hey chaps havnt been on here in quite a while as last year was just nuts for sum of us kiwis but now things have calmed down alot more im getting back into the swing of all things ww2....including starting a nzww2 website....(watch this space)
anyhoo
question 1) the lee enfield bandoliers ( that i understand wernt blancoed..) ..do they fit VSR mags?? as in bar 10 mags? as i dont wanna go buy them only to figure out they wont fit 
question 2) can i pull off using a mk 2 helmet for d day onwards for infantry/commando look or wer they all replaced by the mk 3 helmet before the normandy landings?
question 3) i brought a 37"patt large pack and they came with straight straps....can i use these or am i supposed to use L straps for them?
and.................go!
Kiwi airsofter, just pew-pewing.
2. MkII is suitable for all periods of the war. Even post D-Day, photo evidence shows MkIIs far more abundant than MkIIIs.
3. Yes, you can use those straps. Hopefully someone will post a "how to" photo - sorry, I need to get ready for work now!
You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier
question 1) the lee enfield bandoliers ( that i understand wernt blancoed..) ..do they fit VSR mags?? as in bar 10 mags? as i dont wanna go buy them only to figure out they wont fit
The bandioleers weren't blanco'ed, no. They have five pouches, what I did to fit VSR mags was to unpick two of them, giving you two double-width pouches, and one as original. The larger ones will each fit two VSR mags, the smaller one will fit a small bag of BB's for reloading. You'll probably need to fit press-studs on the double width pouches to keep them shut, and stop the mags falling out.
i brought a 37"patt large pack and they came with straight straps....can i use these or am i supposed to use L straps for them?
You _can_ just use the thin straps but for infantry in marching order you are supposed to put the thin straps over the front of the large pack to hold the helmet and use the small pack L straps attached to the larger webbing tabs at the top and the ends of the smaller straps at the bottom. The strapless small pack then hangs over your left hip suspended by the X strap ends.
See here, three rows of photos down:
http://josephs-militaria-and-homefront- ... AGE45.HTML
as a bodge I bought an extra pair of L straps and put the thin straps behind the large pack (so you can still open it, but have something to attach the L straps to.) and attached the xtra L straps. It is then quite a useful bit of kit 
The L straps are more comfortable to use and smarter as you can hook them onto the pouches at the front.
Cheers
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
cheers for the advice guys big help ...i prefer the small pack i have but its always good to know how to do it incase i get hounded by those "re enactor everything must be legit otherwise ill nagg you" airsofters 
Kiwi airsofter, just pew-pewing.
:good: cheers for the advice guys big help ...i prefer the small pack i have but its always good to know how to do it incase i get hounded by those "re enactor everything must be legit otherwise ill nagg you" airsofters
99% of the time, your large pack would be on the unit transport and not with you, anyway. Certainly when you were in combat.
:good: cheers for the advice guys big help ...i prefer the small pack i have but its always good to know how to do it incase i get hounded by those "re enactor everything must be legit otherwise ill nagg you" airsofters
99% of the time, your large pack would be on the unit transport and not with you, anyway. Certainly when you were in combat.
Yes, large pack should be used purely for beer and mars bars
To echo the other guys....
The large pack was worn as part of 'marching order' but only really during training. After that the small pack would stay with you and your spare BD and other non essential kit stayed with the unit transports... some guys report being parted from it for months on end... consequently you jammed everything you were actually bothered about into your pockets and webbing or tied it on to your kit with string
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
