Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. One of the most iconic pieces of headgear to come out of WWII was the U.S. Crusher Cap, or “Fifty Mission Cap”. This visor cap, in “Summer Khaki” issue color, was made by Raleigh Haberdasher, which is well marked in the crown. Raleigh Haberdasher, more commonly called Raleigh's, was a high end, local men's and women's furnishings store based in Washington, D.C.
The outward appearance is worn from honest use, and decades of storage wear. It retains the original iconic "crush" shape. The cap was certainly used and is a bit misshapen from long storage, However, with a some effort and form fitting it will come back to form.
This is the classic "bomber pilot" headgear, worn by USAAF pilots in Europe and the Pacific. Actually, this was the standard Army/AAF officer dress cap, worn by pilots and non-pilots alike, but pilots gave this cap their own unique twist. Normally, this cap had stiffeners -- a support piece behind the cap device and a wire around the inside top perimeter to maintain the cap's round shape. These kept the cap in its proper, regulation military shape and angle. However, since bomber pilots wore headsets over their caps during flights, they would remove the wire stiffener to make headset wear more comfortable, causing the sides of the caps to become crushed. Eventually, the caps retained their floppy "crushed" look, giving the pilot who wore it the look of a seasoned veteran.
The crusher cap identified its wearer as an experienced pilot, and was as much a part of his identity as his leather flight jacket. The crusher cap look quickly became popular with ground army officers and general officers as well.
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