Aussie gear

I'd recommend getting KD and leaving it as it is, as you would be able to use it at WW2 games as well as at open days and you could still wear a slouch hat as Aussies were in North Africa and the Med. KD is very comfortable and cool to play in so you should have no problems there!

Have a look in the Crete game thread for inspiration, most of the British side were in KD.
viewtopic.php?f=226&t=16931

Hope this helps.

I've always fancied doing an Australian impression as well but then i just want an excuse to make an Owen gun .

Sssh! Keep it down about the jungle kit gents, no one mention the 'P' word or there'll be 50 US Marines here "Oorahing" and demanding a PTO game

you know i always thought there was no way we'd get people to play Japanese but after playing NVA in a Vietnam game im not so sure , it was a scream hamming it up and doing crazy rush attack's .

I think the main problem with getting a Japanese side is that the kit is expensive-ish and quite unlike any of the other nations that are represented's kit. Another underlying issue seems to be that people associate all Japanese soldiers with death marches and starvation; if the Waffen SS can be dis-associated with death camps and the holocaust I don't get why the bulk of the Japanese army can't be separated from the camp guards (who were in the majority Korean, infact). But people do seem to be willing so that's a start.

As dadio says the mind set isn't unlike the NVA and VC and as long as the game wasn't full of Thompson weilding, hooah-ing marines, banzai charges could be quite fun!

I would be quite happy to do Japanese but obviously prioritise kit purchases to upcoming games.Dont want to buy something that will just sit in a wardrobe.

Yeah I've been umming and ahhing about it but I'm trying to get my British kit 100% before I look at anything else, so I get what you mean about not wanting kit that's gonna just sit in a wardrobe.

[EDIT] Maybe one of the early Burma battles where the Brits were mainly in KD could be done easier, possibly as a rifles only game?

I think the thing that inspired me to think about an Aussie impression is the jacket on Spearhead:

Not sure there's going to be much use for the Aussies in the service dress but OMG it looks cool and I want one
So if I save it for campsite wear and go for khaki drill, what are the options jacket/shirt wise? Theres shirts obviously but theres also Khaki service dress jackets and Bush jackets. Is it basically a case of choose whatever?

What if we did a Commonwealth vs American or a theoretical German unit helping the japanese PTO game just so people could use the gear?

The Aussies used service dress in Crete and Greece, so if there's ever a Greece game it would be too good an opportunity to miss!

KD wise you should look at getting:
1941 patt KD shorts or Bombay bloomers
Airtex KD shirt or KD bush jacket
Hose tops or sand coloured long socks

The bush jacket came along a bit later and the Bombay bloomers were a bit earlier but any combination of the above should have you set. Don't bother with the KD service dress jacket and KD trousers, they're officer only items.

A Commonwealth vs US PTO game sounds a bit silly, it's not like there's loads of US marines and Chindits with no Japanese to fight. Not many people have PTO gear, allied or otherwise.

I would be quite happy to do Japanese but obviously prioritise kit purchases to upcoming games.Dont want to buy something that will just sit in a wardrobe.

Ditto!

I suppose that if there was 10-15 people in Japanese kit it would make a game viable and worthwhile? I do really like the look of the uniform and kit...

There is an other ranks service dress KD jacket. I'm guessing that it wasn't common or wasn't used by front line troops.

Aussie shirts were apparently not Aertex but looked similar enough.
Reading up a bit more, the Aussies were often working closely with Americans and often used American HBT long trousers and the lace up gaiters for the jungle.
Boots may be an issue as Aussie boots were brown without a toe cap. I'm guessing that Desert boots would be allowable for a North Africa impression though.

It is easy enough to bodge up a Japanese uniform, Russian trousers, some sort of khaki shirt, long puttees and a mark ii helmet covered in shrubbery.

As my grandfather died in a Japanese pow camp, I'd have to think long and hard about that. Given a chance to US marines though...

Cheers
Martin

Russe, that service dress jacket looks an awful lot like the one used during WW1. Yes you are right the Aussie KD shirts were cotton drill as opposed to airtex. I believe you're right about the Aussies working closely with the Americans and there being a crossover of kit, but don't hold me to that. Desert boots were more of an officer item as far as the British were concerned, but I don't suppose they would look anymore out of place than British ammo boots on an Aussie impression.

I get where you're coming from Martin and I can understand why it would feel wrong walking around in a Japanese uniform for you or anyone else who had lost a family member to the Japanese. But as you said the uniform isn't that hard to botch.

http://www.warwicks.com.au/sales/r_aus_ ... s_boot.htm
It's taken me a while but I found some Aussie boots. I'm assuming that the WW1 ones are the same as WW2, everything else they had in 1940 was WW1 issue. Now if only I had some money

Nice, did you notice that they're listed as WW1 issue but they say that they're 1934 pattern, so they're most likely the correct type.

Great looking boots too. At £85 shipped to the UK, I'd be tempted to get a pair just for everyday use.
The boots have tipped the balance. Spending on my British impression is now on hold
I may only get to use it for walk ons but the Aussie gear is just too damn cool.
Shopping list then:
Hat, Jacket and Trousers from Spearhead
Boots
Matrix/iron airsoft SMLE (kinda dreading the hassle of getting one of these to work)
Rubber bayonet from Shoot and Scoot
Puttees (unless anyone knows where to get the 3 button anklets?)
Brodie helmet (yeah right, I'm really going to not wear the hat all the time )
KD shirt, shorts and long socks

Ha ha, I'm tempted now, too!

I was wondering about the 3 button gaiters myself, surely there must be a repro out there somewhere? Also if you're going to get a rifle I'd recommend waiting a little while as Warren of shoot and scoot has said that he'll be releasing a No1 Mk3 SMLE soon (VSR 11 based). Oh, and the Aussies used P08 (WW1 type) webbing with their service dress, but I can't see anyone pulling you up on using 37 Patt.

Puttees (unless anyone knows where to get the 3 button anklets?)

Personally I'd be tempted to go for the puttees anyway mate, It was agreed by the British that they were actually better than the cloth anklets in use by most Commonwealth forces. Hence why the British army ditched the Anklets after WWII and issued puttees right into the 80s!
Also you can probably get a set of original Australian puttees for less than a set of repro anklets. Mine cost me £5 and are actually dated 1943.