Are the young men wearing 1910 Krätzchen caps or WW1 Feldmutze?

[BlackWatch1]

I am trying to date this photo and I have a hard time telling the difference between Kratzchen and Feldmutze caps. Thanks everyone!

[Britian_Jacky]

I belive that the kratz and feldmutze are variant names for the same cap.
However I think kratz is what the men are wearing in the picture and is worn on the battlefield and a feldmutze is a dress cap version. Feldmutze is the one with a squishier top.
However it's my theory
Jacky

[BlackWatch1]

I belive that the kratz and feldmutze are variant names for the same cap.
However I think kratz is what the men are wearing in the picture and is worn on the battlefield and a feldmutze is a dress cap version. Feldmutze is the one with a squishier top.
However it's my theory
Jacky

They do seem to be the same to me too but I did read that the Kratz has a stiffened crown and side and the Feldmutze doesnt' but in the pic some of the caps look pretty flattened while others look formed. Hmmmmm...

[Brian Calkins]

As I understand the history, the "kratzchen" is the name designated to the field cap used by Prussian other ranks since the late 1860's. I am not sure when these caps began to be referenced as "feldmutzen" which literally translates as field caps.

From the 1860's to 1918, regulation versions of the cap were made with no stiffeners in the lining and also with no sweatband. Private purchase versions sometimes did have these features which causes confusion in old photos. Many other ranks purchased privately tailored uniforms.

Neither the kratzchen or feldmutze (essentially the same cap) should be confused with the "tellermutze", a nickname given to a visorless cap with a wider crown. These basically looked like an officers cap without a visor.

It is interesting to note that the young men have only a state cockade on the band while the officer's visored caps have both cockades....

Those with more knowledge than me may have some other thoughts?

[foersterBerlin]

The first prussian "Krätzchen" type field caps date back to napoleonic times and were copied from the Russian Army, though they had ear and neck protection at this time.
From the beginning the issue "Krätzchen", which is only a nickname for the field cap, was never stiffened. This remained unchanged up to Reichswehr times.
Beside this every enlisted man could privately buy a more faisonable slightly stiffened version for walking out dress or even a visor cap.

So Krätzchen and Feldmütze is the same headgear - the first a nickname given by the soldiers, the second the official term.

The "Tellermütze" was a style preferred by cavalry units to give smarter look, but this too was officially a field cap.
Later the term "Tellermütze" was used for the visor caps which had the "german" shape crown compared to the "saddle" shape.

The photo is interesting - looks like that they are members of a Kadettenanstalt. Very young soldiers, the drill masters ( NCO´s) and Officer´s.

Best
Stefany