Shako A shako ( , , ) is a tall , cylindrical military cap , usually with a visor , and sometimes tapered at the top . It is usually adorned with some kind of ornamental plate or badge on the front , metallic or otherwise , and often has a feather , plume ( see hackle ) , or pompon attached at the top . Origins . The word " shako " originated from the Hungarian name " csákós süveg " ( " peaked cap " ) , which was a part of the uniform of the Hungarian hussar of the 18th century . Other spellings include chako , czako , schako and tschako . From 1800 on the shako became a common military headdress , worn by the majority of regiments in the armies of Europe and the Americas . Replacing in most instances the light bicorne , the shako was initially considered an improvement . Made of heavy felt and leather , it retained its shape and provided some protection for the soldier ' s skull , while its visor shaded his eyes . The shako retained this pre - eminence until the mid - 19th century , when spiked helmets began to appear in the armies of the various German States , and the more practical kepi replaced it for all but parade wear in the French Army . The Imperial Russian Army substituted a spiked helmet for the shako in 1844 - 45 but returned to the latter headdress in 1855 , before adopting a form of kepi in 1864 . Following the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 , military fashions changed and cloth or leather helmets based on the German headdress began to supersede the shako in many armies . Although the mid - nineteenth century shako was impressive in appearance and added to the height of the wearer , it was also heavy and by itself provided little protection against bad weather as most models were made of cloth or felt material over a leather body and peak . Many armies countered this by utilising specially designed oilskin covers to protect the shako and the wearer from heavy rain while on campaign . The shako provided little protection from enemy action as the most it could offer was in giving partial shielding of the skull from enemy cavalry sabres . During the period of general peace that followed the Napoleonic Wars , the shako in European armies became a showy and impractical headdress that was best suited for the parade ground . As an example , the " Regency " officers ' shako of the British Army of 1822 was eight and a half inches in height and eleven inches across at the crown , with ornamental gold cords and lace . Lt . Col . George Anthony Legh Keck can be seen in a portrait from 1851 wearing a ' broad topped ' Shako that was topped by a twelve - inch white plume and held in place by bronze chin scales . The " Regency " shako was followed in the British Army by a succession of models — “ Bell - topped ” , “ Albert " , " French ” and “ Quilted ” — until the adoption of the Home Service helmet , in 1877 . Variations . The " stovepipe " shako was a tall , cylindrical type with a brass badge attached to the front . The stovepipe was used by the infantry of the British army from around 1799 , and its use was continued until the end of the Peninsular War , from then on it was only used by the light infantry . The " Belgic " ( or " Waterloo " ) shako officially replaced the stovepipe shako in 1812 , but was not adopted completely until 1815 . The black felt Belgic shako had a raised front , and was decorated with silver or gold lace for officers , according to regimental practice . The Kiwa ( see kiver below ) was a style of shako introduced into the Imperial Russian Army in 1812 ; its distinguishing feature was the dished or concave top . This style of shako was worn by the Black Brunswickers alongside shakos of the Austrian pattern . Final period of extensive wear . In 1914 , the shako was still worn in France ( " chasseurs à cheval " , infantry of the Republican Guard , " chasseurs d ' Afrique " and hussar s ) ; in Imperial Germany ( " Jäger s " , " Landwehr " and marines ) ; in Austro - Hungary ( full dress of non - Muslim line infantry and field dress of hussars ) ; in Russia ( full dress of generals , staff officers , and infantry , engineers and artillery of the Imperial Guard ) ; in Belgium it was official field dress for line infantry , " chasseurs à pied " , engineers , transport / ambulance , administration , fortress artillery , and mounted chasseurs , although , in practice , usually discarded in favour of the " undress " cap ; in Denmark ( full dress of Guard Hussars ) ; in Mexico ( full dress of federal troops of all branches ) ; in Portugal ( military cadets ) ; in Romania ( full dress of artillery ) ; in Italy ( horse artillery and military academies ) ; and in Spain ( line infantry , " cazadores " , engineers , and artillery ) . The Highland Light Infantry and Scottish Rifles of the British Army retained small shakos for full dress and the 1911 " Encyclopaedia Britannica " indicates that there were plans to reintroduce the shako as parade dress , for all English line infantry regiments - a project that was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I . The Swiss and Dutch armies wore shakos , even for field wear , until after 1916 . The Japanese Army had worn the shako as a parade headdress until 1905 , although a form of high - sided kepi had been the normal wear . During this final period of elaborate and colourful traditional uniforms , the shako varied widely from army to army in height , colour , trim and profile . Amongst the most distinctive of these were the high Napoleonic shako ( " kiver " ) worn by the Russian Imperial Guard and the low streamlined model ( " ros " ) of the Spanish Army . The Swiss version had black - leather peaks at both front and rear - a feature that also appeared in the shako - like headdress that was worn by British postmen between 1896 and 1910 , and New Zealand policemen of the same period . Most German police forces adopted a version of the Jäger shako , after World War I , which replaced the spiked leather helmet ( Pickelhaube ) that had become identified with the previous Imperial regime . This new headdress survived several political changes and was worn by the civilian police forces of the Weimar Republic , Nazi Germany , East Germany , and West Germany . It finally disappeared in the 1970s , when the various police forces of West Germany adopted a standardised green and grey uniform that included the high - fronted peaked cap that is still worn . Modern use . In Europe , the infantry of the French Republican Guard , cadets at Saint - Cyr , cadets at the Belgian Royal Military Academy , cadets at the Portuguese Colégio Militar and Pupilos do Exército military schools , the Italian Horse Guards Corps , Horse Artillery and cadets at the Military Academy of Modena , the Danish Guard Hussar Regiment , and the Spanish Royal Guard and 1st Infantry Regiment all have shakos as part of their respective ceremonial uniforms . Various Latin America n armies , including those of Venezuela , Mexico , Brazil , Peru , Ecuador , Uruguay and Argentina , retain shakos for ceremonial guard or military academy uniforms . In Russia , the historic " kiver " has been reintroduced for wear by the Kremlin Guards for ceremonial occasions . In India the Madras Sappers & Miners of the Madras Engineer Group wear dark - blue visorless shakos as part of their ceremonial uniform . An Indonesian ceremonial unit as well as the cadet corps of the military academies of the Philippines and South Korea also use shakos . In the United States , shakos are still worn as full - dress headgear by cadets of the Valley Forge Military Academy ( in a modified form ) , US Military Academy , Virginia Military Institute , Marion Military Institute and The Citadel with their Full Dress Grey uniforms . Many college and high - school marching bands feature shakos as part of their dress uniform . In the Canadian Forces , Les Voltigeurs de Québec are authorized to wear dark green shakos with full - dress uniforms . Non military . In the US and the Philippines , shakos are frequently worn by civilian marching bands and drum corps . In the latter country , the cadets of some civilian institutions such as the National Police Academy , plus some colleges and high schools also use the shako , although peaked " service cap " styles have become more popular in recent years . Those shako styles still in use in marching bands are generally quite tall and have elaborate plumes . For example , at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend , IN , the kilted Irish Guard wear tall black fur shakos with bright yellow plumes , bringing their total height in uniform to almost 8 feet tall . These shakos are typical of marching band drum majors , however the Irish Guard shako is unique in its size , color , and design . In drum corps and corps - style marching bands , the chin strap is rarely worn under the chin ; instead , it is worn just under the lower lip , in the style of cadets at West Point . In Canada the shako is worn by volunteers in various historical forts wearing 19th Century period uniforms .