{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-army-m1941-wool-knit-jeep-cap-with-original-cardboard-visor-stiffener-size-medium","title":"Original U.S. WWII Army M1941 Wool Knit “Jeep Cap” with Original Cardboard Visor Stiffener - Size Medium","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a very good original U.S. WWII Army \u003cb\u003eCap, Wool, Knit, M1941\u003c\/b\u003e, better known to generations of servicemen and collectors as the \u003cb\u003e“Jeep Cap.”\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003cb\u003eMedium\u003c\/b\u003e, with an inscribed laundry number, \u003cb\u003eG-2581\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoldiers also commonly wore the cap by itself, and its informal appearance became one of the more recognizable forms of American field headgear of WWII.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cap acquired its enduring nickname:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Jeep Cap”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eduring and after the wartime period, although that was not its formal Quartermaster designation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45751769956421,"sku":"ONSV26CC260","price":195.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/0F2490A3-60A4-4DB8-9943-1294E5FFD3B2.jpg?v=1789402602","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-army-m1941-wool-knit-jeep-cap-with-original-cardboard-visor-stiffener-size-medium","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}