Military head wear is categorized into Visor Caps, Side Caps, Berets, Utility Caps and Helmets. They are called ‘caps’ rather than ‘hats’ unless it is a ‘helmet’. ‘Visor Caps’ are the smart elegant dress caps. They frequently have a polished shiny visor or peak and above this a shiny prominent Regimental Badge or Branch of Service Insignia. Visor caps are usually worn with a standard Number 2 Dress Uniform in the United Kingdom or with the more elaborate parade uniforms known paradoxically as ‘Undress” in the UK and “Dress “in the US. Parade visor caps usually have gold braids adorning the visor. The braids are known as “spaghetti” in the US. General MacArthur’s hat is a classic example of this.
Officers wear visor caps most of the time whereas enlisted men tend to wear side-caps. However, officers also wear the side-caps which are also known as forage caps. All ranks wear berets and utility Caps. These latter two items are worn with “Battle Dress” or overalls respectively. Battle dress tops end at the waist line whereas Dress Jackets are more conventional in style and. Usually have a belt and two lower pockets which overlap the pants. Battle dress pants are usually tucked into gaiters and worn with boots whereas dress pants are straight and hang over shoes. General Montgomery wore a beret with his Battle Dress whereas General Eisenhower favored a Visor Cap to go with his Battle Dress, the jacket of which is known as an “Ike Jacket”. During the Second World War, Commonwealth Allied Forces (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and South Africa), wore a one-piece Brodie Mark 2 Helmet whereas the US wore a two-piece M1 Helmet which consisted of a liner and a removable metal shell. Helmets are worn with Battle Dress configurations although General Patton always wore a helmet with his Dress Uniform which also consisted of breeches and knee-high boots. Generals can pretty much choose their own style of uniform.
Headwear may be ‘standard issue’ as is often the case for enlisted men or they may be custom made by a bespoke tailor. This also apples to uniforms. Some of the most famous cap makers in the US were Bancroft which made the iconic “Flighter” Crusher Cap for pilots in the US Army Air Force during WW2 and Morry Luxemberg in New York. In the UK, Herbert Johnson of New Bond Street was famous for military caps for the armed services during WW2 and to the present day. There were many other famous cap makers such as WalBro, Berkshire De-Luxe, Christies, Rankin, Ayres and Smith, Tressa and Alkit,to name just a few,. Tailors would often make the uniform together with the cap. They were located in major cities such as Boston, New York, London and Calcutta and were also close to major military bases such as the Navy Base in San Diego and the Army Base at Aldershot in the UK.
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