Can you ID this cap please

[Barryeye]

1584615847158481584915850Gentlemen. With the old hair thinning and the sun being unforgiving I have had to reluctantly purchase a cap for range use. I have never found any caps or hats comfortable but I discovered this one in an army surplus shop and I find it very comfortable and casually smart. I doubt that it is a collectable but I would be interested to know the army it originated from. Looks similar to the U.S. cap used in Korea but uniforms are not my thing. Any ideas?

[m1ashooter]

Civilian fasion hat. I've never seen a USGI hat that looks like that.

[gwp]

Decazeville, France ?

[Barryeye]

15860Thank you gwp and M1A. I did try to goggle that name but must have misspelt it and got nothing. Tried a second time with more success and followed a trail. Turns out it is French military Model 69. I still think it looked like an American type I had seen. On the reruns of MASH I note the Frank Burns wares a similar one. Did some more digging and found this.

“The M-1951 field cap was universally liked because it was comfortable and practical, and afforded a reasonable amount of protection from the elements. It was produced through the late 1950s and was worn extensively during the Korean War both in garrison and in the field when conditions did not require the protection of a helmet. The cap also was used to some extent in combat by units performing special operations and reconnaissance patrols, which led to the cap being unofficially, designated a "patrol cap" by the U.S. Army Rangers."

It would appear from the picture that the M-1951 was still being worn in the early Vietnam days. I think the French must have based their 69 cap on this one. They are very similar M1Ashooter..

[m1ashooter]

Olive drab is one of my go to sites as I collect US GI stuff. They made a mistake with the above photo. The picture are Marines wearing their covers.

Now that this hat has been ID'ed to the French I seem to remember seeing the legion wearing them when they were on one of their many missions to rescue people in africa during the last 30 years, but I can't find the picture on google.

[Barryeye]

Damm. Got that wrong. What are "covers"? Just pleased that it is not a fashion item. You must admit it looks American. Nice well made item. No doubt I'll loose it. That's what I normaly do. Thanks for your input. What would be the cap that Frank Burns wore?

[Weasel]

I would say that it is European not US. the 62 would be the size.

[m1ashooter]

The Marines call their field caps covers. Look at pictures of Frank Burns it appears he is wearing a OD patrol cap.

[BEAR]

Barry,
"Covers" are what the Marines call caps or hats.
Frank Burns wore a M1951 field cap.
After the US Army adopted the "Castro Hat" (also known as the Ridgeway hat) the M1951 was not issued except for special units (the Ranger Instructors and students are one exception). When the Army ressurected the Ranger Battalions in the early 1970s this cap was an issue item. These caps were plentiful in surplus stores when I first joined but are now hard to find. When the Army adopted the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) the cap was modeled after the M1951 (including the cold weather flaps).
Hope this helps.
BEAR

[Barryeye]

Thank you all gentlemen. I am a wiser man now.

[Nick Riviezzo]

When I entered the Army at Ft. Dix, N.J. in 1963 we were all issued the "patrol cap",then called a "KP" cap. As late as 1971 we had "Blues"[aero rifle platoon grunts] in our Air Cav Troop [C 3/17-D 3/5 Air Cav.] Wearing the patrol cap in Viet Nam. The funny thing is that cap had "ear flaps"to keep your ears warm, a feature not much needed in the 'Nam. Nick

[DMS42]

The "KP" cap I was issued in 1963 at Ft. Ord had a bill about 3 times as long. When I was in Germany with the
4th Armor we wore the pictured cap under our helmets with the flaps down when it was cold. If we weren't wearing the helmet we were supposed to be wearing the "Block/Castro" hat. In our unit if you had been caught wearing the wrong cap more than a couple times you could get an Article 15, not so much because you had on the wrong cap, but because you had been given a order not to wear it.