Lets See Your Impressions!

[T-Bone]

Rob,

You can always go with "BDUs and tennis shoes"!

 

 

Don't laugh, I used black Converse High Tops on ops.

 

I also had a few pair of Spanish Army Comando shoes stashed away.

 

T-Bone

[T-Bone]

It is a theater made patch hence the weird color. Oh and I resent being called a Screaming Chicken....lmao. We do have terms like that for the Rock of the Marne Soldiers as well. But I won't go there since I was once too a Dog Face Soldier a long time ago, though I could tell you some things they did over here I don't approve of over beers one day!

Heady

 

More tales of latenight goat seduction and nefarious Camel molestations I bet.

 

T-Bone

[T-Bone]

Looks like we have one already, see the Desert Storm impression earlier in the thread.

 

There are also some guys down here doing Cold War. I have both East German and US kit for 1986-1990 stashed away.

 

T-Bone

[gliderflyboy]

There are also some guys down here doing Cold War. I have both East German and US kit for 1986-1990 stashed away.

 

T-Bone

 

 

That stuff is great for alternate history. Like the invasion of East Germany and the Soviet Union by the US or vice-versa. Now there is a battle I would enjoy being a part of!

[mpguy80/08]

Hi Gang,

 

Now that the weather is cooperating, I was able to get outside and get a couple of shots of my infantry impressions. Granted, a lot of this gear is repop, but I'm planning on reenacting and dont feel comfy using the real deal uniform wise. The uniform consists of:

 

ATF M1937 wool shirt, Tie and trousers

ATF M1941 Jacket

ATF Service Shoe, Reverse Uppers (Roughouts)

ATF Helmet, M1

ATF Suspenders, M1936

Leggings, M1938 (Original)

Belt, M1936 (original)

Pouch, Ammunition, .30 Cal Carbine (Original x4, three on belt one on rifle)

First Aid pouch, M1924

Canteen Carrier M1910 w. Canteen

Bayonet, M4 w. M8 Scabbard (Cammillus)

Knife, M3, w. M6 Scabbard (Repro)

Grenade, MkII (Dummy) (x2)

 

Let me know what you think...

 

Wayne

[mpguy80/08]

And my second Impression... This time armed with an M1 Garand...

 

The Uniform consists of:

 

ATF M1937 wool shirt, Tie and trousers

ATF M1941 Jacket

ATF Service Shoe, Reverse Uppers (Roughouts)

ATF Helmet, M1

ATF M1923 Cartridge Belt

Haversasck, M1928, (Original)

First Aid pouch, M1924

Canteen Carrier M1910 w. Canteen

Bayonet, 10", M1905E1 (OL, Pal-mod)

 

I'm working on finishing up my 82nd AB Impression... I should have the last few items shortly...

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Wayne

[Corpl. Cleaver]

Wayne,

 

It's a good start, looks like you just got issued your stuff. But that will change with time and use.

I would say drop the carbine bayonet, they wern't issued until realy late war, and since you have leggings and a M-41 jacket, I would say you are doing earlyer war. Boots look like they need to be water proofed, they should darken up to a nice dark brown.

 

It's a great start, keep it up.

 

Tyler

[mpguy80/08]

Wayne,

 

It's a good start, looks like you just got issued your stuff. But that will change with time and use.

I would say drop the carbine bayonet, they wern't issued until realy late war, and since you have leggings and a M-41 jacket, I would say you are doing earlyer war. Boots look like they need to be water proofed, they should darken up to a nice dark brown.

 

It's a great start, keep it up.

 

Tyler

 

Thanks for the info on the Bayo... The boots have two coats of Kiwi Wet Proof on them, and haven't been worn much yet. I know with use everything will take on a better look... I've finally found a group in indiana to work with... G Co, 505th PIR 82nd ABN DIV(Pathfinders)... I should be getting my boots back from ATF any day now... I had to send them in for Eyelet repairs, and I'll post the pics of that Impression when I get them.

 

I've been working on putting together some K Rations... I have the Repro boxes, and I'm getting the stuff together little by little. The hard part is getting the accessory packet stuff together, the Cereal bars (chewey granola), the biscuits (club crackers), Sugar block (Domino sugar cubes wrapped two rows of five), fruit bars (Nutri-grain fruit bars)... With the proper period references on the packaging, it'll look close... Not to mention I make my own D Rations...

 

Wayne

[YankeeDiv26]

Okay I'll play. I apologize in advance for the crappy pictures, the camera never seems to catch me at events. Beware, NOT 56K FRIENDLY!

 

US Army Rifleman (no unit yet) Vietnam 1968

 

US Army Rifleman (again, no unit yet) Vietnam 1966

[YankeeDiv26]

Fox 2/5 Marines, M60 Gunner 1968 *me being a skrewball in the parking lot before an event*

Same thing, but with the M79 this time

Part of our unit at an event.

Same photo, but looks better in Greyscale IMO

us in our bunker AFTER said event (which is why Mr. Charles is casually strolling behind us)

[YankeeDiv26]

104th IR, 26ID B.A.R. Man.

 

My first kit, a haphazard 82nd AB Pathfinder kit.

 

That's most of the my kits anyway.

 

-Tim

[mpguy80/08]

Thanks for the info on the Bayo... The boots have two coats of Kiwi Wet Proof on them, and haven't been worn much yet. I know with use everything will take on a better look... I've finally found a group in indiana to work with... G Co, 505th PIR 82nd ABN DIV(Pathfinders)... I should be getting my boots back from ATF any day now... I had to send them in for Eyelet repairs, and I'll post the pics of that Impression when I get them.

 

I've been working on putting together some K Rations... I have the Repro boxes, and I'm getting the stuff together little by little. The hard part is getting the accessory packet stuff together, the Cereal bars (chewey granola), the biscuits (club crackers), Sugar block (Domino sugar cubes wrapped two rows of five), fruit bars (Nutri-grain fruit bars)... With the proper period references on the packaging, it'll look close... Not to mention I make my own D Rations...

 

Wayne

 

An addendum to this post from earlier... I had to lighten the pictures a little due to the shade from the overhang... so what you are seeing is a bit washed out. The boots do have a couple of coats of dubbing on them, and are a nice reddish brown. I know this will darken with use, and I hope to put some good use on them this summer along with my uniforms.

 

Wayne

[pwmiraldi67]

heres a few of my favs, one is typical SF circa 1964-65 the other is a modern day ODA team in Afganistan circa 2005 ish

 

p

[YankeeDiv26]

Paul, whats wrong? You can't pick apart my Vietnam kits (seriously man, I LIKE criticism/input!)

 

Okay dumb question, but the ODA Team kit, is that real or reenacting/Living history?

 

-Tim

[mpguy80/08]

One more Impression... 82nd Airborne, June 6th, 1944, Ste Mere Eglise, France. Thinking back, I should have gotten a picture of the back of this too to show the Musette bag and attached M1943 entrenching tool. Looking forward to breaking this one in as it will be my main impression I think.

 

Let me know whay you think...

 

Wayne

[mpguy80/08]

And I couldnt resist the old timey photo of this one...

[FightenIrish35]

GREAT IMPRESSION MPGUY!!!!!!

 

Very cool

[YankeeDiv26]

Very good groundwork but I think it could use some minor tweaking to be 100% spot on.

 

1. Get dirtier

2. Move the F/A kit off of your helmet, the 82nd started doing that in significant numbers during Market Garden, not Overlord. I suggest tying it to your suspender straps.

3. I'd go with un-reinforced jumpsuit. I haven't researched the 82nd heavily, but from what I know, most use regular jumpsuits.

4. Wear a wool shirt under your M42 Jacket

5. add a bayonet if you dont have one already.

6. You've been up for the better half of June 4th, 5th, and 6th. look tired, not tough.

 

I think do a few of those things and you'll have a spot on impression.

 

-Tim

[mpguy80/08]

Very good groundwork but I think it could use some minor tweaking to be 100% spot on.

 

1. Get dirtier

2. Move the F/A kit off of your helmet, the 82nd started doing that in significant numbers during Market Garden, not Overlord. I suggest tying it to your suspender straps.

3. I'd go with un-reinforced jumpsuit. I haven't researched the 82nd heavily, but from what I know, most use regular jumpsuits.

4. Wear a wool shirt under your M42 Jacket

5. add a bayonet if you dont have one already.

6. You've been up for the better half of June 4th, 5th, and 6th. look tired, not tough.

 

I think do a few of those things and you'll have a spot on impression.

 

-Tim

 

Okay... I'll answer these line by line here.

 

1. I have just recently been able to find a unit to reenact with, so this uniform is pretty much virgin. I have a tactical coming up in April, so hopefully I'll be able to get it dirtied up a bit.

 

2. Gotya... too much BoB I think...

 

3. Right now this is the only one I have... My next pruchase is most likely a rigger modified '43 set for Market Garden and after.

 

4. I actually DO have a '37 wool shirt under this jump suit.

 

5. I have a 1943 Pal Mod OL Bayonet behind my left arm. I should have taken better pictures...

 

6. You definitely have a point there... I'll try to get a few pictures at the tactical and see if I dont look a lot better.

 

It took me the better part of six months to finally get all this together. Hopefully I can get this broken in and looking a little more battleworn...

 

Thanks for the input...

 

Wayne

[Sgt_Rock_EasyCo]

1. Get dirtier

 

That'll come with time.

 

2. Move the F/A kit off of your helmet, the 82nd started doing that in significant numbers during Market Garden, not Overlord. I suggest tying it to your suspender straps.

 

I agree. Just put the kit on your straps, belt or ankle.

 

3. I'd go with un-reinforced jumpsuit. I haven't researched the 82nd heavily, but from what I know, most use regular jumpsuits.

 

Reinforced is GTG. The 82nd AB wrote the book on reinforcing their uniforms based upon experience in the MTO.

 

4. Wear a wool shirt under your M42 Jacket

 

For the jump all troopers wore their wools underneath. Most of them removed the pants after landing.

 

5. add a bayonet if you dont have one already.

 

yup

 

6. You've been up for the better half of June 4th, 5th, and 6th. look tired, not tough.

 

As time passed the uniform became dirtier, face unshaven, the gas masks dropped, souvenirs hanging off of packs etc.

[J_Andrews]

One picky little thing that bugs me about Normandy Airborne re-enactors is that they seem to have ignored the matter of records that 90%+ of the M1942 jump suits were ORGANIZATIONAL equipment -- "free issue" -- ISSUED FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE of the OVERLORD jumps and had been sprayed with stinky, sticky anti-gas treatment.

While I have seen re-enactors wearing spray-paint camo'd uniforms (Pathfinders), I cannot recall seeing ONE wearing the stick-stinky outfits.

 

This was done to impart: 1. a camouflage effect, darkening the khaki that stood out in springtime foliage and at night; 2. some water repellancy. And also to mitigate the effects of chemical agents, which were a serious consideration then.

 

This is why in contemporaneous photos the jump suits seem dark -- they WERE. On maybe 20% of the troops they will look mottled, because some guys so disliked the goop they laundered their duds while in the marshalling areas.

 

The 10% or less that were NOT coated were concentrated in the officer ranks. They had more choice in wearing the treated ones or not.

 

That said, photos taken on 7 June and later show more and more untreated, lighter (plain khaki) uniforms. This is because each paratrooper's musette, by order/load list, was to contain a spare uniform -- EITHER a second set of M1942s OR HBTs -- and many troops switched out of the smelly ones at the first opportunity.

 

Almost ZERO of the treated uniforms survived, as when the troops were withdrawn from the frontlines they piled the well-used, ripped, muddy and tattered gear in big heaps, and -- the gear NOT EVEN being slavagable for Combat Servicable use -- the heaps were then set afire. This was done in some units/cases while still in France and in others once back in the UK.

[Darktrooper]

 

this is me.

62nd MP Company, ca. 1958

 

In the photo I went off of to make this impression, the MP's are not wearing name tags, qual badges, or ribbons, just DUI's.

 

I also know the Vinyl white MP cap is incorrect. I have not found any cotton topped ones that will fit my noggin.

[D.A.T.]

Looks pretty good, you kinda remind me of the M.P.'s of my time, the '70's, when they wore the short sleeve khaki shirt, but "I think" they had white bootlaces, didn't they? It's been a couple years since then.

I always kept a respectable distance from them.

[D.A.T.]

Found this website on Cold War Military Police, hope I'm not repeating somebody.

 

http://www.berlin-brigade.de/pmo/mp-e.html

[T-Bone]

 

this is me.

62nd MP Company, ca. 1958

 

In the photo I went off of to make this impression, the MP's are not wearing name tags, qual badges, or ribbons, just DUI's.

 

I also know the Vinyl white MP cap is incorrect. I have not found any cotton topped ones that will fit my noggin.

 

How big is your noggin?

 

The other thing is; is that a USAF SP cap? I noticed no green and gold cord on it?

 

T-Bone