Visor Caps: Large or Small Crowns?

[vikingraider1]

Following on from a post on the general forum, I have decided to post a poll on which visor caps people preffered the look of, the larger caps of the lates 70s to present or the earlier small crowned caps of the 40s and 50s.

[Dave]

Originally posted by otlichnik
I bet you could seperate the good from bad officers based on which hat they would choose if given the choice between 50s-60s style (the good ones) and 80s-90s style (the bad bunch).

Shawn:

I concur with your thoughts.

I did wonder why one of my complete generals groups (all awards, documents and uniforms) had a visor hat (his parade one) that is definately 60's vintage, even though he had been promoted to general in 1973. Your idea may very well explain what happened!

--Dave

[vikingraider1]

Sorry you lot, but you asked for it! :)

I have posted a poll on the uniforms section on the site...maybe this post should be moved to the uniform section???

[HuliganRS]

IMHO, the new ones look like a fashion statement.

Rusty.

[otlichnik]

That is just my point Rusty - they are a fashion statement and like most fashions statements the statement is "I have bad taste" but it is also true that it would be a more boring world without the "fashionistas" to laugh at!

Shawn

[charlet]

You'll tell I mess with this topic...but about the poll would't have been more just to do the disctinction between first M69 caps, with large crown but correct proportions and high quality fabrication, and the post-1987/88/89 caps which knew an inflation in size comparable to the rubble's one...up to become a caricature of mexican hats!
the caps of the 90' have another further design and size than the original m69, don't they?

now you can throw tomatoes and beer cans!!! :D

[skipper1939]

Back to the Russian Federations decorations. There are really two periods of post-communist military design. Yeltsin tried to sweep away everything Soviet, including the old national anthem. Putin, with feet in both eras, has responded to Communist pressure by trying to straddle both the Soviet and post-USSR culture in almost everything, including bringing back the old national anthem with new words ("we'll soar like eagles again someday"). Decorations reflect those two periods. Yeltsin's were directed to pre-revolutionary days to establish his legitemacy and break with the immediate past (the first Caucasus medal). Those that have appeared since Putin took over attempt to satisfy both political cultures and, as a result, have fallen between two stools and look like rubbish. The infrastructure for producing those fine Soviet era awards has also been dispersed and they are being produced by industrial processes so the craftsmanship is nothing like that of the old babushki who did such fine work. As Lenin said, "it's all politics," or something like that. Dr. Bob

[kabanchik]

Surely we have all seen the sorry officers' caps of the Bundeswehr (Army of the Federal Republic of Germany) with their absurdly high, upward-sweeping crowns.......again, seeming to be a deliberately contrived caricature of the old Prussian and Nazi caps (which undeniably were VERY handsome headwear for their day, and still are!). These later caps almost seem designed to mock a militaristic class that twice led the nation to destruction. Perhaps the Russians are going down this same path, either consciously or otherwise. :confused:

[ibaya]

Seems to me that, despite their absurd appearance, the size of the crown on later caps was a functional rank distinction --- the wider the crown, the higher the rank -- useful for at-a-distance and/or silhouette recognition.

As for whether the caps look ridiculous or not, military fashion is still fashion ... "cool" looks fall in, and out, of favor. And let's not forget that it can be the man that makes the uniform look good ... a plump general in a snappy uniform still looks pretty ridiculous!

[skipper1939]

Guys:

Let's not forget how important it is to give enlisted ranks something to laugh at their officers about. The higher the rank, the sillier they look, the better. Do they make marshals' pilotki?

I just had a reception last night for a group of young Russian government and NGO executives, only one of whom had served in the army. But they were all unanimous in their opinion that Russia had lost a great opportunity to return to the more reasonable dimensions of earlier visor hats. They thought those of the 80s were silly, but those of the 90s just looked dumpy.

Dr. Bob