Soviet Winter cap. Soviet Papaha.1960 year

[Sergey]

The cap is made in 1960

[Sergey]

In 1960 it not simply winter cap. It is dream of many Soviet militarians. It is a parameter of vital and social success.

[Sergey]

Underside and stamp

[Guest Rick Research]

Ahhhhh yes... the perfect emblem of the ENORMOUS status gulf between Podpolkovnik and Polkovnik.

[Eric Gaumann]

Nice lid! One day, when I move back up north, and get a job that pays real money, and whole buncha other things I'm gonna get one of those hats for wear in winter. Seriosly. Much nicer than plain old ushankas.

And those things have just GOT to be chick magnets!

Is "papaha" the normal English spelling for that style of hat? I remember doing an eBay search months and months ago for a similar spelling and found a reasonable amount of said hats at (starting from) decent prices. (Not necessarily Soviet military issue lids I hasten to add)

[Guest Rick Research]

I'd say papakha, but then there is no duplicating the sound of the Slavic letter "X" in English that does not sound like coughing up phlegm from a baaaaad cold. I learned Russian in the 1970s, so fashions may have changed. Transliteration of Chinese, for instance, has shifted at least 3 times since, and Ukrainian has also transformed transcription into English since I was in college.

Russian military fashion, however, held on to this crowning indicator of Full-Colonel status: