In the first quarter of the last century, this headdress was called a Kolchak cap. It was sewn from fur, cloth, leather, or a combination of these materials.
1920s
Hats with earflaps were worn in the White Army of Kolchak. First in the winter of 1918-1919, and then in the summer. True, in the summer version this headdress was made of coarse fabric and sewn with a visor. Fur in this case was not used at all. The fashion for round hats with “ears” first took root in St. Petersburg, and then spread to all of Russia.
In the autumn of 1919, the troops of Admiral Kolchak naturally abandoned caps and dads, although in some places you could still find both. According to documentary evidence and a few photographs, it can be concluded that some units of the army were supplied only with earflaps. Researcher A. Petrov believes that it was a kind of identification mark in order to distinguish friends from strangers in battle.
It is curious that ordinary soldiers wore hats without decorations, and the officers had a cockade on the front flap.
1930s
In the early thirties, a Finnish hat was common in the Red Army of the Soviet Union, but in 1934 a black hat with earflaps became part of the uniform of the navy fighters. On October 20, 1939, the order of the People’s Commissar of the Navy No. 426 was issued, according to which the cloth cap on this headdress was officially replaced with leather. The same document regulated the appearance of a decorative element – a button covered with leather. Senior officers wore caps with earflaps made of merlushka fur (thick lamb fur), and ordinary employees and middle commanders of mega tsigeyki (goat fur).
1940s
In 1940, by a corresponding order, a hat with earflaps was ordered to be worn as a winter headgear by all policemen of the Soviet Union and all employees of the Red Army. These hats were first sewn from light sheepskin, but time has shown that gray fur is much more practical. In the event of a battle, a steel helmet SSH-40 could be worn over the cap with earflaps.
