Army crushers: heigth of the darkgreen cap band vs cockade?

[Schwejk]

Dear fellow members,

Question :

I hope you could tell me whether there was a regulation height of the darkgreen cap band on Heer crushers and/or of the BEVO cockade badge?

A have a unissued cockade badge (the height of the woven darkgreen part = 46 mm) that does not fit between the piping bands on the crusher cap band, so I am wondering whether the cap band is made too narrow or the badge is too wide. And this means also, I am affraid, that the badge might be a fake. (The crusher is a decent repro anyway).

Your expertise help is much appreciated,

Sincerely,

Sebastian.

[DonC]

Sebastien, it would depend on the overall size of the cap. A larger head size would probably wind up with a wider band, and vice versa. I have seen several Bevo wreaths in different sizes, which I assume is to accommodate that.


Don

[SgtB]

Yes, there was a standard of course. But I've seen many caps (in hand and in period pics) that had bands much wider or narrower than that standard.
It's usually pretty obvious if the wreath came through time and space on the cap.


If you have an original flatwire wreath, I would advise you not to modify it in order to apply it to a repro cap. Good quality repro badges are easily found for a small price. Sell it to someone who needs a good wreath for a restoration or collection, and pocket the difference.


Do you have pics?

[AlteArt]

Good quality repro badges are easily found for a small price.
Do you have pics?

i haven't come across any "good quality" ones....do you have any links?

[SgtB]

I do not. But you should be able to type it into any search engine and find some options. Or try "Reddick", "At the Front", "Man The Line", etc.


What was on the cap when you found it?

[Paris Gun]

I have both I'd sell FWIW; an original Heer silver-wire BeVo Officer's wreath on dark green (AND matching silver-wire BeVo Officer's eagle), as well as Top-Notch Czech-made Counterfeits with very convincing age.

I will try to post pics of the original for comparison/ study. Also, shoot me a PM if interested in purchasing either/ both. 👍

[Paris Gun]

Oh, and YES, wreaths originally affixed to Crushers do quite often appear bigger than the available space on the cap band; HOWEVER, the difference is only slight as opposed to being greatly exaggerated (subject to the method of application of course, as well as other out-of-the-norm nuisances).

That said, be sure to consider whether the hat itself is an earlier/ pre-war Crusher (with a somewhat "Teller Form" look); whether the BeVo insignia is pre-war or 'wartime'; AND, carefully examine the hat for evidence of prior insignia, as the presence of such could be either bad or good. For example, many pre-war Crushers had bullion insignia, which might have been removed during the war and replaced with 'wartime' BeVo insignia for a less conspicuous battlefield appearance. BUT, a 'wartime' Crusher with pre-war/ early BeVo insignia MIGHT not be a deal breaker per se unless evidence of a prior larger wreath is evident; if so, this is almost assuredly a hat with restored, albeit original, insignia.

To clarify my oversimplified explanation above, IMHO pre-war BeVo wreaths and cap eagles featured a tan backing &/or aren't as large as 'wartime' wreaths, regardless if the backing of the wreath is tan, olive &/or dark green. What I consider as 'wartime' insignia are those with olive or dark green backing AND wreaths that have a slightly larger appearance.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ABOVE WILL BE SUPPLIED TOMORROW IF/ WHEN MY SCHEDULE PERMITS.

[AlteArt]

I do not. But you should be able to type it into any search engine and find some options. Or try "Reddick", "At the Front", "Man The Line", etc.

thank you for the search tips! But i have yet to find a nice and convincing repro. Most of them look too plastic-y or cheap...

[Paris Gun]

Early/ Pre-war BeVo insignia on an Heer Artillery Crusher.