Infantry Uniform Mods

[jdmorse]

There have been a number of infantry unif mods. On the Allied side it's easy, but there have been a number of German, mainly Waffen SS variations.

For the non grognard It is a bit confusing. Sure it's always what appeals to your eye, but what about relative historical usage. Can anyone sort of detail the dfferences we are seeing, are they historical or simply fanciful. Esp w/ the recent Waffen/Fild Grey uniforms. How do they fit in, for that matter how do the others.

[jdmorse]

bump

[19 Echo]

One thing I noticed about the Waffen feldgrau uniforms is that they have the eagle on both sleeves, and no cuff titles. Color is about right, I think. I believe the camo patterns are pretty historical (the Germans had a huge variety of camo patterns), though not necessarily to the period depicted by CMBO. The feldgrau uniform was the basic uniform, and they would have worn a reversible camo smock over it. You see a lot of photos of SS troops in camo smocks and helmet covers with fg pants. I know they had full camo uniforms for Panzer troops (someone needs to do that mod), but I'm not sure about BDU-style uniforms for infantry. I'm tempted to assume that, since CM includes camo pants for SS troops, they must have existed (i.e. BTS must have researched it), but I've never seen them in books and such.

The only mod I use is the fg Heer uniform, which I just like a lot more than the gray one, even if BTS' research found that the German uniforms of the period tended to be more gray. I might try the green SS camo (which I assume is an eastern front camo). And I love the winter jumpsuit mod, which is the one I was waiting for. I tend to prefer to use historical mods, but some of the fanciful ones are pretty cool (whoever came up with that leaf pattern Konigstiger needs to share some of what he was smoking )

-- Mike Zeares

[Spook]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 19 Echo:

One thing I noticed about the Waffen feldgrau uniforms is that they have the eagle on both sleeves, and no cuff titles. Color is about right, I think. I believe the camo patterns are pretty historical (the Germans had a huge variety of camo patterns), though not necessarily to the period depicted by CMBO. The feldgrau uniform was the basic uniform, and they would have worn a reversible camo smock over it. You see a lot of photos of SS troops in camo smocks and helmet covers with fg pants. I know they had full camo uniforms for Panzer troops (someone needs to do that mod), but I'm not sure about BDU-style uniforms for infantry. I'm tempted to assume that, since CM includes camo pants for SS troops, they must have existed (i.e. BTS must have researched it), but I've never seen them in books and such.

-- Mike Zeares<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your comments, Mike, have "echoed" much of my sentiments too. I have various Squadron/Osprey references that show the Waffen SS having full camo uniforms (on occasion) with camo pants in painted profiles, but I've not come across photographic evidence for the same either. I just presume that SS camo pants were indeed made but tended to be uncommon, especially toward war's end.

BTW, thanks for your endorsement on the Heer feldgrau uniform (done by yours truly). Steve (of BTS) is certainly right that the 1944-45 period German uniforms were lower quality and varied more in color, but feldgrau ("field gray") as a uniform color appears to have still been quite common in 1944 from my own reference review. I am recently thinking of revising this, though, to provide a stock-gray undershirt for the neck region where the uniform coat is opened up.

[19 Echo]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Spook:

...I just presume that SS camo pants were indeed made but tended to be uncommon, especially toward war's end.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the German army was anything like the U.S. Army in Vietnam, there were probably a lot of well-camoflaged supply sergeants running around.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>...I am recently thinking of revising this, though, to provide a stock-gray undershirt for the neck region where the uniform coat is opened up.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That sounds good. Their undershirts were gray anyway, weren't they?

-- Mike Zeares

[Bruno Weiss]

I'm not sure, but I think the eagle on both sleeves problem stems from there only being one sleeve file. I don't see a left and right bmp sleeve file. Just one file. Probably shared. As for Camo, from my own observations, subject to speculation ofcourse, while full camo uniforms were issued on occasion, the guy in the bushes tended to wear what he had. And wear and tear on uniforms meant one didn't necessarily always look presentable for a parade. The end result being, gray pants with camo smocks, and other mixes. Personally, I like the lil German fellers in camo smock with grey or camo helmets and green or gray pants. Currently I'm waiting on a mod that allows me to add monicals and swagger sticks.

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"Wer zuerst schiesst hat mehr von Leben"

Moto-(3./JG11 "Graf")

Bruno "Stachel" Weiss

[crepitis]

Waffen ss troops were issued with reversible camo smocks but not,as far as i can gather,issued with camo trousers.I have only seen two photographs of german soldiers wearing camo trousers and both strangely enough seem to be of italian origin.The first picture appears in"SS Regalia"by Robin Lumsden,with the caption,"two Waffen SS prisoners in Normandy,july 1944.The Obersturmfuhrer on the left wears pants made from captured italian camouflage material".The second appears in "german Army uniforms and insignia 1933-1945"by Brian L davis,and the caption reads "German troops taken prisoner near the Italian town of Lugo.An example of German Army issue trousers made from Italian camouflage material."Sorry I dont have a scanner to post the pictures.Rhe latter book also shows an example of the field grey version of the standard tank commanders uniform that was issued to Tank Destroyer and Self Propelled Gun units,(any chance of a mod anyone?).I can heartily reccomend both of these books as valuable source material,and I would imagine a competent mod maker would have a field day with some the stuff on display,I only wish I had the talent to do them justice.I used the SS camo uniform mod and just substituted the field grey trousers bmp for the camo ones included,but i cant seem to find a matching camo helmet, anyone able to help?