American Kit Pics

Lose the modern carry and you'll look great.

The way you are holding your weapon in the first two photos. Butt up in the shoulder, muzzle down. It's a very modern way, not very 1944 Normandy.

More like muzzle horizontal or pointed up...but yeh you get the idea. Where are you based?

Full marks for the 48 star flag though.
Nice touch.

Now i get it

Is this better

Just as an after-thought, you might want to lose the goggles unless you particularly like them and possibly put some scrim in the helmet net. Goggles were uncommon and scrim depends on the unit I suppose but I think it looks better. Other than that, looks good!

For the period he's more likely portraying with his uniform, they'd probably have scrim camouflage on their helmet. Its personal choice but more likely to have it than not.

I think as soldiers actually got in the field they began to notice that while scrim netting offers better break up of your outline and concealment, it also often gets caught or snagged on branches and in bushes so many men removed it. Im not sure if it is correct or not but I think the 82nd almost all ditched scrim netting by D-Day having known this from experience?

The way you are holding your weapon in the first two photos. Butt up in the shoulder, muzzle down. It's a very modern way, not very 1944 Normandy.

I would have thought this was the natural way to hold the weapon when in combat conditions (on patrol etc.). Agreed, I doubt any WW2 soldier would pose like that for a photo (unlike the majority of modern soldiers), but I'd be surprised if it wasn't used.

I've no evidence to support my claim, just surprised that it's seen as a 'modern' stance!

Oh, god not this argument again.

Living Historians say the high port position is the method trained into the WWII soldier. Ex-squaddies tend to argue that what is coined the "Northern Ireland" downward pose is the way that you'd naturally do it, so that's what would be used.

I argued this one till blue in the face with Gadge as he had found a single training manual that talked about the downward pose, but even that wasn't as far down as the NI stance is usually seen. In the text of the book it said the pose was to be used when stalking a known enemy position, it didn't mention a patrol.

As far as I can see, the high port is certainly the more common carrying position pre-war and probably through most of the war as that will have been what was drilled into the men. Its possible that the NI stance may well have been taught to some during the war and may have become popular, but looking at photos it is quite uncommon, to the level of being non-existent in photos of patrols. You are right though, you would hold your gun in whatever way you feel most comfortable. However patrolling would probably have been drilled into the soldier and I'm pretty sure high port was used for that.

Of course it would vary depending on the nationality and who did the training. (Heck I'm currently reading a book about a US officer who started to train US troops British tactics during Tunisia and Sicily because he realised how crap the US tactics were. Heh it's the unit we (doughboys) re-enact as well, which is interesting!)

So in summary. I usually try and hold my rifle at high port as much as possible as I think it looks more iconic for WWII (and before).

Here you go:

Crack! and Thump: With a Combat Infantry Officer in World War II
Barry Basden (Author), Charles Scheffel (Author)

Available on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crack-Thump-Inf ... 285&sr=8-1

I think as soldiers actually got in the field they began to notice that while scrim netting offers better break up of your outline and concealment, it also often gets caught or snagged on branches and in bushes so many men removed it. Im not sure if it is correct or not but I think the 82nd almost all ditched scrim netting by D-Day having known this from experience?

There's pictures of both Divisions wearing scrim before and after D-day. Yes it does get snagged, I've nearly been clotheslined by my helmet getting snagged on a branch. Still wouldn't take it off the helmet. Also if you grease the scrim and twist them round the helmet net they're not as likely to get entangled with things.

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Wow you're a poser Alex

Well he wanted to take my picture haha

Clearly handsome but why the face camo and a garrison cap?
Not a marriage made in heaven, nor in WW2.

It's not face camo, they only have yearly baths in Liverpool so don't use much soap, despite Port Sunlight just up the road.

Que Cilla and a song about 'mucky kids'?

It's not face camo, they only have yearly baths in Liverpool so don't use much soap, despite Port Sunlight just up the road.

Cheeky sod lol I had spent most of the day in full gear and was on a bit of a break when this guy caught me. Also, was there not a short period, sometime around the evening of June 5th when they were on stand down awaiting the invasion, that they may not have had the remnants of face camouflage and a side cap on?

Also, I don't live in Liverpool, I live in Southport, its feckin miles away from Liverpool. Its closer to Preston.

you look like part of the cast in BOB

Oh thats done it, Spiers will want a bigger Winnebago now!