WAAC Officer's Cap
date: label: associated date
content: 1941 - 1945
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: The winter cap, shown here, was generally made from a blend of wool, cotton, silk or artificial fabric, called barathea, in a dark olive drab color to match the winter uniform jacket. The cap has a close fitting body, a rigid visor, and a narrow front strap resting on the visor and secured at both sides by small plastic buttons embossed with the WAAC eagle. A summer cap of the same design was made from a light cotton khaki colored fabric. The eagle hat insignia was specially designed for the WAAC. The eagle was made of a gold colored metal and was approximately 2.4" wide by 1.9" high.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: This cap was designed specifically for the members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, and was different from that worn by the members of the Army Nurse Corps. The cap was worn with the winter uniform jacket and skirt. When the early design proved inadequate, additional stiffening was added to the visor and sides, and the composition of the summer cap was changed to make it easier to clean. As the war progressed and shortages eased, plastic buttons were replaced with gold colored metal buttons. The unique designs of the caps for both WAACs and nurses makes photographs of these women easy to recognize.
label: Description
content: Enlisted women wore the same hat, but the hat insignia was a smaller WAAC eagle centered on a gold colored metal disk 1.5" in diameter.
label: Description
content: When the Women's Army Corps (WAC) replaced the WAAC in September 1943, the basic cap design was unchanged; however, the WAAC eagle was replaced with the standard army hat insignia showing the Coat of Arms of the United States.
label: Description
content: This cap was not a popular uniform item. It was difficult to pack, transport, or store, was susceptible to crushing, and was difficult to block. As a practical matter, once introduced, the folding overseas (or garrison) cap was the preferred head gear. By the end of the war the cap was dropped altogether
label: Description
content: This cap was often unofficially called the “Hobby Hat” after Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby, the first director of the WAC. It was also known by less complimentary names such as the "cheese box." The original WAAC eagle was often referred to as the “buzzard.”
topic: label: related event
content: World War II
label: related event
content: The Great Depression and World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
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content: Military
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content: ThinkFinity
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: ZZ.RSN81709W60
label: designer number
content: PQD 211B
label: designer number
content: 73-C-64596
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cap
label: Other Terms
content: Cap; Woman; Army; Waac; Officer; Service; Winter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wool (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 in x 9 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in; 10.16 cm x 24.13 cm x 19.05 cm