Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good original U.S. WWII Army Cap, Wool, Knit, M1941, better known to generations of servicemen and collectors as the “Jeep Cap.” Constructed from olive-drab wool knit with its characteristic close-fitting crown, fold-down ear covering, and short reinforced visor, this example shows honest wartime wear while retaining its original cardboard visor stiffener in excellent condition. There is a retained tag inside denoting the size as Medium, with an inscribed laundry number, G-2581.

The official wartime designation for this pattern was CAP, WOOL, M1941. Period regulations describe it as an olive drab wool knit cap with a curtain and visor, intended for wear by officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel. The pattern was standardized during the opening period of American participation in WWII and entered widespread issue during 1942.

The cap is constructed from olive drab / khaki-toned wool knit material with the distinctive close-fitting crown and turned lower section associated with original WWII manufacture.

The knitted lower portion could be pulled down over the ears to provide additional protection in cold weather. The short visor retains its original cardboard stiffener which remains in excellent condition.

The knitting pattern is consistent with WWII-period manufacture. There is no surviving size marking. Based on its relatively small dimensions, it appears approximately comparable to a Size 6 ¾.

There are several small moth nips and areas of age-related wear, but the cap remains substantially intact and retains a strong overall shape. The wool has developed the expected appearance of an original wartime knit item without the extensive deterioration often encountered on surviving examples.

The M1941 wool cap was intended primarily as practical cold-weather headgear and could also be worn beneath the M1 steel helmet for additional warmth and cushioning. Its soft knitted construction and compact visor made it considerably more comfortable under a helmet than conventional field caps.

Soldiers also commonly wore the cap by itself, and its informal appearance became one of the more recognizable forms of American field headgear of WWII.

The cap acquired its enduring nickname:

“Jeep Cap”

during and after the wartime period, although that was not its formal Quartermaster designation.

Its profile later became familiar to a much wider audience through popular culture, particularly through Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly in the television series MASH*. That association helped preserve the cap’s distinctive appearance in the public imagination long after WWII, although the M1941 pattern itself originated with the U.S. Army during the Second World War.

The combination of the original olive-drab wool knit construction, fold-down curtain, reinforced short visor with surviving cardboard stiffener, Medium size tag, G-2581 identification marking, and honest moth and handling wear makes this a strong representative example of the U.S. Army’s M1941 cold-weather knit cap. Its surviving interior markings and intact visor construction are especially useful details on a piece that was designed as practical field equipment and frequently saw hard service.