We have watched many TV dramas about the Anti-Japanese War since childhood, in which the hats worn by the Red Army soldiers often had two vertically arranged buttons.

For example, the Eighth Route Army soldiers in "Bright Sword" wore such hats. Why are there these two buttons on the hats of the Eighth Route Army, and what is the significance of their existence?

If we look at the evolution of Chinese military caps in modern history, we can appreciate the greatness and wisdom hidden behind this hat.

1. Imitation of Germany and the Soviet Union

With the gunshots of the Xinhai Revolution, the Qing Dynasty became history.

At that time, the Kuomintang had not yet completed the standardization of clothing, and the warlords were still in a state of mutual fear.

With the end of the Northern Expedition, local troops completed the standardization of military uniforms, among which the Nanjing troops were a typical example.

Originally, the buttons on the hat were located on the top of the head to ensure that the soldiers' ears and part of the facial skin were protected in severe cold weather.

After unbuttoning the button on the top of the head, the hood can be lowered and extended directly to the neck, ensuring that the temperature in the core part of the head will not be lost when the soldiers fight in severe cold weather.

The design inspiration of this hat mainly comes from the German military cap at that time. The German mountain cap adopted this design.

Then the two parties began to fight each other. In the beginning, the Chinese Red Army was really stretched thin. Not to mention the unified distribution of guns, even the standardization of military uniforms was a luxury.

The Red Army soldiers completed the establishment of a clothing factory by constantly fighting guerrilla warfare, seizing spoils, and reselling and processing the spoils, thus enabling some soldiers to wear brand new uniforms.

2. The evolution of the red star on the hat

The military cap of this new military uniform was originally designed based on the Soviet Lenin cap , which has a large red star on it.

As the two parties cooperated to fight against Japan, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army fought bloody battles with the enemy on the anti-Japanese battlefield. As you all know, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to agree to the joint anti-Japanese war because of Zhang Xueliang's behavior.

Since they have united, they also need to make unified arrangements in terms of military uniforms.

Chiang Kai-shek also showed some performance in this stage. He publicly stated at the time that he would never reduce the treatment of logistics because of party differences, and that logistics supplies must be distributed according to military standards.

The unification of logistics supplies includes the unification of military uniforms.

Many Red Army soldiers felt uncomfortable because they had been under too much pressure from the Kuomintang before joining the fight against Japan.

Now I have to wear their military caps and give up my own red star, which I really can’t accept in my heart.

Therefore, they did something that made the Kuomintang’s top leaders dissatisfied, which was to directly take off the Blue Sky and White Sun badge on their hats.

It was only after the senior generals within the Red Army appeased them and said that anti-Japanese resistance should be put first that the soldiers reluctantly accepted the offer.

However, as the battle went on and the front line became longer and longer, problems arose with the Kuomintang's supply chain, and this exquisite cap badge was not very durable in actual combat.

However, the Kuomintang would not choose to send cap badges specifically to the Red Army troops. Chiang Kai-shek believed that this was a waste and even went against his original speech and began to withhold supplies to the Red Army.

In this case, the cap badge may be discarded, and the design of the red star and two buttons will appear again on the caps of the Red Army soldiers.

Looking at the history of the Red Army's development, it was a process that gradually evolved from a makeshift team to a professional one.

The original red star is certainly a manifestation of faith and inner honor, but in terms of functionality, it is indeed not as good as the design of two buttons.

However, the military caps of the Red Army soldiers had not changed as a whole at that time. Those Red Army units still under the control of the Kuomintang still wore caps with the blue sky and white sun emblem.

However, with the Southern Anhui Incident in 1941, the New Fourth Army was ambushed by the Kuomintang and was accused of treason. Since then, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have completely torn their relations apart.

As for the so-called blue sky and white sun emblem, it was naturally discarded, and the two buttons officially became the unified design of the Red Army uniforms.

3. What is the function of two buttons?

Why two buttons? Why not something else? There is something very complicated going on.

First, whether the Red Army had just been formed or had just broken up with the Kuomintang, they still had to be very frugal in terms of finances.

In order to ensure the functional effect of the hat and save money, we need to consider the cost performance of the item. Therefore, the design of the two-button military cap has become systematic.

After unbuttoning, there are two hat ears that can be flipped up to keep out the cold, which is undoubtedly very useful for soldiers.

In addition, when soldiers are engaged in high-intensity combat, they often crawl forward in different terrains.

This kind of crawling operation often requires lowering the center of gravity of the head to protect oneself as much as possible. During the crawling process, the top of the hat will come into contact with many things, causing wear and tear.

There are two buttons to reduce the wear of the military cap fabric . The buttons produced by the clothing factory at that time were famous for being strong and wear-resistant.

In some specific environments, these two buttons can also play a different role. They can be used as spare buttons to replace other more important buttons.

When transporting some daily necessities, these buttons can also play a certain hanging role.

These seem to be two very simple buttons, but in fact, the design wisdom contained in them is infinite and even great.

4. The Rise of China

With the victory of the War of Liberation, we had the opportunity to establish our country. Although the external wars did not end for a period of time afterwards, we ended the internal struggles.

With the joint efforts of working people across the country, our economy is developing continuously.

The leaders all agreed that the national progress achieved with the efforts of countless revolutionary predecessors was not easy, but if we want to achieve long-term development, we still need to make our fists harder.

Therefore, our investment in military spending is constantly increasing, and the soldiers' lives and weapons and equipment are constantly being updated and improved, including the upgrade of military caps.

In the 1950s and 1960s, also since the founding of New China, China completed the production deployment of the Type 50 wide-brimmed hat.

The shape of this hat is somewhat similar to the former Soviet Union's M43 wide-brimmed hat. It looks simple and elegant, and the material is very thick.

However, not long after this hat was equipped, the Type 50 Liberation Cap appeared. It used the previous Type 49 design and was not as thick.

Most of our soldiers in the Korean battlefield wore this hat. With the arrival of 1951 , the uniforms for female soldiers were also upgraded.

The military cap has been stripped of its brim and has a circle of red lines added to it. The metal badge on the front is very eye-catching. Wearing this hat can highlight the mental outlook of female soldiers.

In 1955, my country's military rank system emerged, and the Type 55 military uniform appeared along with this system, and the Type 55 wide-brimmed hat was also born.

However, this military cap is mainly for male officers, and it complements the uniform perfectly.

As for the ordinary soldiers at that time, they wore the Type 55 boat-shaped cap, which was well received by a large number of soldiers at that time. It was very soft in texture and easy to store.

In 1958, the Liberation Cap style reappeared with a darker color scheme. The hats worn by generals were made of the famous Melton fabric, which was much better in terms of appearance and comfort.

In 1965, the military rank system was abolished, and the military caps of the navy, army and air force were all changed to the unified Type 65 Liberation Cap.

The big red star above is a symbol of faith. If you have watched some documentary-style movies and TV shows about the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, you will find that the hats worn by the soldiers were of this type.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the military upgraded the design of this hat and the Type 74 brimless hat appeared. It was not much different, but the fabric was better.

As time came to the mid-1980s , the design of the Liberation Cap disappeared from the army.

After that, the design of Chinese military caps began to become more complicated, especially for some special troops. The military caps they wore might be something we have never seen before.

But one thing is certain: today our country’s military is becoming stronger and stronger, and its equipment is getting better and better. This is the foundation laid for us by our predecessors.

Although the great design of the two buttons has now disappeared in the long river of history, we will always remember the design wisdom of our predecessors.

This process seems to be just a change in hat style, but those who are well versed in modern Chinese history know best that all this is not easy.

Conclusion

We cannot forget China's history, from the first shot of the Xinhai Revolution to the many great battles that China has experienced since its founding.

During this period of history, we experienced some humiliation and were looked down upon by foreigners, but that doesn't matter.

When the opponent looked down on us, we did not choose to give up. So what if their equipment was better than ours? We used millet and rifles to reverse the situation.

China's army is invincible because we have faith and determination. Never forget the national humiliation. The country built by our ancestors needs us to protect it.

[Disclaimer] The process and pictures described in the article are from the Internet. This article aims to promote positive energy in society and does not contain vulgar or other bad guidance. If there are any copyright or character infringement issues, please contact us in time and we will delete the content as soon as possible! If there are any doubts about the incident, we will delete or change it immediately after contacting us.

Reference:
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