An original 1940s white cotton 'German' (actually Swedish) shirt.
At £11 a pop these are a real bargain
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
Latest acquisition is 7 Mk.V-VII gas mask bags from Epic Militaria, these are currently listed as Original WW2 Indiana Bag. I was hoping the straps would be normal, but what they claimed as "It looks like new straps may have been sewn on at some later point in their lives." They were certainly not lying. Whoever thought that the straps they stitched on was a smart idea... Needs their mind tested, because to me it's tantamount to finding an ancient Roman vase and then using it as a chamber pot.
So, with my bit of disappointment ranted out of my system. The reason I bit this many is simply due to cost cuts for the WW2 British group I and a friend are setting up. At the moment and this may be a reminder for some, I said I was committing a mortal sin by slightly modifying modern DPM trousers and jackets to act as terrible stand ins for camouflage suits that we can all see in the Kit Guide for the 52nd Lowland Division. However, to claw back some of my dignity, we agreed that using Mk.V-VII gas mask bags as impromptu "dump pouches" similar in concept to that of German gas mask tins and American Thompson mag bags.
So, with £41.65 spent on these, I have on my budget 167.36 left (Already spent 99p on getting string to replace the one used to ensure it's in the alert position) Of if I bought them new from Soldier Of Fortune to restore these poor bags to a PROPER standard.
Wish me luck!
Tommy9151
Edit:
http://www.epicmilitaria.com/product.php/3861/original-ww2-british-indiana-bag
Weapons:
King Arms M1928 Thompson Submachine Gun
AGM Sten Mk.II
CYMA M1911 EAP
How bad are the straps, can you still wear the bags on your chest or do they need extensive modification (not that I mind a bit or even a lot of sewing)? It is just that at 2.95ea.....
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
I picked up a dated 1942 USMC trench tool cover at militaria last sunday, very impressed and found it for a song (made a deal to get that and an original mitchell cover)
Josh
How bad are the straps, can you still wear the bags on your chest or do they need extensive modification (not that I mind a bit or even a lot of sewing)? It is just that at 2.95ea.....
Cheers
Martin
From what I've seen, they've pulled off the rings that would hold the strap and then shortened the straps to the point that they are quite literally... Useless. So, I'm going to literally "re-strap" them as it were, rings and everything. One has had the press stud ripped off and some are missing the string to hold them in the alert position, so I'll be restringing them too. Other than that, they are literally... Perfect... Bar the imperfections as mentioned.
Weapons:
King Arms M1928 Thompson Submachine Gun
AGM Sten Mk.II
CYMA M1911 EAP
From Derby's Cattle Market Carboot on Sunday morning:
RAC Notts Rangers '40patt 'best' battledress - £20!
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
Very nice indeed. I was wondering what the small inverted red chevrons signify? I found a set of these in the pocket of one of my BD jackets (a pair of three stripes ea) but I've never put them on as I don't know what they mean! Not wound stripes surely?
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
From Derby's Cattle Market Carboot on Sunday morning:
RAC Notts Rangers '40patt 'best' battledress - £20!
I just don't know how you do it !
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
Very nice indeed. I was wondering what the small inverted red chevrons signify? I found a set of these in the pocket of one of my BD jackets (a pair of three stripes ea) but I've never put them on as I don't know what they mean! Not wound stripes surely?
Cheers
Martin
Thanks Martin. I was very lucky to find it. It was still covered in cobwebs and spiders and moth nests - straight out of "granddads wardrobe". Unfortunately there is quite a bit of mothing to the rear (back) right panel, but the front (for display) is still near perfect luckily.
Pre-war they're 'Years of Active Over-Seas Service Stripes'. During wartime, they were called 'War Service' stripes and indicated active service between the years of 1940 and 1945. If you see any with a single white chevron also, that means the wearer was in regular military service before war broke out. The picture above shows the maximum you would find on a sleeve - Regular service pre-war and 5 years war service.
The two large inverted chevrons on the lower left sleeve are 'Good Conduct Stripes', and two denotes at least 6 years of active service.
Looks like the original owner of my BD enlisted straight away and served for the whole war!
Also, another nice not-related-to-current-subject thing to note about this 'best' BD, is the white lanyard had been kept sparkling white... ...by being white Blanco'd regularly!
I just don't know how you do it !
A subtle combination of waking up early, tenacity, and pure blind luck...
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
Shoot and Scoot Lee Enfield Number 4 Mark 1 rifle (will be interesting to see how this performs when it arrives as I hear only good things about them!)
Pattern 37 Webbing (Full Set, bar small pack), already blanco-ed green from Epic Militaria.
Mk II Steel Helmet with net - from Soldier of Fortune - had this a fortnight but it goes with my start into ww2 airsoft kit.
Found a pair of Bren ammo pouches (the over the shoulder type)in a local surplus store for 7£. Realized at home that there is supposed to be a shoulder strap included. Do they sell the strap separate anywhere?
Why do you always carry that umbrella?
-Bad memory. Never could remember the password. Knew no Jerry would carry one. Had to prove I was an Englishman, you see.
A bridge too far
Isn't the strap just a shortened cross strap? If you cannot find the correct strap, you could use a cross strap. Alternatively they can be sewn onto the sides of a backpack (especially for far east impressions).
Russe11, good idea, they're propably easier to source, and I can use the other cross strap for a small pack, if used with a large pack
Why do you always carry that umbrella?
-Bad memory. Never could remember the password. Knew no Jerry would carry one. Had to prove I was an Englishman, you see.
A bridge too far
Found a pair of Bren ammo pouches (the over the shoulder type)in a local surplus store for 7£. Realized at home that there is supposed to be a shoulder strap included. Do they sell the strap separate anywhere?
Isn't the strap just a shortened cross strap? If you cannot find the correct strap, you could use a cross strap. Alternatively they can be sewn onto the sides of a backpack (especially for far east impressions).
Unfortunately not. Cross straps are 1" wide webbing with a 2" wide shoulder pad, while the Auxiliary pouch "yoke" is 1.5" wide webbing with a 2" wide shoulder pad.
Even here in the UK they're usually sold for high prices (£5 or more), but I know that FnG surplus have loads of unissued dated ones. I bought a couple from them last year, so I'll have a dig around and see if a) I can find one, and b) if the postage will be economical to make it worth-while sending it to you in Finland.
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
McVickers, much obliged.
Why do you always carry that umbrella?
-Bad memory. Never could remember the password. Knew no Jerry would carry one. Had to prove I was an Englishman, you see.
A bridge too far
From eBay recently:
A Hungarian greatcoat, in really nice condition, £35 posted.
From Doncaster Car Boot Sale this morning:
Lurking in the bottom of a rusty greasy tool filled box, I found these little beauties. Some have slight dirtying from sharing their home with hand-tools for the past 60 years, but most are in surprisingly very good condition - just need an iron on those creases!
From top to bottom, left to right - all originals:
3 Afrika Corps cuff titles - look to be either lightly used or unissued condition before living in a tool box. The lower one is still in near perfect condition.
A Kriegsmarine cap tally - either lightly used or unissued condition and still in near perfect condition.
A pair of embroidered British 1st Army group badges, still on their original KD slips!
A pair of US 5th Army badges - The one on the right was originally held on by poppers sewn to the rear!
A British Motor Transport Drivers qualification Trade badge - With crown is the highest grade; driving instructor, if I remember correctly? Not many original ones of these to be had! Seems to be in unissued condition.
A full 5-years worth of British Service Chevrons - A little on the dirty side, but should hopefully be cleanable.
A pair of British manufactured 'US Forces In Norway' patches - the internet says originals are very scarce due to only being worn for the period around the liberation of Norway, with usually only singular examples to be found for sale...
A pair of used, but still very good condition Formation Badge of the Lines of Communications Troops, British 21st Army Group.
A pair of unused British Northern Command 'Apple' diamonds - originals are quite hard to get hold of it seems, with singular ones going for £15-£20 mark! Unissued condition though one is suffering from a little rust staining, but thankfully only to the white boarder which usually gets folded under.
Got them all for £1!!!
I love car boot sales...
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.