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USAAF ww2 crusher cap ?


Squale69
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Hello,

 

could someone confirm this is a ww2 USAAF pilot (or flying crew member) crusher cap ?

based on the attached pictures…

 

thank you.

P.A

1C599424-8B32-4626-A599-48B808F6012C.jpeg

C9A616B4-B38B-4AC8-B789-872BD91D7481.jpeg

41D70D08-6ACE-4F91-BD60-CA7CFBDEE1A9.jpeg

8CDDF91D-D2C3-42F7-A2C5-3195A1841D6A.jpeg

4573D770-5F91-4EE0-934E-664BF684A12F.jpeg

3875BD3E-E30D-4005-B35E-9D8A6704B595.jpeg

6AA7786C-F7DF-4EE4-B533-14434890AD2D.jpeg

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TheCrustyBosun

Without confirmed provenance, you can’t be sure. A lot of guys other than aircrews “crushed” their service caps. 

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These visors were used by senior aircrew as well as all Army officers.

 

Whether yours was used by aircrew or not we may never know.

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Lets not start what "true" is. True is based on how it was used - not how it was made. Everyone knows what you mean but if you do not know the owner and what his role was, you cannot safely call it a crusher.

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Thank you guys for all the feed-backs ! 
much appreciated ! 👍🏻

Without considering the « crusher » question… how can I be sure this is a ww2 era cap ?

was the « imported English » BANCROFT cap very common at that Time ?

 

thanks. P.A

 

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This does not appear to be a reproduction if that's what you are afraid of. I suppose it could be in the very narrow window between 1945 and 1947 but I'm not sure how to confirm that.

The Bancroft Flighter has become the one everyone wants though it was arguably just another late-war variant. To those who now own one of these holy grails it is the only cap asserted to be a "true crusher". The argument becomes a little bit played particularly when we consider such nomenclature is collector-developed. The actual WWII period term of 25 or "50 mission crush" had only to do with the mods and function of a cap and not a particular maker. Yeah, we all know about the soft bill, single ply bill, rolling, shorter crown, etc.   

So I guess it depends what you want. Do you want to be able to say "I have a USAAF 'Crusher' cap" and maybe identify with more modern collectors weaned from coffee table books on the subject or do you want a representative example of a USAAF-style cap? The one you show, irrespective of manufacturer, has a soft pliable bill and the "cavalry strap" - both often claimed(again, mostly in collector books) to be desirable features of AAF flyers.

It's a nice cap IMO but if you call it a "Crusher" here you will quickly be corrected and shown a photo of a Flighter or Lewis cap.

Sorry this isn't the reductive yes/no you would like but regardless there is no simple answer unless you know who wore it and what they did.

I would not pay Bancroft Flighter price for it but I would buy it easily as it checks all the boxes.

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here are two pics from the "hottest" 8th AF gighter groups, the 56th and 4th...a variety of service caps can be seen..."50 mission caps" (standard service caps worn/broken in, weathered) was a term coined by the flyers/press(?) ...... mid to late war, private companies started making the "crusher", a specific design produced to have the look right out of the box...

yours is the fur felt which is a good cap, however, the fur material does not "flop" like the gaberdine(?) wool material...

 

 

 

56th62nd.jpg

media-377296.jpg

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I always thought it interesting how all AAF guys tended to do this. Bomber pilots who wore the headsets made sense. Fighter pilots did wear headsets on occasion but appeared to wear the flight helmets with mounted receivers. I don't imagine they modified them for the same reasons. Shows how powerful fitting in, being cool, and trends were/are.

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yes you have a cap that's a standard Army officers style with a crushed look. As stated it was "in vogue" to do this. The "Packable Cap" or crusher as its known was a marketing deal that provided a cap that could be packed in a piece of luggage or flight bag with out being damaged or "crushed"

 

I had a summer "crusher" from an officer who served in Washington DC for the War. He wore the hat with the metal band in it to keep its shape like any other cap. 

 

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The cap I mentioned..He was a Colonel. Served as a officer who over saw POW Camp issues in Europe. He was also a WW1 veteran. 

 

He wasnt in the air Corps but purchased the "Flighter"  brand that is so popular with Air Corps Collectors.image.png.493aacb85f3ab6bc692ab339111e0f62.png

 

image.png.a590a11a3bd6fe3e98229711437c7cf2.png

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6 hours ago, phantomfixer said:

here are two pics from the "hottest" 8th AF gighter groups, the 56th and 4th...a variety of service caps can be seen..."50 mission caps" (standard service caps worn/broken in, weathered) was a term coined by the flyers/press(?) ...... mid to late war, private companies started making the "crusher", a specific design produced to have the look right out of the box...

yours is the fur felt which is a good cap, however, the fur material does not "flop" like the gaberdine(?) wool material...

 

 

 

56th62nd.jpg

media-377296.jpg


Phantomfixer that first picture looks like Chuck Yeager in the group. 
 

Is that him??
 

 

42FC0762-24F0-4EEC-BD19-E2C3CB7FEBFA.jpeg

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10 hours ago, hink441 said:


Phantomfixer that first picture looks like Chuck Yeager in the group. 
 

Is that him??
 

 

42FC0762-24F0-4EEC-BD19-E2C3CB7FEBFA.jpeg

sure does look like Yeager, but this is a pic of the 62FS, 56th FG....Yeager was in the 363rd FS, 357th FG

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Many thanks for this mass of information !

Crusher or not crusher does not really care for me…

the cap is already at home 😉 And will find a good place on the shelf !

Thank you. P.A

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1 hour ago, Squale69 said:

Many thanks for this mass of information !

Crusher or not crusher does not really care for me…

the cap is already at home 😉 And will find a good place on the shelf !

Thank you. P.A

 

 

I agree. I have always found the US issue WW2 officers caps to be an iconic item to collect and as a life long collector I never really paid much attention to the term true crusher much like I dont pay attention or get into the  "heat stamp"  in US helmets as a way to date them. Never really mattered.

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