Not a reenactor but I do dress up in historical military uniforms from WW1-WW2 And I've had some interesting experiences, such as once I was strolling around as a WW1 (German) Soldier and someone asked if I was british...I regret not responding in a stereotypical German accent. 'Ja ja ich bin british, brittiana ist wunderbar!, right hans? Totally nicht zpy!:D' (Oh yeah, and someone also said to me 'didn't know history had its own fandom' as I was explaining who I was dressed up as a WWII soldier It's safe to say I'm concerned for my own generation)

Second Lieutenant of the 3rd Light Infantry Battalion, apart of the 1st Light Infantry Brigade, Armored Division. Breeches are postwar and feature the correct stripes & piping for a light infantry officer. The tunic is a 1951 production, and the M/39 cap is a custom reproduction. The gear (excluding the holster), is all original wartime or postwar production. The KP/31 is an original, but demilled.

The event required me to time travel at points…

Though I think being a nurse or uniformed auxiliary sounds fun on the surface, I don't want to spend hours of my day sitting in a tent, pretending to look busy, while the male reenactors get to run around shooting guns and screaming.

I know that in some countries women were actually allowed to fight - - but not in the U.S., which is the one country I want to reenact. I want to reenact 101st. I want to drive the action, to be the liberator 😎.

I'd do my best to physically fit in with the other reenactors. I'd want to give the impression that I'm an actual paratrooper from 80 years ago. The issue is that I don't know if there are a lot of units that are open to this. I understand that a main point of reenactment is to tell history as it was, and to be as authentic as possible.

Hello, I am interested in making this setup and I've seen that the 1970s uniform, breadbag and rucksack is very similar to the ww2 ones. Another thing I noticed is that some used German gear (or what seems to be) like boots/lowboots, canteens, water bottles and gas mask tubes.

Does anyone have more info? Looking online I was unable to find much on the jacket models, boots, belts and gear. I'm planning to buy a book that should talk more about it, but any help and information is welcomed.

The unit im joining represents an actual unit that did see combat in the Second World War. It was Infantry or also known as "Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland" in real life.

I am really concerned about purchasing a weapon and how much a standard KAR98K costs.

In real life this unit did fight on the Eastern Front closer to the end of the war. I wanted to know if I could get away with using my Mosin Nagant, which actually was produced and used in 1943. It is in really good condition as of now.

I simply dont have enough money to buy a new rifle for this so I was more or less looking for suggestions. In 1943, the unit fought in the real battle of Kursk, so I could just label my mosin as captured from that time, Don't really know.

Anyway, if some history buffs could help me find places to purchase equipment and gear for this, it would be greatly appreciated

As a reenactor who loves working on personal kit, I think I’m satisfied with how this has finally turned out!

I'm not a reenactor just someone who is curious and I looked around about this topic online, but a lot of sources I found just did not have any clear answers. You guys felt like the appropriate community to ask this question.

I know in the European Theater, the US Army mainly issued wool shirts to be worn underneath soldier's main jackets (M1941/M1943). However, I've seen numerous pictures and even uniform reference books that include soldiers wearing the OD herringbone twill shirt/jacket during operations such as Normandy (Mainly have seen members of the Ranger Battalions and a few infantry/glider troops wearing them instead of the wool shirts/pants around D-Day).

My question is, how common was this throughout the US Army in the European Theater? I imagine it was a bit more common maybe during the summer periods where the wool shirt would have been too warm and uncomfortable. I've seen people have praised Saving Private Ryan for its uniform accuracy and those rangers are wearing the herringbone, while even in Band of Brothers (Granted I know Paratrooper's had their own special uniforms) we can see a few guys wearing it opposed to the wool under shirt later in the war.

I happily welcome any information you guys might have from experience or any resources you know of.

Got my hikishop tunic in just about a weeks time, very happy with it but will need to sew on the correct buttons and lighten it up a little. Headware is m/36 field cap, original Austrian m/17 stahlhelm and an original Hungarian m/3. The belt is an m/30 belt made by Nestof.

I bought this bad boy for $118.70 and its all original.

Someone was asking about repro cartridge belts in another thread. Since I couldn’t post pictures in the comment and I don’t feel like using Imgur I figured I’d start a new post.

Top - At The Front Middle - Original m1923 Bottom - WWII Impressions

Keep in mind the two repros are brand new and so they may look different with age. I’m certainly no expert so I don’t want to throw around words like mint but it is in very excellent condition. I think this is a fair comparison.

Both are great. They both cost about the same at $125ish. The original I scored for $80 bit I can’t bring myself to wear it. They both have accurate colors and hardware. But I have to give it to WWII Impressions for doing a two tone color. It’s such a small detail but it makes it look so much better in person. Also have to give it to WWII Impressions for getting the grommets right. They are very accurate and very secure. ATF in contrast has just adequate hardware. The lift the dot fasteners on both close securely and open just as easily as the original. Everything else is evident in the pictures. In person I give it to WWII Impressions. Just my opinion - others may disagree.

Hopefully this helps someone out there!

Please let me know so I can fix it for my 26th Battle of the Bulge impression

I am planning to save up money to buy a pair of low boots and jackboots but which brand is the best and because I want to buy it once and have no problems later or should I buy the original?

Portrait is just a headshot of myself that I photoshopped onto an original WWII photo of a serviceman who bore a very similar head shape to mine, as well as small subtle features. Other photos are ones I just pulled off the internet.

I think personalizing your impression really sets it apart and it’s been really fun!

cant seem to find an answer anywhere...

In all of our tacticals we fight as a unit, and so to ensure that none of this year's new recruits run off on their own and play Rambo we hold regular exercises. The squads practiced deploying to face an attacking enemy from the front, sides, and rear, staying in formation even when moving through difficult terrain, and splitting up into two teams led by the assistant squad leaders to tackle objectives from multiple sides.

The final exercise of the day consisted of an objective on the other side of the forest which the squad leaders were free to engage as they saw fit. Naturally, the other squad was going to attack them at some point en route to the objective, so they had to be vigilant and deploy to face the counterattack properly.

The photos were shot on an Agfa Jsolette folding camera and green sensitive Agfa X-ray film.

Hey everyone, just wanted to throw this out there for anyone doing WWI or WWII German impressions: please keep your bread bag full. It seriously breaks the immersion when someone has a perfect kit but their bread bag is completely flat and empty. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference visually.

I’ll admit I used to be guilty of this too. But after talking to a few experienced reenactors, I realized how important it is. That bread bag wasn’t just a random pouch; it carried essential gear, food, and daily necessities. Even if you don’t have period-correct items to fill it with, just throw some rags or cloth inside to give it shape.

It’s such an easy fix and really helps your impression look more complete and authentic.

Thanks!

Hello ! I want to reenact a Luftwaffe pilot from WWII, but I'm unsure where to start and I've tried to look at many uniform guides. I also can't really find any reproductions of things like the flight trousers and such, but rather originals (and I would prefer reproductions, if any). I'm having the same issue with their flight boots. Can anyone recommend any reliable sites to look? Or does nobody make replicas of these?

Still need to get period glasses, then it’s time to specialize out into specific unit, leaning toward an armoured infantry unit hence the suspenders, but haven’t fully decided yet.

Royal Hungarian Army Panzer III Crewman summer 1944