In the interest of not making post number 75 too long, let me explain the following in this post;
When the HB factory first started making tropical sidecaps. They applied soutache to them. Now we do not know if they were making caps in June or July 1942. So far no HB caps earlier than August 42 have come to light.
However in August 1942, they had bins of cap parts waiting to be assembled. Some of these bins had cap bodies already put together or partly assembled with a soutache in place. These cap bodies were awaiting further assembly with a lining. The linings were then made up, maker stamped, dated, sized and placed in another bin.
In early to mid August 1942 the cap bodies with a soutache (made up in July 1942 ?) went through final assembly and were joined together with a liner made in August 1942.
Sometime from mid-August 1942, production changed to cap bodies without a soutache (made in August 1942) being assembled and joined with a liner made in August 1942. Thus now complying with the new regulations of July 1942.
All production by the end of August 1942 from the HB factory now complied with the July 1942 regulation of no longer having a soutache. Thus any HB cap dated 942 onwards did not and should not have a soutache or even signs of one being removed.
I can not tell you why HB did not remove the soutache from their early to mid August 1942 production except to say it was probably not worth the extra production cost/ time for them to do it.
What is interesting is the rework example dated 842 in my possession. This cap is what we would call today a "factory second". It has been double checked and resized. Who ever did the resizing of this cap, removed the soutache. I have no way of knowing if it was the HB factory or not. However, there is one feature that confirms it is period done but I am not stating that here for obvious reasons,
Chris
When the HB factory first started making tropical sidecaps. They applied soutache to them. Now we do not know if they were making caps in June or July 1942. So far no HB caps earlier than August 42 have come to light.
However in August 1942, they had bins of cap parts waiting to be assembled. Some of these bins had cap bodies already put together or partly assembled with a soutache in place. These cap bodies were awaiting further assembly with a lining. The linings were then made up, maker stamped, dated, sized and placed in another bin.
In early to mid August 1942 the cap bodies with a soutache (made up in July 1942 ?) went through final assembly and were joined together with a liner made in August 1942.
Sometime from mid-August 1942, production changed to cap bodies without a soutache (made in August 1942) being assembled and joined with a liner made in August 1942. Thus now complying with the new regulations of July 1942.
All production by the end of August 1942 from the HB factory now complied with the July 1942 regulation of no longer having a soutache. Thus any HB cap dated 942 onwards did not and should not have a soutache or even signs of one being removed.
I can not tell you why HB did not remove the soutache from their early to mid August 1942 production except to say it was probably not worth the extra production cost/ time for them to do it.
What is interesting is the rework example dated 842 in my possession. This cap is what we would call today a "factory second". It has been double checked and resized. Who ever did the resizing of this cap, removed the soutache. I have no way of knowing if it was the HB factory or not. However, there is one feature that confirms it is period done but I am not stating that here for obvious reasons,
Chris
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