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Austria
Austria or (), officially the Republic of Austria (German: ), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below , and its highest point is . The majority of the population speaks German, which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
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Emil Körner
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George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 October 29, 1885) was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly (November 1861 to March 1862) as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union. Although McClellan was meticulous in his planning and preparations, these characteristics may have hampered his ability to challenge aggressive opponents in a fast-moving battlefield environment. He chronically overestimated the strength of enemy units and was reluctant to apply principles of mass, frequently leaving large portions of his army unengaged at decisive points.
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Manuel Baquedano
Manuel Jesús Baquedano González (January 1, 1823 – September 30, 1897) was a Chilean soldier and Chief of Government, who served as Commander-in-chief of the Army during the War of the Pacific. Manuel Baquedano was of Basque descent.
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Manuel Bulnes Pinto
Manuel Bulnes Pinto (July 10, 1842 – April 18, 1899) was a Chilean military and political figure.
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to 15 May 1975 when the Mayaguez Incident concluded and two weeks after the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. The 'Mayaguez incident' involving the Khmer Rouge government in Cambodia on 12–15 May 1975, marked the last official battle of the United States (U.S.) involvement in the Vietnam War. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations.
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World War I
World War I was a military conflict centered on Europe that began in the summer of 1914. The fighting ended in late 1918. This conflict involved all of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centred around the Triple Entente) and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, due largely to great technological advances in firepower without corresponding ones in mobility. It was the second deadliest conflict in history.
http://wn.com/World_War_I
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http://wn.com/Australia -
Austria or (), officially the Republic of Austria (German: ), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below , and its highest point is . The majority of the population speaks German, which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
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Belgium (, ), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, as well as those of several other major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of , and it has a population of about 10.8 million people.
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Brisbane () is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has an approximate population of 2 million. A resident of Brisbane is commonly known as a "Brisbanite".
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Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough with approximately 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area.
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Germany (), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357.021 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union, and home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.
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India (), officially the Republic of India ( ; see also official names of India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east; and it is bordered by Pakistan to the west; Bhutan, the People's Republic of China and Nepal to the north; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean, mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands are in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime border with Thailand and the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea. India has a coastline of .
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The Commonwealth of Kentucky () is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth (the others being Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts). Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th largest state in terms of total area, the 36th largest in land area, and ranks 26th in population.
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Mahé, (Malayalam: മാഹി, Tamil: மாகே) a small town (9 km²) surrounded on all sides by Kerala and is officially a part of Puducherry. The official name of Mahe is Mayyazhi (മയ്യഴി) in the local Malayalam language. The original name of Mahé, Mayyazhi, means "eyebrow of the sea". The Kannur District surrounds Mahe on three sides. The nearest airport is Calicut International Airport, Karipur at a distance of 85 km; Kannur Airport under construction is nearing completion at Mattannur at a distance of 40 km. Nearest Railway Station is Mahe where a few local and express trains stop. The nearest major Railway Stations where several long distance trains stop are Thalassery, Kannur and Badagara.
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Norway (; Norwegian: (Bokmål) or (Nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.8 million. It is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe. The majority of the country shares a border to the east with Sweden; its northernmost region is bordered by Finland to the south and Russia to the east; and Denmark lies south of its southern tip across the Skagerrak Strait. The capital city of Norway is Oslo. Norway's extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, is home to its famous fjords.
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Puducherry ( Putuccēri; ), formerly known as Pondicherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or regions, and named after the largest region, Puducherry. The territory was officially known as Pondicherry until 2006 when it was renamed Puducherry. Of late, Puducherry is also considered an educational hub of southern India, having 1 central university, 8 medical colleges, 10 engineering colleges, 3 dental colleges, 2 law colleges, 1 veterinary college, 1 agricultural college, 10 arts and science colleges, and 5 polytechnic colleges functioning within its territory. Many medical and engineering colleges including one national institute of technology and a state-owned university are also reported to be in queue. People of Puducherry are demanding statehood for Puducherry and are also requesting to add neighboring villages from Tamil Nadu to newly form Greater Puducherry state for better administration and development purposes.
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South Carolina () is a state in the United States that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was originally named by British King Charles II in honor of his father Charles I of England, as Carolus is Latin for Charles. South Carolina was the first state to vote to secede from the Union and was the founding state of the Confederate States of America. According to an estimate by the United States Census Bureau, the state's population in 2009 was 4,561,242 and ranked 24th among the U.S. states. South Carolina contains 46 counties and its capital is Columbia.
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Spain ( ; , ), officially the Kingdom of Spain (), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
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Sweden (pronounced , ), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: ), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany, and Poland to the south, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia to the east. Sweden is also connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.
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Switzerland (, , , ), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
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The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
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The Commonwealth of Virginia () is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city and Fairfax County the most populous political subdivision. The state population is nearly eight million.
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Yanam or Yanaon (Telugu: యానాం) is a town in the Indian union territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry); it is located in Yanam district. Yanam has some 300 years of history and is well known as French Yanam even now although it was transferred to India in 1954. It forms a 30 km² enclave in the district of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. It has a population of 32,000, most of whom speak Telugu and to a very small extent, Tamil. Yanam is a unique blend of French and Telugu culture prevailing in Andhra Pradesh. During French rule, the Tuesday market (mangalavaram santa) at Yanam was popular among Telugu people in the Madras Presidency who visited Yanam to buy foreign and smuggled goods during Yanam People's Festival, which is held in January. According to the 1995-2005 Development Records it was the first best constituency in Puducherry, which is moving forward in the development sector, and also one of the best constituencies in India. Many development schemes were carried out for the people compared to other places in India and Yanam was a trial-base centre for implementing the development schemes in Puducherry.
http://wn.com/Yanam_India
- Adrian helmet
- Alejandro Gorostiaga
- Alemannic German
- American Civil War
- American English
- Army Aviation
- Army of the Potomac
- Artillery
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- braiding
- Brisbane
- Brisbane Transport
- British English
- British Rail
- Brooklyn
- Cadets
- cap
- casquette d'Afrique
- Cavalry
- Chasseur
- Combat engineering
- Couleur
- Crimean War
- Cuirassier
- Dragoon
- Dress uniform
- Emil Körner
- forage cap
- Free French Forces
- French Army
- French Gendarmerie
- French language
- French Marines
- Full dress
- George B. McClellan
- Germany
- Glory (1989 film)
- Hussar
- India
- Indian Wars
- Indiana
- Infantry
- Karaikal
- Kentucky
- Légion étrangère
- Mahé, India
- Manuel Baquedano
- Manuel Bulnes Pinto
- Marksman
- Matériel
- Military uniforms
- Norway
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- Paratrooper
- Patrol cap
- peaked cap
- Peruvian Navy
- police
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- railway
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- Spahi
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- Spanish Royal Guard
- streetcar
- Studentenverbindung
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- Swiss Army
- Switzerland
- Teresiana
- Tirailleur
- Union Army
- United States
- Vietnam War
- Virginia
- visor
- War of the Pacific
- World War I
- World War II
- Yanam, India
- Zouave
Kepi Ghoulie
Releases by year: 2008 |
Releases by album:
Album releases
Hanging Out
(Released 2008)
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Hey Kepi Let's Go!
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My Life Is Starting Over Again
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Super Model
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Sleepy Hollow
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Love on Demand
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It's You!
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Stormy Weather
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12 Hour Town
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The Natives Are Restless
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Company You Keep
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Come on Brain
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Red Rat
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Girlfriend
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A Kiss For You
American Gothic
(Released 2008)
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Full Serve
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To Sing for You
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Sleepy Hollow
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The Friend of Mine
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Stormy Weather
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Tornado Love
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True Love Will Find You
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Take a Look
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Running on Empty
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Down We Go
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Great Beyond
Kepi and Kat
Releases by year:
2008 |
Releases by album:
Album releases
Releases by year: 2008 |
Album releases
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 45:26
- Published: 22 Sep 2011
- Uploaded: 30 Nov 2011
- Author: CristiClujeanul
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:46
- Published: 03 Jun 2010
- Uploaded: 30 Nov 2011
- Author: HadesssArmy
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:03
- Published: 22 Jul 2008
- Uploaded: 06 Nov 2011
- Author: laurentgdh
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:11
- Published: 10 Nov 2008
- Uploaded: 04 Nov 2011
- Author: ihearttheweakerthans
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:33
- Published: 17 Mar 2010
- Uploaded: 25 Jul 2011
- Author: GrandAmbitions
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:36
- Published: 16 Apr 2011
- Uploaded: 17 Nov 2011
- Author: mattb60177
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:21
- Published: 09 Feb 2010
- Uploaded: 15 Aug 2011
- Author: Voodooman86
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:14
- Published: 22 Jul 2008
- Uploaded: 05 Dec 2010
- Author: laurentgdh
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:02
- Published: 22 Feb 2008
- Uploaded: 07 Sep 2011
- Author: MightyJordan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:10
- Published: 05 Jul 2009
- Uploaded: 18 Oct 2011
- Author: leonora099
- ACUPAT
- Adrian helmet
- Alejandro Gorostiaga
- Alemannic German
- American Civil War
- American English
- Army Aviation
- Army of the Potomac
- Artillery
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- braiding
- Brisbane
- Brisbane Transport
- British English
- British Rail
- Brooklyn
- Cadets
- cap
- casquette d'Afrique
- Cavalry
- Chasseur
- Combat engineering
- Couleur
- Crimean War
- Cuirassier
- Dragoon
- Dress uniform
- Emil Körner
- forage cap
- Free French Forces
- French Army
- French Gendarmerie
- French language
- French Marines
- Full dress
- George B. McClellan
- Germany
- Glory (1989 film)
- Hussar
- India
- Indian Wars
- Indiana
- Infantry
- Karaikal
- Kentucky
- Légion étrangère
- Mahé, India
- Manuel Baquedano
- Manuel Bulnes Pinto
- Marksman
- Matériel
- Military uniforms
- Norway
- NY
- Paratrooper
- Patrol cap
- peaked cap
- Peruvian Navy
size: 0.7Kb
size: 6.9Kb
size: 1.2Kb
The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor (American English) or peak (British English). Etymologically, the word is a borrowing of the French képi, itself a respelling of the Alemannic Käppi: a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning "cap".
French usage
The kepi was formerly the most common headgear in the French Army. Its predecessor originally appeared during the 1830s, in the course of the initial stages of the occupation of Algeria, as a series of various lightweight cane-framed cloth undress caps called casquette d'Afrique. These were intended as alternatives to the heavier, cloth-covered leather French Army shako. As a light and comfortable headdress it was adopted by the metropolitan (French mainland) infantry regiments for service and daily wear, with the less practical shako being relegated to parade use. In 1852, a new soft cloth cap was introduced for campaign and off-duty. Called bonnet de police à visière, this was the first proper model of the kepi. The visor was generally squarish in shape and oversized and was referred to as bec de canard (duck bill). This kepi had no chinstrap (jugulaire). Subsequent designs reduced the size of the cap and introduced chinstraps and buttons. The kepi became well known outside France during the Crimean War and was subsequently adopted in various forms by a number of other armies (including the U.S. and Russian) during the 1860s and 1870s.In 1876, a new model appeared with a rounded visor, as the squared visor drooped when wet and curled when drying. The model used in World War I was the 1886 pattern, which was a fuller shape incorporating air vents.
By 1900 the kepi had become the standard headdress of most French army units and (along with the red trousers of the period 1829-1914) a symbol of the French soldier. It appeared in full dress (with inner stiffening and ornamental plume or ball ornament) and service versions. Officers' ranks were shown by gold or silver braiding on the kepi. The different branches were distinguished by the colours of the cap - see the table. Cavalry normally wore shakos or plumed helmets, reserving red kepis with light or dark blue bands for wear in barracks. General officers wore (and continue to wear) kepis with gold oak leaves embroidered around the band.
In 1914 most French soldiers wore their kepis to war. The highly visible colours were hidden by a blue grey cover, following the example of the Foreign Legion and other North African units who had long worn their kepis with white (or more recently khaki) covers in the field. With the adoption of sky-blue uniforms and steel Adrian helmets in 1915 to replace the conspicuous peace time uniforms worn during the early months of war, the kepi was generally replaced by folding forage caps. Officers, however, still wore kepis behind the lines.
Following the war the kepi was gradually reintroduced in the peacetime French army. The Foreign Legion resumed wearing it during the 1920s; initially in red and blue and then in 1939 with white covers on all occasions. The bulk of the French army readopted the kepi in the various traditional branch colours for off-duty wear during the 1930s. It had now become a straight sided and higher headdress than the traditional soft cap. This made it unsuitable for war time wear, and after 1940 it was seldom worn except by officers. An exception was the Foreign Legion who, previously just one of many units that wore the kepi, now adopted it as a symbol.
Modern usage
The decision following the 1991 Gulf War to end conscription in France and to rely on voluntary enlistment has led to a smartening up of uniforms and the reappearance of various traditional items for dress wear. This has included the reappearance in the army of the kepi which is now widely worn by all ranks on appropriate occasions. The French National Police discarded their dark blue kepis in 1982, adopting a low peaked cap. The reason given was that the rigid kepi, while smart and distinctive, was inconvenient for ordinary use and too high to be comfortably worn in vehicles.French customs officers (douaniers) and the Gendarmerie still wear kepis for ceremonial duty. Customs officers wear a baseball style cap (since 1994 with many variations) while French Gendarmerie introduced a "soft kepi" in the early 2000s. Within the army, particularly notable are the kepis of the French Foreign Legion, whose members are sometimes called Képis blancs (white kepis), because of the unit's regulation white headgear. Former cavalry units wear light blue kepis with red tops and silver braid (for officers) and insignia. Other colours include all dark blue with red piping (for artillery units), dark blue with red tops (line infantry) and crimson with red tops (medical). The "dark blue" of officers' kepis is actually very similar to black. {|class=wikitable !Corps !Colour of band !Colour of crown !Braid and insignia |- | Infantry, Zouaves & Chasseurs-Paratroopers || dark blue || red || gold |- | Tirailleurs || light blue || red || gold |- | Shock Parachuters, Shock Commandos,Supply & Quartermaster’s Corps || dark blue || red || silver |- | Cuirassiers, Dragoons, Hussars,Tanks & Matériel || light blue || red || silver |- | Infantry Chasseurs || black || dark blue || silver |- | Spahis || light blue || red || gold |- | Artillery, Marines & Transmissions || dark blue || dark blue || gold |- | Engineers & Bands || black || black || gold |- | Légion étrangère || white (privates and corporals)dark blue (NCO and officers) || white (privates and corporals)red (NCO and officers) || gold (infantry)silver (cavalry) |- | Army Aviation || blue || blue || gold |- | Medical Corps || crimson || red || gold |- | Pharmaceutical Corps || green || red || gold |- | Veterinarian Corps || purple || red || silver |- | Dental Corps || brown || red || gold |}
North American usage
In the United States, the kepi is most often associated with the American Civil War era, and continued into the Indian Wars. Union Officers were generally issued kepis for fatigue use. A close copy of the contemporary French kepi, it had a sunken top and squared visor. It was often called a 'McClellan cap', after the Union commander of the Army of the Potomac, G.B. McClellan. For field officers, the caps were often decorated in a French-influenced style, with a dark velvet band around the base and black silk braiding on the crown. The kepi was also popular with various state units and as privately-purchased headgear; e.g., it was standard issue in 1861 for New York infantry regiments. The kepi is not to be confused with the model 1858 forage cap, which evolved directly from the shako used by the regular army earlier in the 1850s (see the design of the crown, chinstrap, brim, and buckle). Essentially, the forage cap, described by some troops as "shapeless as a feedbag," was a less-expensive and more comfortable version of the earlier shako with the stiffening removed. The forage cap became the most common form of cap worn by U.S. regulars and volunteers during the American Civil War, though it is most commonly associated with the eastern theater of the war, since western troops generally preferred broad brimmed felt hats (see photos of Sherman's army parading through Washington D.C. at war's end). The forage cap appears in films such as Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, and Glory. Some Union units wore coloured variants, as some illustrative examples show:
While some Confederate troops wore the forage cap (Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson wore the plain dark blue round-visored forage cap from his days as an instructor at the Virginia Military Institute), Confederate uniform regulations specified a French-style kepi. These were to be trimmed as follows:
The regulations were often ignored because of the scarcity of materials and the need for rapid production. The average Confederate kepi usually was a simple gray or butternut cap made of wool or jean wool. To save leather for shoes and accoutrements, by mid-war Confederate kepi brims often were made of tarred cloth; chinstraps were sometimes omitted. Many Confederate units wore unique versions of the kepi. These included:
After the war the U.S. Army issued a series of kepi undress caps, characterised by their increasing smartness and decreasing practicality. The last model was issued in 1896. When the United States introduced a revised blue dress uniform in 1902, the kepi was discontinued in favour of a conventional visor cap with wide top and a steep visor.
The Army's current field cap, with its flat top and visor, is a variation of the kepi. It was adopted after World War II and was "blocked" with heavy starching and ironing until it was replaced with a baseball-style cap during the Vietnam War. The present-day Army cap was introduced in the 1980s with the adoption of the old-style BDU uniforms, and was retained when the ACUPAT digital-pattern camouflage uniforms were introduced in 2005.
Usage in South America
thumb|300px|Chilean Army generals in their French-influenced uniforms: [[Alejandro Gorostiaga|Gorostiaga, Lopetegui, Bulnes, Körner, Baquedano, del Canto, Cortes, Novoa.]] With the exception noted below, the Chilean Army no longer wears kepis but during the War of the Pacific it was part of the standard army uniform. Similarly the kepi is no longer worn by the modern Peruvian armed forces and police but was part of the uniforms worn during the 19th and early twentieth centuries.Today the following ceremonial units in both countries still use the kepi:
- in Chile the 4th Company of the 7th Reinforced Regiment "Chacabuco";
- in Peru the Fanning Marine Company of the Peruvian Navy; and the National Police of Peru's Guards Inspector Mariano Santos Company. Both retain the War of the Pacific uniforms respectively of the Peruvian Navy and the Civil Guards of Peru.
Bolivia's 1st Infantry Regiment "Colorados" also wear the kepi during parades and some other activities.
Usage elsewhere
The practical nature and relative cheapness of the kepi made it a popular military headdress from the mid-nineteenth century on. The Belgian Army had a distinctive form of kepi with a high back to it. This continued to be worn in black and silver by the Belgian Gendarmerie until the 1950s. Many Latin American armies wore kepis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which were close copies of the French model.The Greek Army of the same period wore dark blue or green (the latter for cavalry) kepis, and continued the same style of headress in khaki when field uniforms of that colour were introduced in 1910. Officer cadets and NCO trainees still wear kepis as part of the full dress uniforms of their respective military academies.
Other armies that favoured kepis during the final period of colourful uniforms that ended with World War I included the Danish, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian (officers only), and Romanian armies. Even the Japanese Army adopted French-style kepis for senior officers in full dress, as well as for their Gendarmerie units and military bands.
The Norwegian armed forces used kepis until World War II and still retain them as part of the full dress of officer cadets.
In Spain, a version of the kepi (actually a low shako), the ros, is used by the Guardia Reald (Royal Guard) for ceremonial functions.The Spanish 1887 regulation kepi or Teresiana was made of black oilcloth with a tortoise shell visor.
In Switzerland, the kepi was worn as a part of the dress uniforms of senior NCOs (Sergeant major and above) and officers (with additional rank insignia) until the 1995 army reform (Swiss Armed Forces). Since then, it is only worn by senior staff officers (Brigadier general and higher).
In Sweden, the kepi has been used with several uniform types. The most common was the grey kepi worn as part of the M1923 field uniform and the dark blue kepi worn as part of the uniform types m/1886 and m/1895, and still in use by the Life Guards.
Significantly such historic opponents of France as Germany and Britain, avoided the use of kepis, with only a few short-lived exceptions, such as for service in India during the 1850s-60s. During this time the Albert Shako was preferred. This may have been for practical rather than patriotic reasons, as the distinctive profile of the kepi would be likely to lead to confusion in battle.
In India, during the French colonial rule of Pondicherry, Yanam, Karaikal and Mahé, Kepis were worn by two kinds of policemen, the Armed and the Indigenous, differentiated by the colour of the kepis they wore. While the law and order forces wore bright red caps, the armed constabulary was conspicuous by its blue kepis. After Indian Independence, the former French colonial territory was integrated into the Union Territory of Pondicherry and the bright red kepi continues to be the headgear of the constabulary — both for the local and the armed police signifying the cultural and administrative legacies left by the former colonialists.
A form of kepi is worn by female officers in the modern Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Non-military use
Kepis also found their way into the uniforms of numerous railway and streetcar operators in the United States. From there it was adopted by other public transport operators around the world, including Brisbane, Australia, whose drivers and conductors continued to wear distinctive white Kepis with black visors until 1961. Brisbane bus inspectors continued to wear black kepis with decorative braid until the introduction of a French blue kepi in 1987. Brisbane Transport replaced inspector's kepis in 1995, although as of 2006 they could still be worn at official functions.The kepi was the standard headgear of uniformed British Rail male employees from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.
Kepis are also worn by traditional student fraternities, also called Studentenverbindung, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. They are called Stürmer and are very colorful in appearance.
In the United States, the Nation of Islam's security/executive protection force, The Fruit of Islam, also wears a dark blue version of the kepi.
See also
Category:Caps Category:Hats Category:Headgear Category:Military uniforms Category:French clothing Category:Civil War military equipment of the United States
ca:Quepis de:Käppi es:Quepis fr:Képi io:Kepio it:Kepi lt:Kepis nl:Kepie ja:ケピ帽 no:Kepi pl:Kepi pt:Quepe ru:Кепи fi:KépiThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.