Why was the ridiculous beret so widely adopted?

[sid guttridge]

It seems a bit of a mystery as to why the beret was so widely adopted at a time of French military decline. Normally uniform modifications follow developments by successful powers.

Is there any military advantage to the beret? Its shape doesn't do much to break up the outline of the head and it is rarely in multi-coloured camouflage.

Worst of all it looks like a cow turd sliding off the top of the head! If you look carefully, berets even have concentric rings like a cow turd.

Why the beret?

Cheers,

Sid.

[Tom Houlihan]

Sid, when I first saw the thread title, I thought you were talking about the current US Army! Good question, though. There might be a correlation as to British units adopting the beret for headgear as well. In WWII, that is.

[John W. Howard]

Hello Guys:
I do not know why, but certain armies look much better in berets than others. I have always thought the French and Brits look great in berets, but not the Americans!! If I may say so, US soldiers look silly in berets!! We would do well to go back to the soft covers worn during WWII; they looked good!! Best wishes.

[Mike Higgins]

Beats the hell out of me, I prefer my old field cap. Probably wouldn't have joined up if I would have had to wear a beret. Although it worked well for the "Green Berets".

[John Kilmartin]

Hi Sid,
The choice between a wedge or a beret would make me prefer a beret. That being said while I much prefer wearing the balmoral or glengarry as headgear I would like to try wearing the caubeen in uniform.
The origin of the beret as headgear for Commonwealth forces was as I understood it to promote solidarity with our French allies at the end of the Great War.

[Hans]

And no doubt it's cheaper!

- Hans

[AAA]

Convenience - a good beret is the only headgear that can be rolled up an shoved in a pocket with no ill efects.

[sid guttridge]

Hi John. Hans and AAA,

Just as Texas Long Horn, Charolais and Hereford turds look the same, so do the soldiers of these nationalities all look a little daft wearing something similar.

The cheapness argument migh be true, but I am not sure that other forms of headgear aren't pretty cheap too.

I have worn several bits of headgear, including floppies and field caps, all of which have passed the rolling-up-in-a-pocket test.

Have you seen the giant shapeless multi-camouflage berets the Israelis are wearing over their helmets in Lebanon? The look a bit daft too, but they have the great merit of being shapeless and offering no identifiable profile. That redeems them in my eyes. The conventional beret doesn't offer this military advantage.

Cheers,

Sid.

[sniper1shot]

Well, I am not too sure at how many countries wear berets in Battle. For that we have Helmets and field caps.
The beret is a garrison head dress so we don't have to wear helmets all the time. Having worn a beret for the last 18 years of service I find nothing wrong with it. If it is formed right and the right size for the soldiers head a beret look fine.....incl the soldiers in the US Army.
To each their own I would guess.

[Helmut Von Moltke]

but not the Americans!! If I may say so, US soldiers look silly in berets!!

oh come on John my friend, our American super heroes in the movie 'The Green Berets' about them in Vietnam or something like that looked cool wearing berets, right?

~Staff Sergeant K, the EviL

[John W. Howard]

Hello Kevin:
US Green Berets did not look too bad in their berets; the new US berets look silly though!! And of course John Wayne's massive head made his fit well!! PEEEEEETERSONNNNNN!!

[Eric Hillebrand]

Maybe we should now call it a freedom cap!
Eric

[Terje]

But then, there's the german ww2 panzer berets....


I can't tell why the british service cap, the large one, came into use. Knowing the english military pattern system I'd guess that some scot general with sufficient pull managed to convince the right people it looked better than the wedge - which by then had the distinct disadvantage of looking identical to the german one from a distance ..the soldiers hated it because it absolutely ruined their sharp on-leave uniforms.

Why berets became popular in many armies after ww2 is easier to understand. British ww2 gear was distributed all over the world for a couple of decades, including the service caps. But the smaller berets of the paras and tankers were much more popular than the standard big ones, because they looked sharper and because the cinemas were all touting war movies with british paratroopers and tankers in black and red berets.

[phylo_roadking]

Given the way various ministries/departments of war/defence have outsourced purchasing for the last sixty years, apart from the "big" nations, its not impossible that a lot of the smaller nations just purchase theirs abroad...from guess who! Like the numbers of nations between the wars that bought the Adrian Helmets, or Vickers' patterns. I wouldn't think that even laerget nations actally have more than a couple of specialist firms making berets! Its a bit of a niche market after all!

Also any sort of a peacutter/wedge needs to worn to size...whereas we all know tricks to stretch or shrink the leather rim of a beret if you're a half-size! Remember, pre-WWII it was more common for men to wear hats than not; nowadays its relatively rare in Europe at least. The multiplicity of hatmakers and a lot of the skills have gone.

[Terje]

Fun fact 1# When the US Army, just a couple of years ago, was issued a brand new black beret in order to stiffen morale, there were a commotion when the american soldiers discovered the little stamp on the inside; " Made In China"....

Fun fact 2# The 'peacutter' was usually referred to as the 'pisscutter' among the soldiers...