Squale69 Posted October 26, 2021 Share #1 Posted October 26, 2021 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrustyBosun Posted October 26, 2021 Share #2 Posted October 26, 2021 Without confirmed provenance, you can’t be sure. A lot of guys other than aircrews “crushed” their service caps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodes Posted October 26, 2021 Share #3 Posted October 26, 2021 To me the body looks too stiff, for the hat to be a crusher....Looks more like a cap that just had the grommet removed....Bodes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted October 26, 2021 Share #4 Posted October 26, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wake1941 Posted October 27, 2021 Share #5 Posted October 27, 2021 Crusher style yes, a true crush visor no. A true crusher has 1 ply leather bill, usually with rolled edge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted October 27, 2021 Share #6 Posted October 27, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squale69 Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share #7 Posted October 27, 2021 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted October 27, 2021 Share #8 Posted October 27, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted October 27, 2021 Share #9 Posted October 27, 2021 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted October 27, 2021 Share #10 Posted October 27, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268th C.A. Posted October 27, 2021 Share #11 Posted October 27, 2021 dmar836 is exactly right, it was a cool thing too do, even if you didn't have 50 missions.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted October 27, 2021 Share #12 Posted October 27, 2021 So if it isn't ridiculously priced, buy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 28, 2021 Share #13 Posted October 28, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 28, 2021 Share #14 Posted October 28, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 28, 2021 Share #15 Posted October 28, 2021 from a topic on USMF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 28, 2021 Share #16 Posted October 28, 2021 check out the info posted by Matt in post #32 https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/212367-i-think-i-found-a-real-ww2-aaf-crusher-am-i-right/page/2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted October 28, 2021 Share #17 Posted October 28, 2021 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... Phantomfixer that first picture looks like Chuck Yeager in the group. Is that him?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted October 28, 2021 Share #18 Posted October 28, 2021 10 hours ago, hink441 said: Phantomfixer that first picture looks like Chuck Yeager in the group. Is that him?? sure does look like Yeager, but this is a pic of the 62FS, 56th FG....Yeager was in the 363rd FS, 357th FG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squale69 Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share #19 Posted October 28, 2021 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted October 28, 2021 Share #20 Posted October 28, 2021 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted October 28, 2021 Share #21 Posted October 28, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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