2. Webbing
Now we have covered the uniform, we can move on to something a little more interesting. Things you can tangle yourself up in! Webbing.
Everyone who joins Miss Drop 44 will start as a rifleman; please don't see that as a bad thing, it's the most important job. You will need to acquire all the correct pieces from the correct places. Later on, should you wish to fulfil a secondary role, then it can be addressed, however, for most events, we need riflemen and lots of them. Hence this being the most important thing for the group. It will also be a great starting point to learn from. Even the officers have either a spare M42 jacket, or strip their rank insignia off if needed and become privates.
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If you're not sure if an item that you're thinking of buying is correct, then just ask us. We have the group on Facebook, if you're a member of the group (even if you're in the process of kitting up), then you'll have been added to the Watsapp chat and someone is usually available at all times. If you're at a militaria faire or show, send us a photo; the seller won't mind as he might get a sale. Check, don't risk wasting money on kit that is no good.
Secondly, please don't start buying everything you see, simply because it looks right! It's better to ask us if we think its worth the money and worth buying. Even those who have been in the hobby for years don't know the best places to buy everything, but someone in the unit will. Also, try and avoid using Soldier of Fortune as a one stop shop. We all know it's easy to buy it all there... but the quality of the webbing will not last, the colours are - let's face it - 'weird' and there is much better out there.
M1 Garand Rifle - Paratrooper Rifleman
The backbone of the US Army during World War 2 was the much-loved M1 Garand rifle. Its semi-automatic function was a great advantage over the German's bolt action K98 rifle that had been first developed before World War 1! The Germans did eventually develop a couple of semi-automatic rifles, but in the grand scheme of things, very few ever saw front-line service. Certainly nowhere near the scale of the Garand that was issued to every basic infantryman, not just specialists like other nations.
US World War 2 webbing in my opinion is fantastic, I love the versatility of it all, it's so adaptable and unless tangled up, is easy to put on and take off, with many ways of layout it out and wearing it.
The webbing you will need is as follows:
- M1936 Pistol Belt
- 2 or 3 Rigger Pouches
- First Aid Pouch & First Aid Tin
- M1910/M1942 Canteen Cover & Canteen with Cup
- M1936 Suspenders with Felt Pads
- M1936 Musette Bag
- Entrenching Tool (either M43 or M1910 T-Handle)
All these items either clip or slot together easily, although adjusting the suspenders so they don't feel uncomfortable or look ridiculous takes some tinkering with, but again, we can help you with that. It is far easier to adjust them when wearing them, but if you're wearing them it's almost impossible to adjust them yourself. You will need someone else to help adjust it for you. Everyone goes through this, so don't worry about being literally manhandled... I'm sure some of you enjoy this part a little too much!
So now you know what you need, this is what they are, what they do and where to get them:
M1942 First Aid Pouch and First Aid Tin
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This is one of the most simple (and what was one of the most common) original items to find for sale out of all the World War 2 US items. Reproductions of these can be purchased from At The Front (ATF), however it's like lots of the webbing - it is almost pointless buying reproduction kit as originals of almost everything are hardly difficult to find, don't cost that much more than repros and will last you 10 times as long and will always hold their value.
So buy an original; or if you really want ATF, then buy that. We'd recommend original however.
You can, if you wish, open the tin carefully, and remove the useless bandage. You now have a nice empty tin that can be put to good use, I have a series of plasters, varying in size, great for blisters, cuts and such. I also have ear plugs for when we battle (or you're sleeping next to someone who snores), pain killers and even hay-fever tablets, just in case. You'll probably want those plasters when breaking in your new boots!
M1910/M1941 Canteen Cover
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Second to the first aid tin, this is the item you'll use all the time, even more so in the summer. You can get brand new bottles if you're scared of germs, or you can sterilize an original. I have several original bottles I use, and they have never yet been cleaned properly! Blurgh!!! Original covers can be got hold of, just takes a little looking. I recently got three covers, a belt and 2 bottles from the U.S. for $50 including postage... of course I got stung for import tax, but still a great deal. Repro covers can be obtained, but will rarely be as strong as an original, unless it's made by Harrison Tent & Canvas (HTC). A full canteen worn on the hip when running (yes, we may do some running occasionally) puts lots of pressure on the cover by the way it attaches to the belt. Repros do not always hold up well to this. Again, the only repros that are tolerable are ATF in the U.S. or HTC in the UK.
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So buy an original; or if you really want a reproduction then go HTC or ATF.
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M1936 Suspenders
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Despite it's have misleading name, these are worn over the shoulders
and not below the waist! Without this essential bit of kit, all these bits
wouldn't really be a set of webbing, rather more like a belt that would
never stay up with all the weight that you'll need to carry. Unlike most
things, originals of these can still be got at a good price. There is a
company in the U.S. who has a mountain of these at fantastic prices
and they will ship to England the best way. Advance Guard Militaria.
Originals can be gotten on eBay and at militaria fairs. Originals of these
will be the same price as a decent reproduction.
So, buy an original
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Our own gorgeous Miss Drop shows a well fitted set of webbing, however,
notice (at least try and notice) that the excess suspender straps haven't
been taped together.
M1936 Musette Bag
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I have a weird love of the Musette Bag; it is such a wonderful improvement over the M1910 and M1927 Dough-boy packs. With the latter, if you didn't pack it correctly, everything could fall out and onto the ground, especially the smaller items. The Musette Bag can just be opened and stuffed full of everything you want to carry!
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You can pretty much forget buying an original Musette Bag from the UK, the prices are usually ludicrous over here! However, if you look in the U.S. you will find some that are still affordable. I got a couple of originals recently for the same price as those that SOF sell.
So buy an original from the U.S. or over here if they are a decent price; or if you really want ATF, then buy that.
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Entrenching Tools + (Axes & Pick Mattock)
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All enlisted men were required to carry one of the following: either the M1910 'T-Handle' Entrenching Tool (shovel), M43 Entrenching Tool (shovel), a Pick/Mattock set or an Axe (hatchet). Out of every ten men, one would carry a Pick/Mattock and one would carry an Axe, the rest would all have the M1910 or M43 Entrenching Tool. With the introduction of the new M43 entrenching tool, the need for the Pick/Mattock was gone (although this was only the Army's opinion) the Axe remained on the issued equipment list.
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Originals of the M43 are fairly easy to source, especially the covers. The T-Handles are a little trickier to source originals. With original covers being so easy to find, there really is no point even looking at reproductions, unless you want one made by HTC (being a canvas tent company); the items they make are built for the original job intended and you really can 'use' them.
So, buy an original tool and cover, or if going M43, then you can get repro covers from HTC.
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M7 Gas Mask Bag
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These black rubber bags were mostly worn by paratroopers on the leg; however, they can be attached in various other places. A large number of troops soon discarded the contents of these as they were cumbersome, and most troopers didn't believe in the risk of gas being used as a weapon. Some choose to keep hold of the bag and use it as a good, rugged, waterproof bag. One trooper said it was a good fit for inside the musette bag to keep personal items dry. Others discard the bag, too. You can only imagine that Normandy was at one time littered with all this discard equipment. These M7 bags are fairly easy to buy, albeit expensive, and like everything in re-enacting there is good and bad.
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The only decent M7 gas mask bags are from ATF.
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---> Now what isn't available to purchase are any reproductions of the M5 Gas Mask that would have been inside. However, there is an easy option to convert a modern Yugoslavian one. See the link below.
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M1936 Pistol Belt
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Don't even bother looking for a reproduction! I bought four originals of these recently, brand new old stock, perfect condition except for a couple of tiny storage marks on them from the packing crates they would have been stored in since the war. They came from Lithuania of all places! I paid £25 each and all 1942 dated. Look about, you'll find one at a good price. If you really want a reproduction for some reason then you can always go down the ATF route.
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So buy an original, cheap and better!
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Rigger Pouches
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Now aside from finding a Musette Bag from somewhere, these are the other item that requires some effort to get - although it does only mean placing an order for them to be custom made. Yes, that's right, made especially for you. These are not an off-the-shelf product if you want them to be correct. Sure, if you look on line, you'll see lots for sale... all of which are crap. No other word for it... they are just crap.
There is only one place any serious airborne re-enactor would get them and that is from Harrison Tent Company (HTC). Never heard of them I hear you say.... well, (although I have mentioned them above since writing this) why on earth would you! Google them and look at the items that they can make for WW2 re-enactors. Amazing attention to detail and simply no better.
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OK, so here we go again... another item people ask repeatedly about.
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Rigger pouches were made by the parachute riggers (the guys who kept the parachutes and other gear in good repair). Rigger Pouches were made by the guys in the unit - they wouldn't be making crap that would look tatty, they would make functional and solid items to withstand carrying heavy awkward loads. There isn't 'last production run', 'rough versions' or 'early production neat versions'. These rigger pouches, aside from the stitching maybe being uneven, would almost mirror each other perfectly. Like little fat green canvas clones. Do not buy these from anywhere else other than HTC. I'm not sure I felt like that sunk in... the only place to buy them from is HTC as in Harrison Tent Company. Yes, that's HTC.
Order from HTC
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p.s. you are not going to find originals!
Right, a Rigger Pouch showing how 4 Garand clips fit in neat and snug. Although, I tend to alternate which way round they go so they fit more balanced. With three of these pouches, you actually carry more clips than someone with a M1923 cartridge belt (12 vs. 10).
General Purpose (GP) Bags
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If you look at original photographs of the 502nd you'll see a lot of guys carrying bags over the shoulders, sometimes worn on the front (don't mistake this for a musette pack. These GP bags are rectangular and half the size of a musette. These were used for stuffing full of everything from rations, TNT, ammunition and anything that someone needed or want to take. Sadly, unlike the Rigger pouches almost all repros that are available are pretty duff! So, these need to be avoided. If you want a GP bag; then it's best to order it when you order the Riggers pouches from HTC. Nowhere else makes and sells anything half-way near as good. There is an incredible lot of work that goes into each GP bag that HTC makes, so be patient and be aware they do come cost a fair bit. Yet, they are by far the best and will carry a heavy load without falling to bits!
THESE ARE ROLE SPECIFIC... so don't get one unless you KNOW that your role would have been issue one.
Above is shown my Normandy officers webbing set. The smaller Rigger Pouches contain either grenades or 8-round enbloc clips for the M1 Garand. The suspenders and Musette Bag are original from the U.S., as is the pistol belt. The canteen cover is an original and is the re-enforced M1942 type, the first aid pouch, binocular case, wire-cutter pouch and M3 knife are all original. Below shows the contents of the pouches. As stated before, all pouches in Miss Drop 44 should contain the correct contents.
Below: M209B pouches - I have one in OD3 for my Normandy webbing, but I wear it over the shoulder on a separate shoulder strap. The OD7 one is worn on the belt on my Market Garden webbing.
Below - The next 'set' of webbing is my Harvey's, the small Rigger Pouches are all from HTC. The Musette Bag is an original and isn't quite as light as it looks in the photo. This set includes an M43 shovel (which wasn't photographed as it hides the M3 knife), the cover is really nicely marked inside with 'Victory Canvas 1943'. I still need to add an M1 Garand bayonet scabbard (the bayonet is waiting for a home). A parachute first aid pouch should be added also.
Below - The next 'set' of webbing is a spare rifleman's set. The small Rigger Pouches are all from HTC. The Musette Bag is an original. The T-Handle has been shortened to make it less cumbersome during parachute jumping. There is a first aid pouch almost hidden under the drop rope. I still need to add an M1 Garand bayonet and scabbard.
A few links straight to some companies that supply kit. You can take a look at the rubbish SOF sells and compare it against better. For the best, go to HTC first, then WW2 Impressions, and then ATF. Others can simply supply what you need, but it certainly won't excite you or be as good. Never rule out buying original items though, they just take some effort in hunting them down.
The examples below are original belts to give you an idea of what colour originals are. Please bear in mind that, dirt, grease, sweat, oils, rain, food, drinks and time will alter the colour of original items.
Now for a few examples of the worst of the worst reproduction items... The items below can only be described as yellow crap! Not only wafer thin and a weird colour of yellowy-orangey-khaki, but some items are also just weird! The rifle belt shown below right is missing all the eyelet holes to attach them to the suspenders! Ooops... who overlooked that! If you have any doubts about what you're thinking of buying, please get in touch. No points anyone wasting money on anything which is either wrong or just worthless crap!
Soldier of Fortune Webbing Sets
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I have been asked this time and time again... Of course, one of the easiest ways to get a complete set of webbing in one go, in fact to transform yourself into a SOF one hit wonder 101st farb trooper, would be to buy the whole lot in one swift and easy order - complete with shoulder holsters, cut-up parachute scarf, Toccoa T-Shirt, sunglasses... the only thing they don't supply is a fat cigar for you to chomp on. Yes, its easy; yes, its cheap; yes, it'll arrive fast... is it either good or acceptable? I don't really think I need to answer that!