Gadge's kit guide

Yith · 2006-09-22T08:26:21Z

Since Gadge's PC is down at home I've dragged up the last version of his kit guide that I was emailed... Gadge (or for that matter anyone else), please feel free to update it on this thread as needed... Basically work on it until we're happy! Here's draft one of the brit kit section, obviosuly ive made asumptions about what you guys want to be acceptable, happy to tailor it to whatever you think is ok. Finsihed piece will have illustraions and links and prices for everything. I'm currently proofing for typo and grammar, some will slip through, please flag up. WWII Budget Battle Dress Getting a serviceable set of combats to Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpass offÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ a WWII look (at skirmishing ranges anyway) is contrary to popular belief neither difficult nor expensive to do. For the cost of what a couple of molle pouches cost or a Gucci red dot scope you could get yourself a full forties loadout! So lets look at a basic loadout for German, British and American infantry and also a few optional extras to perhaps personalise you kit. What were really looking for here at this game is a set of combats that look right from twenty feet away, not top notch historical replicas! Ideally we want jacket, trousers, headwear and some form of webbing or belt kit to give you a general impression of your chosen army. UK & commonwealth forces Battledress British troops almost universally wore a short cut jacket and trousers combination called Ã¢â‚¬ËœbattledressÃ¢â‚¬â„¢. This came in light brown/khaki wool or a green/grey denim material. A good reproduction set of 1940s battledress could cost over Ã‚Â£100, fortunately the design wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t changed (much) until the mid 50s and a set of 1949 (national service era) pattern battledress is much cheaper. (differences are incredibly superficial, mainly to do with the type of buttons and cut of the collar, stuff only an expert will notice!) If you want to do this look on a budget then a set of khaki brown or grey green overall would be acceptable if worn with webbing to disguise the fact they are Ã¢â‚¬ËœonepieceÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and not a separate jacket and trousers. Sources: 37 or 40 pattern wartime Battledress - replicaters Denims Ã‚Â£47 a set. Wool Ã‚Â£10549 pattern Trousers for Ã‚Â£25http://www.sentimentaljourney.com Overalls (yith to add) Overcoat, its going to be bloody cold in winter. In the 1940s a lot of troops fought in their greatcoat, any khaki brown greatcoat is okÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ once again sabre Ã‚Â£15! You may be able to find it cheaper at your local surplus stall Ã‚Â£30 fromWebbing Next most important thing for the British look is 1937 pattern webbing, hereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s where you are in luckÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Sabre Sales will sell you the belt, ammo pouches, shoulder straps and a bayonet sheath for a mere Ã‚Â£10 look no furtherÃ¢â‚¬Â¦.This is post war but the only differences are that the fittings are black rather than wartime brass and the ammo pouch fastenings are actually useful rather than awkward. For purists who want war dated webbing ask sabre, it will cost you probably about Ã‚Â£20 for a set. Headwear The classic tommy helmet would look great and can be picked up in a an un-reconditioned state for as little as Ã‚Â£15 (solider of fortune:a mint one might cost you Ã‚Â£50 but I wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t botherÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ buy and old one and spray it olive green! Alternatively go for a commando look with a knitted wool hat, headover or green beret (buy a huge beret for that wartime look, Russian surplus ones are perfect and only cost a fiver on ebay ororFootwear WWII tommies wore ankle boots and gaiters, however war dated boots are expensive and uncomfortable (and impractical for airsoft), standard high leg army boots will be fine for this event, alternatively you could get ankle high DMS boots and buy a set of webbing gaiters for about Ã‚Â£3 (once again sabre sales is the place to goÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ if they don thave them in your size try ebay or springfieldsbut expect to pay about Ã‚Â£15). Some units wore wool puttees instead of gaiters (sas and commandoes to name two) so you can use modern army puttees which cost about Ã‚Â£4, you could even wrap these around the top of high leg boots to disguise their nature. So at the cheapest (and assuming you already have boots) you can do this look for Overall Ã‚Â£10 Webbing Ã‚Â£10 Wool hat Ã‚Â£3 Ã‚Â£23 ..bargain! Options: Para/Airlanding For a para look you might want to add a camo smock called a Ã¢â‚¬Ëœdenison smockÃ¢â‚¬â„¢, this was a large shapeless camouflaged oversmock. Wartime Denison smocks cost hundreds of pounds but there are thankfully cheaper options. A good reproduction from Replicaters will set you back about Ã‚Â£60. As a cheaper alternative you could wear a Belgian army para smock which had a very similar pattern, these occasionally come up on ebay. A present day dpm smock is not really acceptable as it looks far too modern. All airborne UK troops wore the red (maroon) beret whether they were parachute or glider troops, again you want a large sized beret (modern ones are to...