U.S. D-Day Infantry Help

[AJWW2]

I need to know the correct combination of gear/uniform for the 2006 D-Day U.S. infantry so they look like they would during the Normady hedgrow fighting. Do I use their green vests? backpacks? Do I mod or repaint anything? Do I switch out bodyparts/torsos/arms?

Please Help,

AJ

[B17Fortress]

They should be just fine out of the package, just leave the holster off of the Privates.

[AJWW2]

Thanks, but would they wear their backpacks, green vests, or nothing on their back during inland fighting in Normandy?

[tmanthegreat]

Thanks, but would they wear their backpacks, green vests, or nothing on their back during inland fighting in Normandy?

They would likely have their vests on (though not all soldiers would have them). Packs and extra heavy gear would be left behind at a rear area if they were directly going into a fight. In those situations, you only want your weapons and ammo. If the infantry was on the move, they would have the packs & other gear.

If you need a decent visual reference (apart from period films and photographs) watch Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers for generally-accurate visual references about what soldiers potentially carried with them in combat.

[flyboy_fx]

It depends, I would leave the vests off unless it was close in time to the Normandy landings. I've not seen a lot of pics of people wearing the vests later on into Normandy, Just around the time of the landings.

Avoid 21st's neon green gear at all costs! The stuff you want is the khaki brown. By the way, it is not khaki and should not be portrayed as khaki. There gear is olive drab No.3 (OD.3) or OD.7.
OD.3 is a lightish olive drab and OD.7 is more of a green color. By the time 1944 came, OD.7 and OD.3 gear are being mixed.

I mix brown and green to make a dark olive, then add white to taste to make OD.3. If you want OD.7, just leave it on the darker side.

See how he looks. THe gear and M1941 Field Jacket are Olive Drab No.3. Notice that it does not look like it is khaki.
Here are some examples of the colors I found on the web.
OD.3


OD.3 Also note, it real life, colors vary a lot. Different manufacturer, sun effects, weathering, ect...
Here are some repros.


This is a GREAT example.




So, you just have to do your homework.
Also, I do not think M1941 Field Jackets ever came in OD.7.
YOu should also look at Dragons US figures. Their paras are great! They also have a set of 4 figures in green. I forgot what they are called but they make great US figures in Normandy. They are wearing the 4 pocket M1943 Field uniform. I think that is what they are called.

Yea, they would wear the "Backpacks." They would wear the M1928 Haversack (Has not been made in 1/18) Or the M1936 Musette Bag.

I hope that helps inform you a little!

[812boys]

Flyboy is right, the packs that are used are not anything like what they were issued if you look at the pics I posted of me at ww2 events you will see the pack. They were also issued out the remaining stock of ww1 gear that would work. As for the vest it really depends on what unit you are going to portray they were not issued to all of the troops for D-Day. The other item that most G.I.'s ditched on the way inland were the gas mask's a lot of times the troops would keep the bags and fill them with extra ammo, Grenade's, Personal items. A good tool to use if you need to see what some of the equipment looks like is www.atthefront.com. One other thing I am working on is there is actually a strap so that you can sling a musette bag like you would a laptop bag. Hope this helps.