If we are doing a game involving the 6th airborne then what regiment do we portrey then ?
We already did the Ox and Bucks for Varsity, they're not an 'official' PBi unit, but it was just a beret badge change.
not to state the obvious, but how about ,,, oh i dont know,,, parachute regiment? 
( only got to get gaitors now gentlemen and have full south staffs loads out)
Aye.
Oxf and bucks is the 6th airborne default as its only a badge change and the majority of us have them from varsity.
I also found out last month that the OBLI served in both airborne divs, they were the HQ security platoon in 1 airborne.
Basically PBI works like this.
Our main impression is a section of south staffords and we like to do this as well as we can and have enough kit to loan out between us to get any new player up to minimum without needing to buy any initial kit.
Everyone is sort of expected to do a south staff loadout.
For evening socialising you can dress as boy browning for all we care (e'g Diesel monkey has the kit of an int corp officer for socials) but on the field we play a single section (or two) and not a smattering of a whole division or brigade.
For some battles we'll do 2 commando as again this only really requires a new beret (dark green with a 2 commando badge supplied by us!) you can wear the rest of your airborne kit (except helmet) and look fine as army commandos were often issued denisons. The ideal is BD or denims for this impression. *but* theoretically if you have south staffs you can do this one for a tenner.
For the die hards our line infantry impression is the 'hallamshire battalion' this is really only for those of us who want to take it to re-enactment kit levels. Put it this way I still need to get the battle dress for this and only aquired a GS cap last week - this loadout *does* require a battledress blouse and new headwear (as well as a bit of insignia).
Remember you dont have to be in PBI to play brit stuff at CIa or PBI games *but* were finding playing and training as a unit is paying off. We totally steamrollered the krauts at huskey whenever we started working as a section.
We do want you guys on board but to save future arguments the impressions and kit minimums are fixed thus:
1st impression - south staffs. BD/denim trousers, denison, maroon beret, webbing belt, black boots, anklets.
2nd impression - 2 commando. kit as above but with green beret
3rd impression - Hallamshires. BD trousers, bd blouse, cap comforter, skeleton order webbing , anklets, boots.
4th impression (and unlikely we'll ever do it en masse) - Essex regt chindits. jungle green BD and shirt, web belt, boots, anklets, cap comforter or slouch hat.
When doing 6th airborne div we'll do oxf and bucks and substitute cap badges although its unlikely to happen again.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Nige we dont do the parachute reg do to the groups 'dead cap badge' policy.
We only do units that no longer exist in their wwii form so as not to be seen as walting or taking the micky.
While you have every right to wear wings and the para cap badge I dont want anybody else to get inot the boring debate about 'earning the right' to wear para stuff.
South staffs had maroon berets purley for volunteering they didnt have to 'earn' anything and it means we dont have to wear para wings.
Sort of a political decision.
2 commando, hallamshires, essex reg and south staffs all no longer exist as regiments or battalion.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
no worries,( but, having seen some re-enactors doing para reg i think we can do the ageing ww2 vets more justice than they can, our " film sim" kit pisses on theirs no question . husky proved that, every man jack (( and woman, helga, marsha)) raised the bar beyond belief .)
No jeep or Bren carrier I'm afraid 
I understand the single capbadge & wish to present a cohesive unit, that seems entirely fair. So long as you don't mind the BD assuming the denison is on top, I think i can stretch to a cap badge.
I have to say that playing in an organised & effective team is my favourite part of the hobby, I am really quite keen to get involved with PBI and contribute to the allied effort, if you'll have me of course.
We totally steamrollered the krauts at huskey whenever we started working as a section
Tru dat 
. It was a LOT of fun.
and with that... you're in... welcome to PBI
(BTW, Gadge... glad to see you back!!!!)
no worries,( but, having seen some re-enactors doing para reg i think we can do the ageing ww2 vets more justice than they can, our " film sim" kit pisses on theirs no question . husky proved that, every man jack (( and woman, helga, marsha)) raised the bar beyond belief .)
No i totally agree, we could do it better.
However in the embryonic days of starting up CiA we played on one site where an ex para (and ex rupert) airsofter had a mini hump with me for wearing a maroon beret and rank.
When i pointed out to him it was the beret of my regiment in the war and a rank i was trained to do and did in an 'acting ' capacity many times he quietened down a bit.
He was still uppity about the maroon beret until i pointed out *everyone* in an airborne div got one weather they were clerk, pot washer or pathfinder para... same as in 16 air assault now.. plenty of AGC girls who have never seen a chute wearing cherry berets
I just dont want anyone else in the group to get any grief 'defending' our choice of kit and the para wings debate is huge enough in re-enactment circles let alone airsofting.
South staff came about as its my old reg and i knew a bit about em and i had the kit, had i no particular leaning towards any regiment we might have just as easily have ended up as border reg, oxf and bucks or royal ulster rifles
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
I've experienced much the same when wearing maroon beret and denison from another ex-para.
yeah,,,,, fully understand ( but i do get mates para reg tee shirts from my contacts in the airborne if they ask)
We totally steamrollered the krauts at huskey whenever we started working as a section
Tru dat
and we kept steam rollering you out of the bridge area until you were rescued by the Septics
Hmmm how accurate was that then ?
today i recieved my grand order of the golden shovel in the post. awarded by the brits becouse we dug them out of the shit so often ( just kidding guys)
We totally steamrollered the krauts at huskey whenever we started working as a section
Tru dat
and we kept steam rollering you out of the bridge area until you were rescued by the Septics
Hmmm how accurate was that then ?
I dont seem to recall that bit.. was that before or after I more or less single handedly held up the axis advance for 30 minutes sniping from the gorse... (and i know you were one of my kills on that excursion Guy...)
I do remember PBI having to wait for some time for the yanks to actually put an attack in several times, especially after Dave and I had recce'd likely approaches and decided on a decent forming up point. then had to wait ages while the US put in their attack.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Maybe they were still on Washington time - 5 hours behind the rest of us 
I've experienced much the same when wearing maroon beret and denison from another ex-para.
I'm amazed that so many paras take themselves that seriously. Isn't ALL mil-sim just a case of lads dressing up and playing soldiers? Seems like you offend more people wearing a maroon beret than a set of SS runes.
Although the way I see it, a guy claiming to be a para officer with such a poor knowledge of the wartime lineage of the maroon beret has Walt written all over him.
Nah this guy was reg para officer. i dont dispute his lineage I just dont think he thought that I might have been a former PO too and from a regiment which wore maroon berets...
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Fair enough. If you can vouch for his background then criticism is hereby retracted
Although in my limited experience the people who complain the most are often those who have the least right to. And that goes for lots of things in life.
most serving and former paratroops dont give a toss, just have a wry smile on there face looking at people doing airborne stuff. its a kind of flattery .
My mate does a mid 90s Staffords impression for modern airsof tna di find it flattering, in fact i try and guide him on how to wear it all properly.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
