Wikipedia

Patrol cap

Apatrol hat,also known as afield caporsoft cap,is a softkepiconstructed similarly to abaseball cap,with a stiff, roundedvisorbut featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when acombat helmetis not required.[1]

U.S. Army Rangerswearing "Ranger Roll" patrol caps, 1986

History

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U.S. Military

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M1951 Field Cap and Ridgeway Cap

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Two officers wearing the M1951 Field Cap-Anyang South Korea, Lt. Green and Captain Ray

TheM1951 Field Cap,introduced with the M1951 Uniform, was a derivative of theM1943 Field Cap,part of theM1943 Uniform.[2][1][3]The M1951 cap was worn in theKorean War,where it became known as the "patrol cap" by theUS Army Rangersthere.[1]It was constructed of wind-resistantolive-drabcottonpoplin,and had a flannel wool panel that folded down to cover the ears and the back of the head.[1]It was soft enough to be worn underneath anM1 helmet.[1]

M1951 Ridgeway Cap

After the Korean War, the cap was replaced by theRidgeway Cap,a stiffened version of the M1951 made by Falcon and known as theJump Up cap.[1]The hat became famous outside America after being worn byFidel Castro.The patrol cap was replaced altogether in 1962 with abaseball-like "Cap, Field (Hot Weather)"; during the Vietnam War in-country troops were issued theboonie hat.[4][5]

In 1980, the Army introduced theBattle Dress Uniform(BDU), which featured a patrol cap similar to the M1951 Field Cap, including the wool panel to cover the ears, except it was inWoodland camouflage.The BDU was replaced, starting in 2004, with theArmy Combat Uniform(ACU).

Starting on June 14, 2001, Army Chief of Staff GeneralEric Shinsekimade theblack beretthe standard headgear for Soldiers in the garrison environment, with the exception of Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces units, which had been authorized to wear their own unique berets since the early 1980s. On June 14, 2011, the M1951/ACU soft patrol cap became once again the primary headgear for all Soldiers as the duty uniform headgear after a 10-year hiatus in favor of the beret, according to Army Directive 2001-11.[6]

Modern patrol caps

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In 1981, following the introduction of theM81 Battle Dress Uniform,the patrol cap was reintroduced.[7]The patrol cap continues to be worn with theArmy Combat Uniform,introduced in 2004.[8]The materials are 50%cotton,50%nylonblend.[7]It has been available in different variants and patterns, such as hot weather models which have eliminated the ear flaps.[7]Patrol caps are frequently modified with a "Ranger Roll", inspired by a common practice byU.S. Army Rangersin the75th Ranger Regiment,in which the sides of the cap are rolled downward, removing the rigid "flat" top; though this is against regulations.[9][10][11]Other unauthorized, but common styles of wear include the "Duckbill", the "MLB" and the "Wash and Wear".[11]

Patterns have includedUS Woodland,Six color desert camouflage(DBDU),Three color desert camouflage(DCU),Universal Camouflage Pattern(UCP), andOperational Camouflage Pattern(OCP).[7][8]The ACU patrol cap features avelcro-backed patch on the back with the soldier's name printed on it and a small internal pocket, the soldier's rank insignia is pinned on the front, as seen in the image below.

  • Two soldiers wearing the ACU, as well as a patrol cap (left) andboonie hat(right), both in the Universal Camouflage Pattern.
  • USAFCaptainwearingAirman Battle Uniformwith digital tigerstripe-patterned patrol cap

Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces

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FormerPresident of CubaFidel Castro meetingPresident of RussiaVladimir Putinwhile wearing a solid color olive drab Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces uniform with a patrol cap in December 2000.

The Ridgeway Cap, a stiffened version of the M1951 Patrol Cap made famous after being worn by Fidel Castro, is a standard issue cap in theCuban Revolutionary Army,andCuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force.American style patrol caps were worn by Cuban soldiers before, and during theCuban Revolution.After the Revolution, the patrol cap kept being issued to Cuban military personnel. It is most commonly seen in solid color olive drab, but Cuban patrol caps with camouflage patterns like thegrey lizard patternhave been made.[12]

Israel Defense Forces

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Zion Mule Corpswearing patrol caps

This style of military uniform cap was worn by theMuleteers' Battalionfounded in January 1948 which was named for the British Army'sZion Mule Corpsof the World War I, a forerunner of theJewish Legion.TheIDFadopted the"Kova Hitelmacher"[(in Yiddish):hatmaker's cap] for soldiers' uniforms in its early years.

Russia

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The Russian army adopted the patrol cap when it adopted the woodland patternFlora camouflageand thenEMR camouflageVKBO uniformsin the early 2000s. There are two versions, a plain one worn by conscripts and a more elaborate one worn bykontraknikiand officers.

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toField caps.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toPatrol caps.

References

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  1. ^abcdefCAP, FIELD, M-1951
  2. ^"M-1951 Cotton Field Cap".
  3. ^Field Cap
  4. ^Cap, Field (Hot Weather)
  5. ^M1951 Field Cap
  6. ^Army Directive 2011-11
  7. ^abcdBattle Dress Uniform (Bdu)
  8. ^abArmy Combat Uniform (ACU)
  9. ^Moore, Nicholas; Bahmanyar, Mir (November 13, 2018).Run to the Sound of the Guns: The True Story of an American Ranger at War in Afghanistan and Iraq.Osprey Publishing. p. 27.ISBN978-1472827067.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^DePew, Doug (December 15, 2023).Recall! Return of the IRR.p. 94.ASINB0CQFGC14F.
  11. ^abKnopf, Christina M. (2015).The Comic Art of War: a Critical Study of Military Cartoons, 1805/2014, With a Guide to Artists.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.ISBN978-0-7864-9835-2.
  12. ^Dougherty, Martin (2017).Camouflage at War: An Illustrated Guide from 1914 to the Present Day.Amber Books. p. 66.ISBN978-1782744986.
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