m/27 Field Hat (Kenttälakki m/27)
m/27 Field Hat, Older (Kenttälakki m/27/vanhempi)
The new uniform ensemble of 1927 naturally also included new hats. Like the rest of the uniform, the hats were designed primarily with field conditions in mind. This was also reflected in the universal design of the caps: there were no differences between units or ranks, the only variation being the color with the standard m/27 model being brownish grey, while the provisional m/27 Field Hat, Older was made from the solid grey cloth of the previous uniform types. As with the previous type field hats, m/27 Field Hat was meant for summer season, while a separate m/27 Fur Hat was designed for winter use.
Compared to the m/22 Field Hat, m/27 aimed to provide soldiers with a far more practical piece of headgear. A bill protected soldiers’ eyes from rain and sunlight, flaps could now be folded down in a much more practical way and a chinstrap was provided for all caps. The design of the hat is thus fairly unique, being somewhat of a mix between very practical features and an overall shape which could remind one of shakos and kepis of previous times.
m/27 Field Hat, Older appear to have been among the first m/27 uniform items issued to conscripts and were often worn with m/22 uniform in the field. However, even if the goal was to provide soldiers with more practical uniforms for field wear, the m/27 hats were apparently not entirely satisfactory. While the m/27 fur hat took the brunt of the criticism, some of the problems, such as the bill interfering too much with the users field of view, would be also applicable to the field hat.
While the hat was in widespread use alongside its successor, m/36 Field Hat, right up to the start of the Winter War, its wartime service appears to have been very limited. The Winter War was obviously fought in cold weather headgear, and by the start of the Continuation War m/36 Field Hat had mostly supplanted the m/27. Also, unlike with some other previous uniform pieces, the m/27 Field Hat was apparently considered neither practical or good looking enough to give troops incentive to continue wearing it. Notably, unlike the rest of the m/27 uniform, the Civil Guard never adopted this hat.
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