Equipment
Gear
The
army didn’t throw old gear away; it was issued until it was used up, so what a
soldier wore in 1942 on the beaches of Africa he could also have had at Berchegarten in 1945. So, the general consensus in reenacting
is to buy the early war stuff first and then you could conceivably wear it
through May of 1945 and cover all of the reenactment scenarios we
fight.
Almost every single member of the
2nd ID started out with this plan. The problem is that WW2
collecting is an insidious hobby, you will eventually covet and desire EVERY
item that was issued in the ETO to the GI’s, you will eventually want to augment
the list below to include M43’s, double buckle boots and other late war items.
ALWAYS
contact our Authenticity Officer prior to making any purchase.
Buy
the best you can afford, we have all had to “double” buy because a cheap piece
of gear has given out.
Try
to get the basic list of gear sorted by your second battle. Loaner gear is just that, Loaner gear;
we need it for the next fresh recruit coming in.
Early
War Basic Gear Required for the 2nd Infantry
HBT
Shirt
HBT
Trousers
M41
Jacket
Roughouts
Leggins
M1
Helmet
Cartridge
belt
Canteen
and Cover (This is critical, hydration is extremely important in the field)
The
2nd Infantry Division recommends the following vendors of
reproduction gear:
At
the Front
What
Price Glory
http://onlinemilitaria.net/default.asp
WW2 Impressions
http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/
If
you are young and fit you can and should wear original gear. For original gear Ebay is the best place
to find it, there are a few really good Ebayers in the unit that can help you
track down just about anything.
Like mentioned above don’t buy just anything, speak to the
Authenticity officer and he will point you in the correct
direction