WWII U.S. A.A.F. Lieutenant
Files
Dublin Core
Title
WWII U.S. A.A.F. Lieutenant
Subject
Military personnel - United States - Virginia - Shenandoah County
Description
Portrait of an unidentified U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant wearing his WWII-era uniform.
His hat shows the "50 mission crush", a telltale sign of a missing stiffener.
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. However, since 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, like in this photograph.
The crush cap identified its wearer as an experienced pro, and was as much a part of his identity as his leather flight jacket.
His hat shows the "50 mission crush", a telltale sign of a missing stiffener.
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. However, since 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, like in this photograph.
The crush cap identified its wearer as an experienced pro, and was as much a part of his identity as his leather flight jacket.
Creator
Morrison Studio
Source
Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
WWII
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED
Relation
Information about "crush caps" came from Wikipedia.
Identifier
004861
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Glass Negative
Collection
Citation
Morrison Studio, “WWII U.S. A.A.F. Lieutenant,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed December 28, 2024, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/34628.
Comments