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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 17, 2011 16:43:07 GMT -5
Here is my Eastern front impression. The unit I belong to is called Die Schnellen Truppen and we are based around early war mechanized infantry on the Eastern Front. i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad352/nolareenactor/169821_10150384678875331_604460330_16823335_6530667_o.jpg?t=1295299849Uniform: M40 Tunic M40 Trousers w/ suspenders Service shirt M34 OS cap M40 Stahlhelm w/ inner tube Jackboots (PW) Gear: EM Belt Heer buckle Y-straps Ammo pouches E-tool with cover Bayonet, frog, scabbard Breadbag Canteen* Messkit Zelt quarter Gas can Pockets: Soldbuch Pipe Tobacco 4 hand rolled cigarettes IMCO lighter Gloves Toque Envelope containing a letter from home and money Weapon: K98 I still need a few things like a gas cap back which I will attack to the front and wear over my chest. I also would like to get a new bread bag and get either WWII repro jack boots or get the rubber stripped off the bottom of the ones I have and replace the rubber with leather and hobnails. Tell me what I can improve on and what looks good. I'll try to get some more pictures up next weekend. Thanks, Ian |
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Post by kharkov43 on Jan 17, 2011 16:46:00 GMT -5
Gotta start somewhere. Looks good!
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Post by Berthold Schwabe on Jan 17, 2011 18:49:47 GMT -5
Are the litzen the type with the white stripes? If so, get rid of these and replace them with the early war generic litzen. Also, I'd either ditch the Y Straps or buy early war style offered by At the Front. If you ditch the Y Straps, use belt hooks. You'll need to get the internal suspenders for those too with the M40 Feldbluse. You could probably have the Feldbluse tailored down a bit to better fit you. Its not supposed to be skin tight but it should have enough room to wear a sweater under it. Excellent reproduction Marschstiefel are being offered here: lederarsenal.com/pages/bakery/marschstiefel-2-kriegsfertigung-285.php(Pics) panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=15970These are really the best reproductions available and are of excellent quality. |
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Old Salt
Retired Forum MP 
Der springende Reiter
Posts: 3,704
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Post by Old Salt on Jan 26, 2011 14:30:47 GMT -5
Not a bad start. I would switch out the y-straps with the ones that ATF have on sale. They also currently have there march boots on sale. Robert Land also currently offers the marching boot. I haven't seen any personally, but if they hold to the quality the way his CW boots have they should be good to go. www.robertlandhistoricshoes.com/servlet/Detail?no=17 |
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Post by freiwilligen on Jan 26, 2011 15:04:34 GMT -5
Ian, I suggest painting your buckle field green and dirtying up a bit. Nice generic impression though!
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 26, 2011 17:06:47 GMT -5
Excellent. Get the boots nailed, keep the litzen, its all fine.
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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 26, 2011 18:22:43 GMT -5
I'm also going to take a wire brush to rough up the leather on the lower part of the boot to make them look like roughouts.
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Post by Berthold Schwabe on Jan 26, 2011 20:28:15 GMT -5
I'm not sure you will get the results you'll want with the wire brush method and would really recommend saving for a pair of accurate reproduction Marschstiefel. I still recommend that you change the Litzen.
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 26, 2011 20:33:31 GMT -5
I still recommend that you change the Litzen. Why? Those things were not recalled from service, and especially in '41-'42 you would see early insignia all over the place. Pre 1938 litzen are perfectly correct on a M40. Even the bottle green kragenpatten would be correct. |
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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 26, 2011 20:39:56 GMT -5
Well until I have enough to spend the money on new boots, how do you recommend I rough them up?
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 26, 2011 20:41:27 GMT -5
Keep them. Repro jackboots are not very good in terms of quality, unless you get the SUPER expensive. Post war boots are fine, when you have them hobnailed. Quality footwear is more important than small details, most people won't notice them anyway.
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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 26, 2011 20:44:01 GMT -5
What would you recommend I do to rough up the bottoms and make them roughouts?
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 26, 2011 20:48:53 GMT -5
Don't, the shape is wrong anyway. Grease the shit out of them.
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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 26, 2011 20:52:03 GMT -5
Grease the shit out of them. What do you mean? |
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 26, 2011 21:09:47 GMT -5
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Post by Berthold Schwabe on Jan 26, 2011 21:11:40 GMT -5
I still recommend that you change the Litzen. Why? Those things were not recalled from service, and especially in '41-'42 you would see early insignia all over the place. Pre 1938 litzen are perfectly correct on a M40. Even the bottle green kragenpatten would be correct. It is very rare to come across a non-tampered M40 Feldbluse with the Waffenfarbe Litzen. In fact, I would be enlightened to even see an original with this trait. I feel as if coming across an original with the mounted enlisted collar insignia is far more likely. |
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Post by guitarmaster on Jan 26, 2011 21:11:44 GMT -5
Ok, but why grease them?
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Post by Sheikh Al Stranghi on Jan 27, 2011 6:07:12 GMT -5
Insignia were replaced by the soldiers as well, early on, to make them look a bit more like veterans, very common thing. guitarmaster: After the first cold and wet event you will find out the hard way  |
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Old Salt
Retired Forum MP
Der springende Reiter
Posts: 3,704
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Post by Old Salt on Jan 27, 2011 7:46:05 GMT -5
There's also plenty of wartime photos that back up the use of early litzen on the M40 blusen. On the Wehrmacht Awards Forum there's a thread with hundreds of photos in it that helps back this up. I'll try to link it later when I'm at my home computer.
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Post by Berthold Schwabe on Jan 27, 2011 16:06:35 GMT -5
I feel like many of these photographed "M40" jackets with this Waffenfarbe Litzen could be confused for the earlier "M33" model which looked nearly identical from the exterior. I would be interested in seeing the WAF thread.
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