A.E. F. ‘Trench’ & Overseas Caps

[world war I nerd]

Photo No 101: Two winter field cap contract labels sandwiched in-between right and left hand views of Colonel Moss the commander of one of the 92^nd Infantry Division’s three artillery regiments. He is wearing a reversed winter field cap bearing an officer’s artillery collar device just above his right eye.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 102: Front and profile views of the winter field cap in its role as the overseas cap.

 

Right hand photo courtesy of the Trenchrat collection

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Photo No. 103: Front view and a final shot of the winter cap worn backwards.

Left hand photo courtesy of the Trenchrat collection

[world war I nerd]

U.S. Made Regulation Overseas Caps

 

Due to insufficient data at the time of posting, the evolution of U.S. made ‘regulation’ or ‘issued’ overseas cap patterns remains somewhat of a mystery.

 

When I began writing this post I was under the impression that the U.S. Army had issued only two styles of regulation overseas caps, i.e. a ‘first’ and ‘second’ pattern.

 

Research has subsequently revealed that after the short-lived first pattern overseas cap, whose specification number, I’ve yet to discover, was withdrawn, no less than three overseas cap specifications followed and a fifth pattern overseas cap was designed, but never produced!

 

Sequentially, the four patterns of regulation overseas caps manufactured in the U.S. during the Great War, and the post war ‘garrison cap’ that would ultimately replace the wartime caps were as follows:

 

• (First Pattern) Specification No. unknown, adopted on January 9, 1918
• (Second Pattern) Specification No. 1330, adopted April 14, 1918
• (Third Pattern) Specification No. 1350, adopted sometime after April of 1918, however, the full adoption date is unknown
• (Fourth Pattern) Specification No. 1373, adopted after April of 1918, however, the full adoption date is unknown
• (Fifth Pattern) Specification No. unknown, possibly adopted in late 1918, but never produced
• (Post War Pattern) Specification No. 415-3-1373, adopted in 1919, but once again, the full adoption date is unknown

If any forum member or visitor to this post is aware of any additional information regarding the above five overseas cap specification numbers, adoption dates or how they may have differed, please post that information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, or send it to me via a PM and I will post it for you.

 

When the AEF became aware of the fact that a ‘trench cap’ was needed to wear at the front in place of the campaign hat, Pershing’s headquarters sent a cable to the War Department in Washington D.C. requesting that the Quartermaster Corps design such a cap. According to the book America’s Munitions, GHQ’s request could not be fulfilled until a sample of what the AEF desired was forwarded to the office of the Quartermaster General:

The production of overseas caps for the American Expeditionary Forces was likewise an extensive undertaking. When the requisition for overseas caps came from France, it was not possible to design one here because lack of knowledge of what was required. Later a courier bearing a sample cap came to the United States from Gen. Pershing. As soon as this sample was received a meeting of cap makers was called in New York, and 100 manufacturers attended. One and all agreed to turn over their factories to the exclusive production of overseas caps until the requirements were met. It took these cap makers only two weeks to turn out the first order. In all 4,972,000 caps were delivered.

 

America’s Munitions 1917-1918, Benedict Crowell, 1919, page 464

Instructions regarding insignia as well as a brief description of the first pattern Overseas Cap were made known to all military personnel in AEF General Order No. 7, dated January 9, 1918:

 

GENERAL ORDERS HEADQUARTERS A.E.F.,

No.7 France, January 9, 1918.

 

6. Caps, to be known as “Overseas Caps,” have been adopted as part of the uniform for officers, soldiers and other uniformed members of the American Expeditionary Forces. Models of the approved design are now on file in the office of the Chief Quartermaster A.E.F.

 

7. For soldiers and all other uniformed members of the American Expeditionary Forces the cap will be made of 20-ounce olive drab cloth, or heavier. There will be no show of color on the cap: the stiffening of the flap to be of the same color as the cap itself. After caps have been furnished, the service hat now worn by troops will be turned in to the nearest Quartermaster Depot.

 

8. For officers, the cap will be the same model as that worn by soldiers, but the material will be similar to that of the officer’s uniform. For officers other than general officers, the stiffening at the edge of the flap to be of the same color as the arms of the service to which the officer belongs, as indicated in Special Regulations No. 42, “Specifications for the Uniform of the United States Army, 1917, and to project far enough above the edge of the flap to give the appearance of piping when the cap is worn with the flap up. For general officers, the stiffening to be the same color as the cloth of the cap, with a strip of gold braid 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch inch from the outside of the flap. These caps will be sold by the Quartermaster Corps to officers.

 

9. Except where the helmet is prescribed, officers actually commanding troops will wear the “Overseas Cap”, or the service cap. The service hat may be worn until the Quartermaster can furnish the “Overseas Cap”.

 

By command of General Pershing:

James G. Harbord,

Brigadier General,

Chief of Staff.

 

U.S. First Pattern Overseas Cap

Specification No. unknown

Adopted by the Army on January 9, 1918

In service from January 1918 until April or May 1918

The First Pattern U.S. Overseas Cap was comprised of six parts – the three main components were its top and separate right and left hand sides. The cap had a vertical sewn seam at the front and the back, and another around the circumference of the cap’s one piece ovoid shaped top.

 

Two narrow strips of matching woolen fabric, which reinforced the base of both the front and rear seams, were sewn onto the underside of the turned up shawl. “Shawl” is what the Quartermaster Corps called the turned up sides of the cap. The French referred that portion of the cap as a ‘turban’, while the British had labeled theirs a ‘curtain’.

 

Because the first pattern overseas cap did not have a sweatband its sixth part was the white contract label that was machine sewed directly onto the cap’s interior. The right and left hand sides of the cap’s shawl did not overlap at the front and the cap had no interior lining.

 

As stated in the General Orders, enlisted men’s caps were made from 20 ounce to the yard (or heavier) olive drab melton wool. Officer’s caps were fabricated to match the woolen material from which their privately tailored uniforms were made.

 

No insignia was authorized for the enlisted men’s cap; therefore the cap had no means by which to mount a regulation screw-back collar disc.

 

The only insignia authorized for the officer’s overseas cap was the branch of service color in which the officer served. This appeared around the upper edge of the cap’s shawl in the form of edging or piping. No other insignia, including the wearing of rank insignia was prescribed.

 

According to one post war unit history, the new brimless overseas cap was not highly regarded by the men. The cap was described thusly:

 

For men working in and around open stables, and exposed to the incessant rain peculiar to this climate, “Overseas Caps” cannot be termed the best adapted headgear. With the exception of this one article, a proper headgear, the men were amply provided with articles of clothing and footwear suited to afford protection and comfort in this land of inclement weather and mud.

A History of Veterinary Hospital No. 7

A Chaplain in the 35^th Division’s 140^th Infantry Regiment penned his thoughts in regard to how the diminutive cap was designed after it had been issued to the men of his regiment in June of 1918:

 

In Prouxeux we were issued helmets of steel and an article officially designated as the “overseas cap.” This cap is looked on by a soldier with the same aversion a dog bestows upon a tin can. One day a pro-German sympathizer became intoxicated. While in that condition he designed this monstrosity, and in some way it became adopted by the War Department. One cannot describe it, but the more one thought of an overseas cap the better one loved the tin helmet! Spiral puttees were also issued, and the regiment was equipped with clothing and stores.

 

From Doniphan to Verdun: the Official History of the 140^th Infantry, Chaplain Evan Alexander Edwards, 1920, Page 36, 37

Photo No.104: Left and right hand views of the rather plain enlisted man’s First Pattern U.S. Overseas Cap.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 105: This early image of the 42^nd Division’s mobile ordnance repair shop shows French made Hotchkiss machine guns and Chauchat automatic rifles being serviced by division ordnance personnel, two of whom (second from right and at far left) appear to be wearing first pattern overseas caps.

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Photo No. 106: Close up of the two caps, both of which have straight shawls that do not overlap at the front. When viewed from the side, the cap also presents the illusion that it is circular rather than oval in shape.

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Photo No. 107: Like the French and British made caps, which the first pattern caps were said to be patterned after, its shawl – turban – curtain could also be turned down to cover the ears. Here the shawl is shown in the upright position (right) and turned down exposing one of the two narrow tabs that reinforced the cap’s front and rear shawl seams (left).

Left hand photo courtesy of the Dr Rambow collection

Right hand photo courtesy of the Trenchrat collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 108: All three of these caps appear to be first pattern overseas caps. However, the image of the left hand officer from the 42^nd Division was taken in November 1918. It’s doubtful that at such a late date he is wearing a first pattern cap. A more likely explanation is that his second or third pattern cap has been turned backwards to conceal its officer’s rank insignia from enemy snipers.

 

The center image appeared in the May 24, 1918 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper which announced the arrival of the AEF’s first pattern overseas cap. Close scrutiny indicates that it may be a French Modele 1915 Bonnet de Police, made from olive drab wool. The early pattern French cap’s turban dipped in the front, whereas the U.S. made cap’s shawl was straight.

 

Even though the upper edge of the shawl looks to be piped, it isn’t. That’s just the light reflecting off of the edges of the cap. I do not however, have an explanation as to why the cap bears what appears to be an officers Quartermaster Corps collar device.

 

The final photo is of a 32^nd Division infantry officer wearing a tailor made first pattern cap (?) with light blue infantry piping whose crown has been stitched together in order to give the cap a neater appearance. Depending on the date this photograph was taken, the officer’s rank insignia may or may not have been authorized.

[world war I nerd]

General Orders regarding the first pattern overseas cap clearly stated that the branch of service piping was the only insignia authorized for wear on the new overseas cap.

 

Apparently, the AEF orders regulating cap insignia were not being strictly adhered to. This prompted another General Order, which in turn was summarized in the following article in the Stars and Stripes newspaper to remind the Doughboys that the overseas cap was “not a pincushion”.

The article also alluded to the fact that a new and improved pattern overseas cap may be soon be issued by the Quartermaster Department:

 

NOT A PINCUSHION

Even Insignia of Officer’s Rank Can’t Be Worn on A.E.F. Millinery

Wear no insignia on your monk – pardon, overseas cap.

 

That’s the order, a new order. No insignia of any kind are to be worn on the overseas cap. Divisional and regimental numbers, company letters, emblems of the branch of the service to which one may belong, gold bars, silver bars, gold oak leaves, silver oak leaves, eagles, and stars – all have got to be divorced from the weeping shoddy. Even the mark of the marine, the old globe has got to come off. The order, like the law, is no respecter of persons.

“How’ll I know whom to salute?” It’s only officers that wear the colored piping along the edges of the cap’s manifold folds. Salute anyone who has blue or red or orange-and-white or yellow or whatever it is piping his dicer. Then you’re safe.

 

Incidentally, there is hope. There always is in a war this size. Rumor (which up to press time could not be authoritatively confirmed, but which bears all the earmarks of authenticity) has it that the shape of the overseas cap is to be materially and radically altered. And, it is said on exceedingly good authority, a certain poem that appeared two issues back, in a certain newspaper published by and for the A.E.F. – the last line containing the plaintive plea, “Devise a new Overseas Cap!” – had not a little to do with the decision.

 

Stars and Stripes Newspaper, April 5, 1918, Vol. 01, No. 9, page 3

Photo No. 109: Inside of a First Pattern U.S. Overseas Cap. In the absence of a sweatband, the contract label has been sewn directly onto the olive drab woolen fabric.

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 110: Due to the poor quality of these photos there really is no way to know for sure what pattern overseas caps these men are wearing. But the caps worn by the pioneer infantryman (left), and the unidentified soldier (center), as well as by the captain from the 93^rd Division (right) certainly look as if they could be first pattern caps.

 

At first glance the captain’s cap looks to be a two button field service cap. However, the lower circular object is likely a non-regulation pin of some sort and the dark spot above is probably a flaw in the photograph. Regardless, the cap’s curtain appears to be one piece and it does not overlap in the front.

Center photo courtesy of the National WW I Museum

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 111: These field hospital orderlies, and the Marine who was wounded at Belleau Wood, whom they are assisting could all be wearing first pattern overseas caps.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 112: First pattern caps when viewed from above had an elliptical or football shape. However, when viewed from the rear or the side, the cap’s shape appeared to be almost circular. These close ups of the three caps reveal both the elliptical top and the circular shape of the cap’s back and side. Note that the shawl on the Marine’s cap does not overlap in the front.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 113: Profile of the first pattern cap and a close up of a first pattern cap’s contract label. The closest thing to praise, if it could be called that, written about the universally hated first pattern overseas cap was that:

 

From a utilitarian standpoint the overseas cap served its purpose. It was small, adhered closely to the head, and folded compactly when not worn.

The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War, Vol. VI, 1921, page 636

Right hand photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Left hand photo courtesy of the Trenchrat collection

[world war I nerd]

U.S. Second Pattern Overseas Cap

Specification No. 1330, adopted by the Army on April 14, 1918

In service from approximately May 1918 until supplies were exhausted

Hat designers in the Quartermaster Corps on the American side of the Atlantic were not at all impressed with the sample overseas cap sent by the AEF. They believed that they could do better. This notion was partially explained in America’s Munitions:

 

Our experts on this side of the water were not satisfied with the overseas cap. It shrank after being wet, it quickly lost its shape, it absorbed much water and did not dry out quickly, and it was unattractive in appearance. Also it did not shade the eyes, and the experience in France showed that that the soldiers usually improvised peaks to their caps by sticking their girls’ letters between their caps and their foreheads.

 

America’s Munitions 1917-1918, 1919, Benedict Crowell, page 464

A post war history of the Medical Department in which an entire chapter was devoted to the uniform worn by the AEF also had something to say in regard to the first pattern overseas cap’s shortcomings:

 

It did not entirely escape criticism from a sanitary standpoint, however: because it was brimless it afforded no protection against rain driving in the face, it could not prevent water, from the rain, trickling down the wearer’s neck at the back, and when the sun shone, the cap did not keep the sun’s glare from the wearer’s eyes. The standard cap was made of a 20-ounce melton, with no waterproof qualities; consequently, after being wet it shrank and dried out with difficulty.

 

The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War, Vol. VI, 1921, page 636

When compared to the campaign hat, all ranks of the AEF, from buck private to brigadier general disliked the unstylish first pattern overseas cap that protected them from neither the sun nor the rain.

 

The first pattern overseas cap’s reputation was such that the following verse criticizing the cap’s stylishness or rather, lack thereof, as well as its maker was written for and published in the March 22, 1918 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper:

 

SONG OF THE OVERSEAS CAP

(FROM THE SOLDIER”S VIEWPOINT)

They’ve found that “conditions are different

Than expected” since coming across:

The old campaign hat is abolished,

Though the Regular mourneth its loss.

 

The old Army lid was a beauty.

It gave us a feeling of pride.

But the kind they’ve been using lately

Makes us think that all of the tailors have died.

 

They might have been made by a rag-man

From the remnants he gathered in trade;

A dope-fiend must sure have designed them,

And a cubist colored their shade.

 

They ruin the soldier’s appearance.

We resemble an army of tramps,

Or a nut-factory out for an airing,

And cussing is heard in the camps.

 

Not a wearer but hateth his headgear,

And would cheerfully strangle the bloke,

Who inflicted said mockery upon him

By his think-machine missing a stroke.

 

Thought light, they relieve not the burden

Of care in the Regulars dome;

He hears the remarks of the Allies,

And secretly longs to be home.

 

Enduring the jibes and scoffing

At the weird rag that’s framing his face.

He goes on his way like a soldier

And tries to forget the disgrace..

 

The Yank is a pitiful figure

With this grin-getter topping his map:

Please General, show us some mercy –

Devise a new Overseas Cap!

 

– RALPH J. HUTCHINSON, Q.M.C.

Stars and Stripes Newspaper, March 22, 1918, Vol. 1, No. 7, page 02

On April 14, 1918, this plea from the above poem: “Devise a new Overseas Cap!” was answered when the (second pattern) Overseas Cap, Specification No. 1330, was adopted in April of 1918.

 

The second pattern overseas cap was made up of either seven or eight separate pieces. The cap’s primary components were the top, the right and left hand side, and a one piece shawl. According to the specifications this cap was fully lined with olive drab cotton cloth, which was presumably also comprised of three pieces – a top and right and left hand side.

 

There was no mention of ether a sweatband or of a white contract label in the Quartermaster Corps specifications. However, if I had to guess, I would say that a contract label was sewn onto each cap, and for reasons unknown, this fact was omitted, forgotten or taken for granted at the time the specifications for this cap were written.

 

Like the first pattern cap, the second pattern was also fabricated from 20 ounce to the yard olive drab melton wool. The specifications for the second pattern cap noted that the shawl was now made to overlap in the front. Also, since no insignia had yet to be authorized for wear on the enlisted men’s overseas cap, it would seem logical that the second pattern cap did not have the thread reinforced grommet hole which was presumably added to the specifications of the third pattern overseas cap.

 

The cap’s physical description and dimensions were as follows:

 

Extension forming a shawl no less than two and three-quarters (2 3/4) inches high in back and running to a point in front, points to over-lap no less than five and one-half (5 ½) inches and measure one and one-half (1 ½) inches high at point of overlap. Height of cap when finished three and one-half (3 ½) inches in back and three (3) inches in front. Crown cut oblong ten (10) inches from front to back and six (6) inches from side to side in center (all the dimensions were taken from a size 7 ½ cap).

Office of the Quartermaster General, Specifications for Overseas Cap for Enlisted Men, page 01, May 18, 1918

Photo No. 114: These are the only photos I could find of what might be a second pattern overseas cap. The cap resembles the above description however; there is no way to know if this particular cap had a hole for the collar disc as that area of the cap is not visible in any of the photos. Note that there is no sweatband or contract tag present, neither of which were mentioned in the second pattern cap’s specifications.

Photos courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 115: At left and center are two examples of what may, or may not be second pattern overseas caps.

The left hand photo appeared in the May 24, 1918 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper next to the article that announced the second pattern cap’s arrival. Note that there is no hole for a collar disc on the cap’s shawl.

 

There is no way to know for sure if the center photo is a U.S. made second pattern overseas cap or a contract overseas cap that was manufactured in Great Britain for the AEF as both styles were made without the hole for the collar disc on the cap’s shawl.

 

The right hand photo is of a U.S. made third or fourth pattern overseas cap, both of which were presumably made with the reinforced grommet hole to accept the post of a regulation collar.

 

Right & center photos courtesy of Brennan Gauthier, PortraitsofWar.wordpress.com

[world war I nerd]

U.S. Third Pattern Overseas Cap

Specification No. 1350, adopted by the Army in 1918

(The exact adoption date is unknown)

In service from approximately May (?) 1918 to June 1919

AEF General Orders No. 64, dated April 29, 1918, for the first time, authorized the wearing of enlisted men’s collar discs and officers’ rank insignia on the overseas cap. Eleven days after those orders were issued the following article trumpeting what the general orders had to say appeared in the Stars and Stripes newspaper:

 

INSIGNIA OF RANK ON OVERSEAS CAP

Enlisted Men Will Wear Button Showing Branch of Service

Off-again, on-again, gone-again, Finnegin! You’ve got to wear your insignia up on the top of your monk – beg pardon, half-seas-over cap, after all.

 

That’s the dope. There’s a part of a new general order entirely devoted to it. Too much confusion has resulted; hence the change.

 

The new regulations provide that officers shall wear the insignia of their rank on the cap placed five-eighths of an inch to the left of the center fold and five-eighths of an inch from the bottom edge.

For the various grades the instructions are: The bars which form the insignia of lieutenants and captains shall be worn perpendicular to the bottom edge of the cap. The majors’ and lieutenant-colonels’ leaves shall be worn stem down. Colonels must wear the old eagle facing forward – as is quite appropriate.

 

Brigadier-generals must wear their stars point upward, just as Mars appears in the heavens. Additional stars marking the rank of general officers above the grade of brigadier general, are to extend to the left and to be placed five-eighths of an inch apart and five-eighths of an inch from the bottom edge of the interesting piece of headgear.

 

Enlisted men are to wear on the cap the button prescribed to be worn on the left hand side of the collar of the service coat. Again, the five-eighths of an inch rule comes into play – the button must be that much to the left of the center fold of the cap, and the same distance from the bottom edge.

Stars and Stripes Newspaper, May 10, 1918, Vol. 1, No. 14, page 01

Photo No. 116: Officer’s of the 89^th Division’s 314^th Field Signals Battalion circa August 1918, wear the prescribed branch of service piping, in this case the orange and white of the Signal Corps, and appropriately placed rank insignia on their tailor made overseas caps.

 

The inset is of a green and black piped, tailor made Air service officers overseas cap.

 

Period photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 117: The shawl of this enlisted man’s U.S. made overseas cap bears a Supply, Company, 332^nd Artillery Regiment (86^th Infantry Division) collar disc in accordance with AEF General Orders No. 64.

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

[world war I nerd]

Presumably, the need for a thread reinforced grommet hole through which the post of a collar disc could pass was the primary reason for the adoption of the third Pattern U.S. made overseas cap.

 

It’s also probably safe to assume that the olive drab cotton lining was eliminated from the third pattern cap and replaced by either a white or a khaki cotton sweatband. This however is pure speculation.

 

The reason behind eliminating the lining was because it likely soaked up water like a sponge and prolonged the length of time that it took for the cap to dry out. However, without actually knowing what the Quartermaster Corps specifications for the third pattern cap say, all of the above is little more than an educated guess.

 

The third Pattern U.S. Overseas Cap was made up of just six separate pieces. The cap’s primary components were the top, the right and left hand side, and the one piece shawl. Interior parts consisted of the khaki cotton sweatband and the white contract label that was machine sewed onto the sweatband.

 

The following press release regarding the AEF’s most recent piece of headgear appeared in the June 10, 1918 edition of the New York Times newspaper. Based on the date the article was published and the fact that it mentioned that officers’ and enlisted men were now authorized to wear insignia, it is probably referring to the third pattern overseas cap, but it could be for the fourth pattern as the precise adoption dates for both of those caps remains unknown:

 

General Pershing’s men in France now wear a special overseas cap which matches their uniform in color, is round, and has no peak or brim, the crown being very low. When not in use it can be folded and carried in the pocket. The new cap is said to be more practical than the regulation hat and safer in the trenches … Another advantage claimed for the overseas cap is that the trench helmet can be placed on top of it with security.

 

The latest model of the cap, which has just been received by the Quartermaster’s Department is slightly different from the cap worn by the troops which have returned from France. Slight changes have been made in the crown which permits it being folded flatter, thereby being able for it to be carried or shipped without injury. The new pattern will be substituted for the old as fast as practicable.

 

Only soldiers who have been with the expeditionary forces wear this cap. It is not issued in this country, although made here. Reports from France say that new regulations provide that officers shall wear the insignia of their rank on the cap. Enlisted men are to wear on the cap the button prescribed to be worn on the left hand side of the collar of the service coat.

New York Times, June 10, 1918, page no. unknown

Photo No. 118: Bundled U.S. made overseas caps waiting to be shipped overseas.

[world war I nerd]

At about the same time, the Stars and Stripes newspaper also printed an article heralding the imminent arrival of a new cap, which had to have been either the third or fourth pattern overseas cap:

 

NEW CAP READY FOR WHOLE A.E.F. AND IT’S NATTY

Old Overseas Headgear Discarded for More Scientific Issue

“SEAM AND CREASE” DID IT

Long warfare Over Brain Covering Produces Chic Crown

“The crease follows the seam and the seam follows the crease.”

That is the collage yell of the New Overseas Cap. For whether you knew it before or not, there is a New Overseas Cap. And the most important thing about the New Overseas Cap is that it differs from the old overseas cap.

It has certain points of similarity. It is built to cover the head. It is made of much the same kind of cloth. It has neither brim nor visor.

 

But it has these advantages. It is much better made than the old cap. It fits more neatly, looks more chic, adapts itself far more genteelly to the average Doughboy braincase.

 

This is not the place to rehash the whole history of the War of the Overseas Cap, or the part which THE STARS AND STRIPES played in that memorable contest. Suffice it that there is a New Cap, and let bygones be bygones.

Made on Scientific Plan

 

The New Cap – the Quartermaster Corps vouches for this – is made on a thoroughly scientific plan. The old cap is believed to have not to have been made on any plan. The theory of the New Cap is the one enunciated above. “The crease follows the seam and the seam follows the crease.”

 

With what result? First of all, it means that the New Cap fits. It means that when you are not wearing it, it can be folded into a bundle the size of a handkerchief and stowed away in your pocket without making a sizable bulge. And when you remove it from your pocket to wear, it will not be creased and wrinkled and generally hideous. It will have kept its shape – all because the crease follows the seam and the seam follows the crease.

 

In the illustration, rear view shown on another page, the fold is slightly spread for two reasons – first, to show the significance of the seam-follow-crease advantage, and second, because everyone will probably insist on wearing the Cap that way. The Beauest of our Brummels, however, will keep the folds as close together as possible, which is the correct method.

 

The colored piping on the officers’ caps will be worn as in the earlier model. So will the insignia of rank, for officers, and of branch of service for enlisted men.

 

The New Cap is not in prospect. It is an accomplished fact. Several thousands of it are already being worn. Eventually that number will be ---------, which as our readers can see, will allow one cap for every man in the American Expeditionary Forces. And they will be distributed as rapidly as they can be turned out.

 

The New Cap is an independent product. Those who have seen it report variously that it looks like a Belgian cap, a Kiltie cap, a Royal Flying Corps cap. This proves that it looks like itself only, and like no other cap in the world. To put it in a word, the New Cap is natty. And the old cap was not even hatty.

Stars and Stripes Newspaper, May 24, 1918, Vol. 01, No. 16, page 01

U.S. Fourth Pattern Overseas Cap

Specification No. 1373, adopted by the Army in 1918

(The exact adoption date is unknown)

In service from ?? 1918 to June 1919

At the time of posting, I am unaware of what exactly the difference was between the third and fourth pattern U.S. made overseas caps. Therefore, all of the following photos are likely a combination of the third and fourth pattern U.S. made caps.

 

Often the Quartermaster Corps assigned a new specification number to a garment after the materials it was manufactured from had been slightly altered, such as changing the weight or type of thread or increasing or decreasing the weight or quality of the woolen cloth from which it was made. In short, there is no way to definitely know until specifications for the third and fourth pattern overseas caps are located.

 

Presumably, the fourth pattern U.S. overseas cap was also made up of just six separate pieces: top, right and left hand side, a one piece shawl that overlapped at the front, a white or khaki cotton sweatband and a white contract label.

 

Photo No. 119: The third and fourth patterns of the U.S. made overseas cap likely both featured a round shaped crown that was slightly taller in the back and lower in the front. The cap’s shawl overlapped in the front and also featured a front to back taper. The inset is a close up of the thread reinforced grommet through which the post of a collar disc would pass. Presumably this hole first appeared on the third pattern cap and remained unchanged on the fourth.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 120: It’s also possible that the shape of the crown differed between the third and fourth pattern caps – one being symmetrical as shown below and the other being tapered as shown above. It’s also possible that the different shapes could simply be the result of a different manufacturing process. The rounded crown of this style cap makes it look as if it’s a hybrid between the first and second pattern U.S. made overseas caps.

 

Lower photo courtesy of the Dr Rambow collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 121: Another unusually shaped third or fourth pattern U.S. made overseas cap with a symmetrical crown and a very shallow and slightly tapered shawl.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 122: Yet another oddly shaped third or fourth pattern U.S. made overseas cap in which the front of the cap’s crown is taller that its back. It’s unclear whether the caps were intentionally made this way or if the cap’s curtain and crown were reversed or assembled the wrong way around.

Upper photo courtesy of Bay State Miliratia.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 123: The difference between a U.S. made third or fourth pattern cap with a grommet hole (left) and a French contract cap with tall crown (center), and a British contract cap, also without a grommet hole (right) can be seen in this trio of photos.

Left hand photo courtesy of Brennan Gauthier, PortraitsofWar.wordpress.com

Center photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

Right hand photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

 

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 124: Comparison of a first pattern U.S. made cap (top) with a third or fourth pattern U.S. made overseas cap (bottom).

Upper photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria .com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 125: Front and side views of third or fourth pattern U.S. made overseas cap.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection