber jocks who strap themselves into the F-15s and F-16s and fly off into harm's way.

 

[MPicciotto]

Of course the guy might've been too old to serve active duty ...... Maybe there were other reasons. There have always been plenty of so-called REMFs who wanted to look cool. Quite natural really. Not everyones' grandfather could be a war hero but they also did their bit and should not be belittled for that. In the US Army the ratio was 10 support service personnel for every infantryman. If there's only been 8 then the infantryman couldn't have fought effectively. ALL the support folks at home and abroad were necessary.

I bet you wouldn't be mocking an Air Force person currently serving in Kandahar and safe for dodging their duty would you ? They can't all be out there kicking in doors Nd if you'd ever seen some shooting yourself you'd soon realize you'd give pretty much anything to become REMF yourself.

I'm saddened it is thought funny to mock anyone who gave up a part of their youth to serve their country.

Dave

Dave,

Your quite right. I wa not mocking anybody who didn't fight. As was discussed earlier here <i>most</i> pilots who were flying combat wouldn't have been wearing the hats that have the 'fifty-mission crush'. Also in the European theater until post D-day American pilots were operating from bases well within friendly territory where it was actually possible to go to the bar on days flying wasn't possible due to weather etc.

All that being said both my grandfathers were "war-heroes" to me at least. On my mother side Ernest Einhorn repaired aicraft radios and radar in India and on my fathers side Nick Picciotto drove a truck on air bases in the Pacific, ending his service I believe in Guam.

My comment about rolling up the caps when going to the bar was not at all meant to be a slight towards non-pilots. On the other hand although said in jest I would suspect pilots to be as or more likely then ground pounders to do things to their caps to achieve "the look"

Matt

 

[Dudleydoright]

Hey Matt,
I know you weren't mocking those who served in any real nasty sense but it is so easy to belittle the efforts of the unsung heroes (but heroes nonetheless) of any armed services of any war (or peace).

My Grandfather was an Infantryman, a was I. Whilst serving I certainly gave 'stick' to the non frontline types . Especially when they were wearing things like Para Smocks which they hadn't earned the right to wear.

I could see though that this excellent thread might become a little off-colour and wanted to make a point. Especially as we are talking crushers here and pretty much anyone who owns one and wears one nowadays didn't serve at all when they were permitted for wear. Who are civillians and especially any re-enactors out there to mock someone who was at least serving at the time and were quite entitled to wear a Bancroft or Flighter? Especially anyone who wears flight gear.

I'm glad you took my remarks in the spirit in which they were made

I own an excellent Diamond Dave wool gaberdine crusher myself. Outstanding repro !! Crushers are an iconic item and I'm not really sure if the crushers were made so much for aircrew as anyone who wanted to be able to put the cap out of the way without damaging it. Be interesting to hear others' thoughts on that .....

Cheers,
Dave

 

[MPicciotto]

Hey Matt,
I could see though that this excellent thread might become a little off-colour and wanted to make a point. Especially as we are talking crushers here and pretty much anyone who owns one and wears one nowadays didn't serve at all when they were permitted for wear. Who are civillians and especially any re-enactors out there to mock someone who was at least serving at the time and were quite entitled to wear a Bancroft or Flighter? Especially anyone who wears flight gear.
Cheers,
Dave

DING! I think you nailed it right there. And the blue AF caps have given me the idea to go look in my collection to see if any of them are "crushers" I have a fledgling collection of early Air Force uniforms, 2 or 3 footlockers full. I'll have to take a good gander when I can get to them (they are under footlockers of ww2 stuff)

Matt