What's the use of two curtains on Japanese military caps?

There is a Lei Feng hat, also called felt hat, in China's military uniform in winter. This kind of hat originated in the Soviet Union and is characterized by a pair of ear protectors on the left and right sides. In the cold winter, Lei Feng hat can provide a good warm effect for soldiers' heads and ears at the same time, so the style of this hat has been used to this day.

Hats similar to Lei Feng can also be seen in Northeast China, and dog skin hats that people in Northeast China often wear also have thick ear protectors. To keep warm, we put a piece of cloth on both sides of the hat. We can understand that there are always two curtains under the military hat that the Japanese army often wears in summer. What is this for?

This kind of hat is called hanging cloth hat in Japan, and the piece of cloth on the hat is called hanging cloth. Although we know that this kind of hat was learned by the Japanese army, it was not actually invented by Japan. According to the enlightenment of World War II, the hat pendant originated from the French army, and Japan only began to learn from this design after the Meiji Restoration.

The French designed the hat to fall off because the French have been fighting in North Africa since the19th century, and North Africa is located in the tropics. Not only is the weather hot, but the direct sunlight also severely burns the skin of the soldiers. Therefore, the invention of hat falling just solved the problem of French army exposure.

After Japan introduced this kind of curtain hat, it was not always used. If you have seen the documentary photos of the war, you will find that the Japanese still wear helmets. Although curtain hats have appeared, the number is not much. This is because Japan used the style of curtain hat for reference in the early days, but thought it was of little use.

The climate in the area where the Japanese army fought in the early days was basically mild, and even if it was sunny, it would not be sunburned by the sun, so the hat drooped a bit. In addition, more than a piece of cloth on the hat will block the line of sight more or less, so hanging cloth hats will soon be abandoned by most Japanese troops.

It became popular again because Japan turned its attention to Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia has a hot climate and many mosquitoes, so many Japanese troops can't stand mosquito bites as soon as they arrive. Although the military uniform wrapped the body tightly, the neck was exposed, so they remembered the hat that had been abandoned at the beginning.

However, the Japanese are also very smart. They not only copied the French design, but cut the original one-piece hat into three pieces. This is not only more breathable, but also the hat can swing with the pace when marching. It's a natural mosquito repellent.

If it's just to repel mosquito bites, some people may think it's useless to drop the hat, but it's really unsightly to add a few pieces of cloth. If you think so, it's all wet. Although the hat is ugly, it can at least help the Japanese army reduce 654.38+10,000 casualties. Where do you start?

Although we are often bitten by mosquitoes at home, we generally feel nothing except itching for a few days. But in Southeast Asian countries, mosquitoes are definitely the number one killer of spreading diseases. Once an infectious disease breaks out in the army, the consequences are unimaginable. Moreover, the combat troops are tired all the year round, and even the iron body can't stand the exposure of the sun, so there are not a few people who die of heatstroke, and the hanging of hats also plays a role in this regard.

So don't think that the extra pieces of cloth on Japanese hats are used for joking. Every design has ulterior motives, and there is great wisdom in this little hat pendant.