My other impressions

[hoover]

I just wanted to show my other impressions I am doing all the year.


Australian ANZAC


British Infantry (currently I changed to 53rd Welsh Division, Royal Welch Fusiliers)


French Poilu, 1916-1918, RI 155


West German Bundeswehr soldier, 1956-1960


French Para, 1 BEP (I am the left one)


French Colo Inf


US Engineer, 28th InfDiv 1944/1945


German Airborne Engineer, 1944/1945

Currently in work progress is German Infantryman 1914-1915 (for the many anniversary events in 2014), French Infantryman 1940, East german NVA Soldier 1960´s.

[lew]

Fantastisch!

Are those plastic handguards on the L1A1? You need an F1 SMG for that outift. ;D

What time period and which unit are you shooting for for the Troupes de Marine impression? i'm guessing Algeria, since that looks like a Mle. 57 Calot. Most units used the leather Mle. 45 accouterments instead of the TAP Mle. 50 gear. The unit I portray- 15e RTS/75e RIMa- was one of the few to wear the TAP Mle. 47/56 and TAP web gear.

Keep up the good work. Those are some damn decent impressions.

[hoover]

Yes, that pic is for Algeria, so the late pattern Mle47 jacket. But at the beginning I used this for Indochina, too, until I could find a matching first pattern Mle47 jacket.
Some uf us still use the 47/53 jacket because it is hard to find a early mle47 in bigger sizes. But we are improving.

The L1A1 handguard are wood, of course. And the F1 is one of the ugliest SMG ever. ;D

[lew]

Those Mle. 47 jackets can be a bitch to find. I'm of fairly average dimensions, and I have yet to see the first type in my size and in decent condition. Good thing I don't have to worry too much about it, as the 47/53 works just fine for my use.

Good on the wood handguards. Aussies never issued the black plastic ones. Ugly weapons have a better reputation of being excellent performers more often than not. Funny how that works.

[craigtx]

Great impressions! Thanks for sharing!

[lew]

If you get the time, I'd like to see more of your Aussie kit.

[hoover]

Okay, here are some pics of my Digger impression. I have not that many pics of myself...

[sparkz]

Like the Diggers impression, 1 BEP looks a bit to clean and fresh out the bag, we have this problem in our group when you tell someone to trash some new kit to give it the used look.

[lew]

Which unit and time frame are you going for for the Aussie bit? Either way, looks damn fine. Needs some more sweat, mud, and jungle pestilence, though.

[craigtx]

BTW, how do you add pics? I just can't seem to suss it out...

[hoover]

Sparkz, yes, it was the first time wearing the Anzac-kit, so it was quite new. Same with the 1BEP kit. But noe the outfits were worn a few times and washed, now they are a bit more faded and dirty. ;D

Lew, timeframe for the Digger is around 1969/1970, 6RAR (May 1969 to May 1970). The 6RAR was newly outfittet in February 1969, so they were quite modern equipped. That´s why I choose the canvas filed pack and the Aussie made M56 webbing with the pixies. Beside that, all items of the ANZAC outfit are originals, only the boots are made in the early 80´s.

And yes, all is still too new...

[hoover]

I have a quite big collection of ANZAC uniforms and equipment.

Some pics:

1967 dated bush jacket, orignal worn of the supply officer (S4 today) of the 1 ALSG in 1969. The rank slip ons are added later.


1945 dated jungle GS beret, Australian made


All versions of canteens worn by Anzac tropps


3 types of Mag pouches


Australian made M56 pistol belt


1966 dated ankle boots


the Gaiters worn with the ankle boots until 1968


one of my camo raincoats


ANZAC "poncho liner", simply a wool blanket with added press studs


First type of the canvas field pack


so called third type canvas field pack with added mounting strips for hanging M56 and M1910 equipments


second pattern canvas field pack, with mounting straps added in the manufacture.


1969 dated small pack Pattern 1937


collapsible canteen, dated 1969


Pixie shirt


pixie trousers


trousers, standard jungle green

and a lot of more items in a lot of boxes.

[lew]

Excellent!

I had a set of Aussie M-56-type web gear from that era. I have to say that it was very well-made and practical with a 7.62mm rifle.

I find it humorous that they were wearing ankle boots and gaiters up until 1968 when damn near everyone else had ditched that concept long before.

[craigtx]

Great pieces Hoover! Most impressive collection!

[Kenneth]

Love the photos. I'm glad that people admit to having other interests. Also, note how much more authentic everything looks in a slightly out of focus black and white photo.

I don't exactly do impressions but my interests in historical periods include the Alaskan gold rush period but more of my interests are connected to entirely fictional scenes based on old movies and movie serials, particularly anything to do with jungles, like Jungle Jim, safari stories and post-war adventures in the South Seas as well as stories set in logging camps. If nothing else, I don't have to worry about being historically accurate. Most of the movies I refer to are from the 1940s and early 1950s. I can't really explain how I developed that interest (except by going to the movies) and why I have such a broad, undefined interest. I once noticed that nearly all the movies and serials seem to have a wooden-bodied station wagon but that can't be the reason. Pure escapism, no doubt. I have enough reality to do me.

[Étienne]

Ha! I know the feeling...[among other wacky eras/things] I'm into post-WWII Far East, 1960s-1970s bush war, Aussie-style bushcraft, and have actually thought about doing some gold rush living history...but I live in NC so it would be highly inappropriate. The oddest group I've heard of (but I don't know if they're still around) is a group of guys that "reenacted" a fantasy 1976 scenario as if the East Germans invaded West Berlin. I guess it was because there was a lot of East German uniforms and equipment around at the time (this was about 15 years ago), but I sure wouldn't want to portray an American and have to wear the polyester green uniforms!

[slehman]

Good day:

Growing up watching the Vietnam war on television, it certainly drew me to enlisting in the Canadian military for a career. I had started out doing Rev War prior to service and a few years later I had started WWII as both Canadian and German. A few years down the road some of my Fallschirmjaeger friends at the FIG were talking about Vietnam re-enacting and although it sounded a little strange, I was intrigued. Spending quite a few years in Reconnaissance, 'The Threat' has always held my passion. So many guys wanted to portray the good guys but I was always drawn to an accurate portrayal of the baddies. Maybe it was because my Grandfather wouldn't let us watch 'Hogan's Heroes' but regardless, years down the road I felt more of a kinship with the Soviet grunt in Afghanistan then I ever could the Mujahedeen

Long story short, when our local armour museum picked up a T-54/55 and a BMP-1, the time was right to start a Soviet Afghan war portrayal..

Cheers
Steve

[Kenneth]

There was an excellent movie about Soviet airborne troops in Afghanistan set right about the time the Soviet Union broke up. I don't recall the name of the movie but I watched it with my son. He likes movies like that. It followed them through basic training all the way through some epic company-sized battle in which nearly all of them get killed. However, the movie was based on a real-life incident (a company-sized battle qualifies as an "incident") but the reality was that the Soviets killed many, many Afghans and were not virtually wiped out.

I believe there is a certain kinship between soldiers in different armies, even when they are enemies. They might not realize it until decades later, though. But no one else but them really knows what they went through, there being little difference between the two sides. I'm not sure I would say the same thing about non-military guerilla type fighters such as the Mujahedeen or the VC.

[slehman]

Kenneth:

It's called 9th Company and I'd like to read the real account, anyways it's a decent film based on the last days before the pull out. Another good watch is 'The Beast' about a tank separated from it's company which is caught in a cul de sac and hunted by the Muj. I won't go into any further detail as not to be a plot spoiler.

The band of brothers of uniformed warriors or comradeship is international for sure. We've had many conversations about the difference between regular combatants versus irregular forces and the bond will never be shared. Similar to the Mujahedeen, I will not be shaking the hand of some Taliban fighter years down the road.

For another impression, we have about a half a dozen guys that portray VC, sure we're not oriental, 5'2" and 120 lbs but when you only see a muzzle flash and shadow from the bush, we're accurate. If we do a public display, we portray training cadre dressed as enemy forces. It's an easier sell than saying 'yes I know I'm not Vietnamese'.

Steve



P.S. My profile photo is 25mm casings sitting atop of my LAV III after having engaged a few TB fighters.

[lew]

slehman: Take a look at the Dien Bien Phu event thread. We're gonna need folks to play the part of the VM. Sure, it's not VC, but some of the equipment will work, so it's a start.

Studying Afghanistan and Central Asia is a hobby of mine. I respect the people and despise them at the same time. I've read all of Lester Grau's works on the Soviets in Afghanistan, plus a dozen or so more. All I can say is that the Soviets knew what was coming and their deluded Marxist/Leninist dogma would allow no variation from the plan or avoidance of the end-state. Serves 'em right (at least the true believers amongst the leadership), but the human tragedy on both sides is simply incomprehensible.

To be totally correct and representative with your afghantsy impression, you need to acquire an easily preventable disease- typhoid, cholera, or hepatitis.

[slehman]

Thanks Lew. VM might be one thing but I have my French lizards which I wore last year at our armour museum, opposite the Chaffee. Even standing under the Tricolour, the crowd assumed I was American.

Would dysentery count? I had it for a stretch in Belet Uen Somalia eating the dung dust from a thousand years, I care not to repeat that one as you were in so much 'discomfort', even the pretty medics didn't help.

There are some great books out on the Soviet Afghan war, an interesting build up with the two Afghan communist parties pushing reforms on traditional Afghan and Islamic culture. When in '79 with large parts of the country in open rebellion, the Afghan government requested the introduction of Soviet troops in Afghanistan to provide security and to assist in the fight against the mujahedeen rebels. The Soviets greatly miscalculated the ability and dedication of the Afghan army to quell the rebellion and they never committed the numbers required to really influence the conflict. It makes for some great discussion.

Cheers
Steve



In the Arghandab valley we spend a fair amount of time in the area of Panjwaii (forgive the spelling), there were a fair number of wrecked AFVs in the area.

[Kenneth]

Coincidentally, my son gave me a copy of the movie "The Beast." I think it may have been because it was mostly about a tank crew. My son was a tank crewman. Oddly enough, it was filmed in Israel, I believe.

[lew]

Jul 20, 2015 20:23:31 GMT -5 slehman said:

Thanks Lew. VM might be one thing but I have my French lizards which I wore last year at our armour museum, opposite the Chaffee. Even standing under the Tricolour, the crowd assumed I was American.

Would dysentery count? I had it for a stretch in Belet Uen Somalia eating the dung dust from a thousand years, I care not to repeat that one as you were in so much 'discomfort', even the pretty medics didn't help.

There are some great books out on the Soviet Afghan war, an interesting build up with the two Afghan communist parties pushing reforms on traditional Afghan and Islamic culture. When in '79 with large parts of the country in open rebellion, the Afghan government requested the introduction of Soviet troops in Afghanistan to provide security and to assist in the fight against the mujahedeen rebels. The Soviets greatly miscalculated the ability and dedication of the Afghan army to quell the rebellion and they never committed the numbers required to really influence the conflict. It makes for some great discussion.

Cheers
Steve

View Attachment

In the Arghandab valley we spend a fair amount of time in the area of Panjwaii (forgive the spelling), there were a fair number of wrecked AFVs in the area.

Ooh, the south saw lots of action throughout Afghanistan's history, especially the last thirty years.

Dysentery will work. You can check that box. What were you doing in Somalia?

I laugh when folks credit Reagan with toppling the Soviet Union. First, he was a hack when it came to foreign policy. Second, if his policy did anything at all it was to push over the diseased corpse that had already shot itself in the head. Afghanistan was not the Russian's Vietnam; it was much worse, not so much on the battlefield as on the home front. The muj had a near-limitless pool of volunteers, as well as the desire to pull no punches and accept no outcome other than victory.

[slehman]

Kenneth:

'The Beast' also known as 'The Beast Of War' was filmed in Israel with Israeli modified T-55s ( Tiran 5, which is a ex-Arab captured T-55 series modified by the Israelis with a 105mm L1 or M68 series gun, new fenders, improved exhausts, radios, machine gun mounts etc. ) My trade was also armour crewman but most of my time was in recce.

Lew:

Our armour car squadron was attached to the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle group as part Operation Restore Hope/Op Deliverance. Most of us deployed around Christmas 92 and were out of country by June of 93. We turned our Humanitarian Relief Sector over to a Nigerian battalion. I was a young sergeant in charge of a two car patrol. Lots of time mapping the area (no geographic survey had been done so we used the GPS and graph paper to make our own maps), guarding containment sites, mounted and dismounted patrols and convoy escorts. I would have flown out around the time the 24 Pakistani soldiers were gunned down by Aidid's forces in Mogadishu.

As for Afghanistan and the Soviet intervention, with Krushchev thinking the Americans had interests in Afghanistan, they certainly didn't want to lose the race to draw Afghanistan into their camp. Daud liked to think he was milking both the Russians and Americans for what they were worth with a quote attributed to him stating his aim was to light an American cigarette with a Russian match. With the Herat uprising, Kabul panicked and asked for Soviet troops to help quell the rebellion. The Soviet Prime minister Kosygin told Afghan president Taraki 'if we sent in our troops, the situation in your country would not improve. On contrary it would get worse. Our troops would have to struggle not only with an external aggressor, but with a part of your own people. And people do not forgive that kind of thing.' He certainly called that accurately. With 60,000 defections from the Afghan army of 80,000, the Afghan communists needed the Soviets. Foolishly the Soviets obliged.

As for Afghanistan, I was a CSM during Op Medusa.

Steve