I. Military berets
Overview
Military berets: round top, larger body than brim, no brim.
The colors and designs used by the armies and arms of various countries are slightly different, and they are internationally standardized.
Usage in various countries
1. Britain
Popularized during World War II, different troops wore berets of different colors:
Special Air Service Regiment: tan
1st Airborne Force: maroon
Royal Army 5th Air Mobile Brigade: red ("Red Devil")
2. United States
1943: 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment wore British maroon berets.
1951: The Marine Corps tested green and blue berets, but they were not adopted.
From 1953: Special Forces wore green berets.
1961: President Kennedy promoted the green beret as a special forces symbol.
1970s: Encouraged various troops to use berets as a logo feature.
1975: Black beret officially becomes the standard cap for airborne rangers.
1979-1980: Color uniform policy:
Green: Special Forces
Black: Rangers
Maroon: Airborne
Other colors are prohibited
2002:
Khaki: Rangers
Maroon: Airborne/Parachut
Green: Special Forces
Black: Other units
2011: Berets are retained as a uniform component and are not used in daily combat exercises.
Special Forces: The 117th Brigade wears black berets and red star badges to simulate "imaginary enemies".
Air Force: Since 1979, multiple units have worn berets (such as tactical control, rescue, combat meteorology, etc.).
3. Russia (former Soviet Union)
1981: Soviet airborne troops use blue berets (large hat top).
1993: Maroon berets became a symbol of honor for Russian special forces, and they had to be obtained through rigorous assessment.
4. China
2000: Berets were first equipped in the entire army (promoted after trial use by Hong Kong and Macao troops).
2017: The Armed Police Force equipped the "16 Armed Police Berets", with the following features:
One size one design
Large cap lining with uniform cap shape
More breathable, adaptable to high temperature and high humidity environment
5. United Nations
Since 1945: Peacekeeping forces wear blue berets (blue helmets during combat), also known as "blue helmet forces".
6. Other countries
Turkey, Greece, Luxembourg: Each branch of the military uses only 3 colors.
Belgium: The army uses up to 7 colors of berets.
2. Civilian Berets
Overview
Civilian berets have a variety of styles, free designs, and rich shapes.
Three major design directions:
1. Design based on the shape of the beret itself
Features: brimless hat, the shape of the hat body reflects the difference.
Design variants:
Helmet-style, knitted one-piece, two-piece, hexagonal beret, etc.
Two-piece: round and simple
Six-piece: angular and lively
2. Deformation on the basic hat shape
Adding brim changes:
Producing hunting hats, big caps, New Fourth Army hats, etc.
Hunting hat: The brim is connected to the front of the hat body, more like a duckbill cap
3. External decoration design
Can be used in combination with the first two methods
Common decorations:
Ribbons, florals, pompoms, feathers, lace, beads, buttons, etc.
