Dunno if reenactors have the RIGHT to moan! Have you seen the new SOF catalogue cover? What a shower of s**t!
It all goes back to the fact that squaddies will always try to get their hands on gucci kit, are inveterate souvenir hunters AND will wear their kit in combat pretty much any way they want.
He he , & why is Baldrick still demonstrating the 1944 Tommy look ?....go on have a gander ....!
i better not coment,,,,, just paid him for that denison,,,, he might not send it if i say anything lol lol lol
I can't for the life of me work out what's so wrong about the SoF cover....
Assortment of cap badges?
Rolled up sleeves?
Out of step?
Unbuttoned pouches?
EDIT - apart from a modern beret - sorry only saw page 3 of this thread after posting. Comment still stands though.
Wish I hadn't chucked mine away now! 
The only thing I noticed was that they were very keen to state that they couldn't sell two types of Fliegerbluse, so they were selling the old ones off cheap..... by raising them by £10!!!! 
You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier
letting women play (!),
Odd that I'd hazard a guess a large contingency of the web going reenactors know that I airsoft and I've had not one comment about the fact I do it 
well not to my face 
(there have been mutterings behind certain closed doors )
They mostly find it very odd that a) I do it, b) I enjoy it, c) that I do it as a german man and d) I know more than Che about the period and uniform so when they compliement him its highly amusing when he says its thanks to me Lots of them ask me about it though, in fact some make a beeline for me, hopefully eventually some will come and play.
I can't for the life of me work out what's so wrong about the SoF cover....
Assortment of cap badges?
Rolled up sleeves?
Out of step?
Unbuttoned pouches?
EDIT - apart from a modern beret - sorry only saw page 3 of this thread after posting. Comment still stands though.
Quite simply they don't look like soldiers of any era....take away the weapons and they'd more realistic as POWs .
Ah, that picture was taken during the Arnhem march in 2006, it's free for all to participate, so those guys aren't all re-enactors per sé.
I see they're still selling their 1974 production M1944 Wind & Dust goggles as war-time stuff.
"Cost-ya-a-fortune", I'm not buying from them again as they still owe me about 80 GBP in returned goods. I'm only buying from them at their stalls at events now. Not online.
I'm getting too old to be a rankless soldier too. So I'm exploring expressions that allow for higher age. Like War Photographer, or Russian army, heck I could probably get away with Volkssturm now.
Join Now!
i know what flibble means about SOF , i have been charged for and sent the wrong helmet net TWICE, despite calling them and explaining what i need over the phone. i really dont think they care. plus i know what your saying about age, i am 40 now and forty year old private soldiers just look,, wrong ,,, i will have to rely on a very heavily soot camoflaged face to hide the wrickles lol.
Its interesting to read the diferent responses on different forums..Gadge has this posted on WWII as well!
I have almost completely left the reenactment world ...I have a few invites to events that I intend on honouring. I am going over to Airsofting exclusively now.
I know that some posters on various forums do not represent the thousands that do reenact...but Im sick and tired of the few that go to extremes...read the Farby and complete airborne wrongness threads to get an idea of what Im on about.
Its not just the hatred that comes across in these threads, but the pursuit of perfection, the humourless bashing of those that are just starting out and worst of all IMHO the thought that they are somehow better than a mere mortal who doesnt want to wear original para trousers.
Im sick of the constant referal by these idiots to the veterans in regards to kit.....is that all the veterans are good for? To be used as a walking talking mannequin to be trotted out ad infinitum to support spurious uniform claims?
I attended my first airsoft event ever at GMA Tuddenham. There werent many of us but there were many many glaring inaacuracies in regards to kit...one German was wearing modern rubber riding boots......did I look upon him as an amoeba....a piece of pond life that should go and hide away until hes spent £150 on proper footwear...no I thought myself lucky that someone had made the effort to give the impression of a German Officer and gave me someone to shoot at!
In regards to Gadges original post and speaking as an ex squaddie heres my thoughts on kit!!
In barracks it was strictly regulation dress...on exercise it was stuff bought from the PRI or Army and Navy Stores. I didnt wear regulation highlegs...I wore German Para boots with zips, my smg was taped up to stop it rattling when I went on nightime excursions to take dumps in other peoples tanks.....I had a zip necked black roll neck......I ate Pot Noodles and mars bars..etc etc. On one exercise I drove my Scorpion through a TA regiment wearing mirror shades, a white scarf and chewing a cigar!!!! I was young and thought I looked the dogs...but on reflection must have looked a complete eejit! My point being that when away from home you wear what works for you. Would my regiment have published that photo in the regimental magazine???
Theres another thread somewhere about wearing full BDs in the summer..what a crock!!! People in England didnt want photos of their heroes fighting in shirtsleeves. The only reasons reenactors wear full dress at events is that theyve paid a lot of money for it and the public expect to see a 'soldier'...not some scruffy urchin thats been in the field for 6 months. They defend this stupid idea by photos....photos taken by photographers looking for a good picture to send home for the papers. Some reenactors turn these ordinary men into super human beings, immortal and immaculate, not a button out of place, not a non regulation item in sight. Just look at the film and photos of Dunkirk to see what a hard hit army looks like on the run.
The use of photos is fraught with as many difficulties as the use of firsthand accounts.
My first WW2 airsoft event was a refreshing change. Not for a moment was I worrying about my kit ( although Im happy with it!) There wasnt a single instance where I thought that anyone was judging me on my kit...all very friendly and all about the game!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont go down the same route as the reenactment world. Dont try and justify your existence by the authenticity of your kit.
In my opinion...somewhat coloured by my recent experiences, most reenactors are FARBS....the ridiculous pursuit of perfection at the cost of decent good manners and humour.
Some go too far in this pursuit and imagine that its real.....forgetting the real history of all wars...which is sorrow, disabilities and death. Armchair historians that cherry pick what they want to hear...thats even if they have read widely on the subject to support spurious claims on authenticity.
In the grand scheme of life its not important...I only wished some people realised that fact. I was at an event at Maldon the other day....a reenactment event and also to recieve my Veterans badge from the local MP. I was wearing my best dress 2SAS....boots all bulled...looking smart as a new pin. I was humbled when a little old chap came up to me after seeing the AB patches on my sleeve...as I turned around he saw my cap badge...Oh he said...Youre SAS!!! Turns out he was in 6th Airborne and was at Pegasus Bridge...he wasnt wearing a thing..no medals...no regimental tie...he was with his wife who was getting her badge for WLA. He didnt sneer and poke and rip my turnout to shreds...he took the time to talk to me of his experiences.....how he was recruited...the extra 2 bob a day..etc etc. Not once did I ask him what he wore on that momentous night in history because to him that would have been inane and inappropriate....who the hell cares if he was wearing his chinstrap in a non regulation manner!!! And he called me Sarge....how humbling is that I ask you!!!
Each to their own but to the reenactors who say they do it all for education and to remember those that gave it all for us, I say rubbish. You do it because you can get dressed up in gucci kit and pretend you are a real soldier. They will cry NEVER!!!! The veterans who come to the shows love it!!!! Yes they do...but how many thousands of veterans that dont come to shows hate it??? Education? Ive been to a lot of shows over the years and Ive never seen much in the way of interaction. What I have seen is a lot of people dressed up sneering behind someones back that their boots are the wrong colour, preening and self congratulating. Education and the battles that take place???? Ridiculous and embarrasing. What education is there in watching 2 grown men arguing about who shot who first...or Paras hiding from a German Patrol 2 feet away??? Education? No it isnt and never will be. Its an impression and a flimsy one at that, the same as what you wear...its an impression...you cant replicate the thousand yard stare because you werent on Iwo Jima or Okinawa!
I often think how my dear old Grandad would think of all this if he were alive? He spent his 18th birthday on the beaches of Dunkirk hiding beneath a piece of wriggly tin with half hisright bicep missing. Three boats bombed beneath him and eventually getting home on a paddle steamer! How can you reenact his experiences by dressing up and walking around a field in Southern England???
Apologies for the rant 
Superb post from beginning to end Houndsworth. Brilliant.
Your uniform is a constant WIP you start off small (usualy wrong) and then build it up over time learning whilst you do as you research and read more.
I totaly agree with what you say though.
Your uniform is a constant WIP you start off small (usualy wrong) and then build it up over time learning whilst you do as you research and read more.
I dont know if you reenact Trooper but if you turned up with wrong kit at ANY event you would be looked upon as an Untouchable. Ridiculed and sneered at, a source of amusement to those that have a god given mission to 'educate' us lesser mortals!!!! You see there is no allowance in the reenactment world for what they term Farbiness...you either get it right first time or you leave the field...its that brutal...read the posts from new people trying to get into this 'hobby'. The sheer hatred they are subjected to defies belief.
And thanks CW..but Im expecting some flak
I meant for airsoft ;D
I meant for airsoft ;D
GREAT!!!!
I often think how my dear old Grandad would think of all this if he were alive? He spent his 18th birthday on the beaches of Dunkirk hiding beneath a piece of wriggly tin with half hisright bicep missing. Three boats bombed beneath him and eventually getting home on a paddle steamer! How can you reenact his experiences by dressing up and walking around a field in Southern England???
You can't... but you can tell people about it. And that's where the interaction comes in.
It's true it seems a lot of time that groups seem to miss out on the interaction bit, but by the same measure a lot do some excellent interaction.. For instance at the last event I was at I had at times a continuous flow of punters wanting to listen to my talks on rations and personal kit. We had a guy showing members of the public the kit a soldier would carry and getting kids to try the webbing (etc) for size, which they loved... etc...
The people I most respect in the "re-enactment hobby" tend not to like the term "re-enactor" because of your argument. They prefer "Living Historian"...
I meant for airsoft ;D
GREAT!!!!
After all i do WW2 airsoft because like you say to be accepted as a reinactor everyone expects your kit to be perfect, and me being a student dont have the money for that, and in WW2 airsoft all you have to do is your best with what you have, which is whats so great about it.
Your uniform is a constant WIP you start off small (usualy wrong) and then build it up over time learning whilst you do as you research and read more.
I dont know if you reenact Trooper but if you turned up with wrong kit at ANY event you would be looked upon as an Untouchable. Ridiculed and sneered at, a source of amusement to those that have a god given mission to 'educate' us lesser mortals!!!! You see there is no allowance in the reenactment world for what they term Farbiness...you either get it right first time or you leave the field...its that brutal...read the posts from new people trying to get into this 'hobby'. The sheer hatred they are subjected to defies belief.
Not true of all re-enactors... but yes some...
Many will be happy to help... if asked.
I know a lot of re-enactors (living historians) who welcome anyone into the fold. The fact is we've all been newbs at some time although some have forgotten what it was like.
I know I personally have kit to lend out to help people in my group... so do most of the group. A new starter would find themselves sorted out for correct kit pretty quickly... and with a friendly helpful attitude.
Give that Man a lollypop!
I have seen a lot of things like you have stated, and it certianly put me off. It's very sad how some people can be!
I'm fairly confident airsoft will never end up like that!
That was a good read. 
______________
And thanks CW..but Im expecting some flak
I doubt it!
As DT intimates, CiA principles are of self-governance in terms of kit. A non-judgemental attitude means that new players are drawn in and can adjust kit according to commitment, pocket and time. As a rule airsofters tend to be geardos and like to have the 'right' kit but it's by no means a requirement.
I was interested in your comment on period photos supporting arguments. Most photographs taken in the conflict were by service personal as part of their job and press staff snappers were under direct control of the services. Out of the millions of negatives taken how many were printed? Of those how many were passed for publication? Of those how many were actually published? Of those how many are we aware of today? A great deal of stuff taken would have been uninteresting or humdrum at the time but a great social document for historians today, but it will never be seen.
Still, apologies to Gadge - these recent posts might be an irritation, I know his intention wasn't to start a discussion of this sort. Meh, luckily he knows how threads normally go on this forum!
