I knew an old British para called Don who lived in Paignton 15 years ago. He was a working class man but one of nature's true gentlemen - soft spoken, dressed impeccably, always tipped. He was one of the first 100 British paratroop volunteers, but never dropped operationally. This was because in 1940 the RAF wanted to know if it was practicable to parachute into the sea with the Mae West life jacket already inflated. Don was the volunteer selected to test this. The impact drove the Mae West upwards with great force, damaged his neck seriously and knocked him unconscious. He was too badly injured to jump again, but his experience may have saved a lot of aircrew lives.
@@AnvilAirsoftTV His story would probably have died with me, if I hadn't got it out somewhere. Thanks for providing the opportunity. As a result of your positive feedback, I will now put it upon other Para-related websites. Don died about 10 years ago but his courtesy and personal standards have left their mark on me, at least.
When I was a kid I ask a veteran once what a toggle rope was for and very seriously he told me that it was used for hunting and catching toggles. For years I believed him cx
*Thank you for a fantastic video* My Granddad was in Arnhem. His LZ was north west of the town. Was shot in the right shoulder and captured. He made it home. Rob.
Very good video. Loads of information in a professional presentation. I’m neither a reenactor nor a air softy. But as a painter of scale model dioramas I found many new things. Please keep on these standards, they are rarely seen on UA-cam. Thanks for posting this. Greetings from Germany and apologies for my broken English.
@@gadgeharvey5544 in my opinion they are better than the “regular” issued smocks, because of the elastic cuffs and the lack of a hood. Which in the army, we we never used. But each to their own. I would like to get my hands on a ww2 denison though, after this video, getting a good look at it, definitely looks like a must have
@@jockin_around8314 i used to use the SAS windproof with the hood rolled up. The para smock is nice but its a lot heavier than the sas smock. I only got a para smock years after actually needing one for exercises so cant really compare the two fairly. The issue smock was pants, thats for sure :)
@@gadgeharvey5544 all depends on what your looking for, up here in Scotland it can get quite cold so a heavier smock is bob on. Ive seen many great comments about the sas smock, definitely something to look into. Anyway another great loadout! Its great seeing older kits being put together.
My mom's brother in law who is long gone now actually jumped into Holland during ww2 . A family story which is always talked about and his grandson served in Afghanistan as a para
Excellent video on Market Garden era British airborne kit and gear. Just a month ago I visited the Arnhem battlefields and on local museums I got the chance to see authentic British gear.
Very interesting, I know all about the American airborne gear but never knew much about the British airborne other than the smocks and berets and some of the weapons.
I have read several accounts were the sten bandoleer is being used. Fun fact in the airborne museum Hartenstein there is a p37 ammo pouch in its collection and to both sides a single , cutoff pouch of a sten bandoleer is sewn. Several German made photographs, during the Arnhem battle, show them being worn by German soldiers who have armed themselves with MKV stenguns. One photograph that surfaced a few years ago shows a killed British airborne soldier wearing such a bandoleer. My point is these were probably not that rare at all just not being shown that much in period photographs.
Try and watch 'theirs is the glory' it was actually made shortly after the war and most the guys in it were actually at Arnhem, they also use real weapons and blow up real german tanks.
I have a few more British WWII loadouts we can do, sadly my axis and USA kit was sold years ago but perhaps we can look at those in the future if these videos are popular enough to make it worth sourcing the kit.
@@gadgeharvey5544 I would love to see more WW2 British kits. Not something we see much of yet. Hopefully this will steer our community in the right direction on the build up to May 2022 :-)
Im sure ive got some of that old webbing in my parents loft, its was brought for me when i was around 13 as i was really into British military history, i will have to dig it out
What I’ve seen people do is use empty tic tac containers fill them with bbs and use them to fill up their speedloaders. Mostly with the us webbing but I don’t see why it wouldn’t would with the smle bandolier.
2 question, great video🫡 smock is from sof? I love the colors, and 2nd question, the ammo pouches, are they mark 2 or mark 3? Mark 2 fits only 2 bren magazines and mark 3 fits 3, if the soldier had the mark 2, would it automatically be replaces with the MKIII? So it will be allowed to carry 3 bren mags?
Smock is not SOF, it's from a company called 'Military Tours' a few years before SOF did them. I honestly have no idea what pattern of pouch they are I've not looked at the markings for 20 years. Standard was to carry two bren mags in one pouch and your own ammunition in the other. If people carried more it was usually in the ancillary bren pouches worn above the normal ones. Gadge.
Hello great vid. I wish more lads played second World War games as id love give airborne game a go. Ps there actually is an airsoft mk5 sten and mk4 Enfield available unfortunately no bren or piat yet
@@AnvilAirsoftTV excellent guess i need find some. Ps i think we meet at decent game where you an intelligence guy. I was the Russian guy knelt next you as waiting for an imaginary helicopter lol
great vide, im currently looking ot do som ww2 loadout and this has helped make it a lot easier and cheaper to start off with! I was wondering where you got your denison smock from? and whether using post war battle dress would be considered okay. I bought some that has moth damage and was used by cadets in the 50s as opposed to ww2 originals or kit used in the korean war. mainly because it was a mile cheaper tha ww2 repro. tia
I knew an old British para called Don who lived in Paignton 15 years ago. He was a working class man but one of nature's true gentlemen - soft spoken, dressed impeccably, always tipped. He was one of the first 100 British paratroop volunteers, but never dropped operationally. This was because in 1940 the RAF wanted to know if it was practicable to parachute into the sea with the Mae West life jacket already inflated. Don was the volunteer selected to test this. The impact drove the Mae West upwards with great force, damaged his neck seriously and knocked him unconscious. He was too badly injured to jump again, but his experience may have saved a lot of aircrew lives.
Wow thanks for letting us know Don’s story.
@@AnvilAirsoftTV His story would probably have died with me, if I hadn't got it out somewhere. Thanks for providing the opportunity. As a result of your positive feedback, I will now put it upon other Para-related websites. Don died about 10 years ago but his courtesy and personal standards have left their mark on me, at least.
"We Haven't the proper facilities to take you all prisoners, Sorry!"
hu
"What?!"
When I was a kid I ask a veteran once what a toggle rope was for and very seriously he told me that it was used for hunting and catching toggles. For years I believed him cx
:)
*Thank you for a fantastic video* My Granddad was in Arnhem. His LZ was north west of the town. Was shot in the right shoulder and captured. He made it home. Rob.
Thank you for letting us know about your Grandfather.
Very good video.
Loads of information in a professional presentation.
I’m neither a reenactor nor a air softy. But as a painter of scale model dioramas I found many new things.
Please keep on these standards, they are rarely seen on UA-cam.
Thanks for posting this.
Greetings from Germany and apologies for my broken English.
Thanks. We’re running out of Loadouts to do from our collections but there’s a few left.
OUTSTANDING!!!
This is The BEST description of WWII outfit I have ever seen!
Love it!!! I have been reenacting WWII for over 30 years, love airsoft!
Thankyou. Gadge puts a lot of effort into preparing and presenting these.
Looking at the Denison smock and drooling.
I tell you, if you can get your hands on a modern british para smock, do it, its soooo comfortable (in my opinion) definitely an ally piece of kit
I have a 1980s DPM one in the kit room
@@gadgeharvey5544 in my opinion they are better than the “regular” issued smocks, because of the elastic cuffs and the lack of a hood. Which in the army, we we never used. But each to their own. I would like to get my hands on a ww2 denison though, after this video, getting a good look at it, definitely looks like a must have
I’ve got three windproofs of various ages that I much prefer to the issue smocks. All my hoods are rolled up nice and tidy though. :)
@@jockin_around8314 i used to use the SAS windproof with the hood rolled up. The para smock is nice but its a lot heavier than the sas smock. I only got a para smock years after actually needing one for exercises so cant really compare the two fairly. The issue smock was pants, thats for sure :)
@@gadgeharvey5544 all depends on what your looking for, up here in Scotland it can get quite cold so a heavier smock is bob on. Ive seen many great comments about the sas smock, definitely something to look into. Anyway another great loadout! Its great seeing older kits being put together.
Just noticed your Staffordshire Regiment Cap badge!!! Now i give you the highest respect
My mom's brother in law who is long gone now actually jumped into Holland during ww2 . A family story which is always talked about and his grandson served in Afghanistan as a para
Excellent video on Market Garden era British airborne kit and gear. Just a month ago I visited the Arnhem battlefields and on local museums I got the chance to see authentic British gear.
Must have been a great experience.
Sure was. The Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek near Arnhem is just fantastic.
That Enfield is amazing.
Gadge awesome load out as usual.
Very interesting, I know all about the American airborne gear but never knew much about the British airborne other than the smocks and berets and some of the weapons.
I love this! My grandad was in the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment so seeing all the kit he would’ve worn is so insightful. Earned a sub!
Really glad we could bring this to you
@@AnvilAirsoftTV thanks so much!
Can confirm toggle ropes are still used on some team training exercises in British army training. Was suprised to see it myself 🤣🤣
One of the oldest bits of issued British kit.
I was issued one for officer selection RCB in 1998!
@@gadgeharvey5544 this was just for trying to cross a small gap we had 2 toggle ropes and some other ropes and odds and ends.
I have read several accounts were the sten bandoleer is being used. Fun fact in the airborne museum Hartenstein there is a p37 ammo pouch in its collection and to both sides a single , cutoff pouch of a sten bandoleer is sewn. Several German made photographs, during the Arnhem battle, show them being worn by German soldiers who have armed themselves with MKV stenguns. One photograph that surfaced a few years ago shows a killed British airborne soldier wearing such a bandoleer. My point is these were probably not that rare at all just not being shown that much in period photographs.
Im off to watch A Bridge to Far. great vid
Try and watch 'theirs is the glory' it was actually made shortly after the war and most the guys in it were actually at Arnhem, they also use real weapons and blow up real german tanks.
@@gadgeharvey5544 I'm Ex Royal Navy Submariner and also ex RAMC (left after Herrick 7) there is nothing I haven't seen :)
Good one as per normal Gadge. Very imformative.
Great video i really like the look of the British airborne
It’s an iconic loadout for sure
@@AnvilAirsoftTV yea
Superb! Cant wait for more!
I have a few more British WWII loadouts we can do, sadly my axis and USA kit was sold years ago but perhaps we can look at those in the future if these videos are popular enough to make it worth sourcing the kit.
@@gadgeharvey5544 I would love to see more WW2 British kits. Not something we see much of yet. Hopefully this will steer our community in the right direction on the build up to May 2022 :-)
I always wondered what the rope around the kit was, very interesting and ‘zee germans joke’ 😂
easy to have a love afair with the Denison smock
Love it! great information!
Great vid as always guys, well done Gadge, keep it up fellas, love these vids
Thanks Dean
Excellent video
Thanks. Mostly Gadge’s gear and knowledge on this one.
Very good and detailed video. Thumbs up!
Hey thanks for watching.
2 days they said…we’ve been here 9 !
I’ve worn the modern day DMS boots for the kit in airsoft. Same look but much better soles for playing airsoft.
Im sure ive got some of that old webbing in my parents loft, its was brought for me when i was around 13 as i was really into British military history, i will have to dig it out
Will be worth a bit now!
I wouldn't even know where to sell it now 😂
eBay. You’ll just need to do some research to know what you actually have.
Denisons were worn over the battle dress blouse. If you watch “Theirs is the Glory” you can see that.
For sure but not really needed for our purposes.
Does the sten gun include realistic jamming
Most of the replicas don’t work very well if you hold them by the mag.
Very informative thank you
Our pleasure
What I’ve seen people do is use empty tic tac containers fill them with bbs and use them to fill up their speedloaders. Mostly with the us webbing but I don’t see why it wouldn’t would with the smle bandolier.
4:30 definitely doing that here in Texas.
A Bridge Too Far
Indeed.
What type smock do you prefer or recommend If my eye is correct I'd say it's the first pattern
i have a 44 pattern smock and a 59 pattern plus a 1980 dpm and a 1990 woodland cammo smock pluss all the correct airsoft rifs since i drew my pension
2 question, great video🫡 smock is from sof? I love the colors, and 2nd question, the ammo pouches, are they mark 2 or mark 3? Mark 2 fits only 2 bren magazines and mark 3 fits 3, if the soldier had the mark 2, would it automatically be replaces with the MKIII? So it will be allowed to carry 3 bren mags?
Smock is not SOF, it's from a company called 'Military Tours' a few years before SOF did them. I honestly have no idea what pattern of pouch they are I've not looked at the markings for 20 years. Standard was to carry two bren mags in one pouch and your own ammunition in the other. If people carried more it was usually in the ancillary bren pouches worn above the normal ones. Gadge.
Can the sten gun pouches hold Thompson mags? tempted to do a royal marine load out like this
For market garden what smocks where used or favored Ive seen photos most of the men I'd say are whering the type 1
Did you but everything from Soldier of Fortune?
It’s the largest seller of repro WW2 kit in the UK.
Hello great vid.
I wish more lads played second World War games as id love give airborne game a go.
Ps there actually is an airsoft mk5 sten and mk4 Enfield available unfortunately no bren or piat yet
There’s a fair bit of WW2 in the UK.
@@AnvilAirsoftTV excellent guess i need find some. Ps i think we meet at decent game where you an intelligence guy. I was the Russian guy knelt next you as waiting for an imaginary helicopter lol
Indeed! I ended up in Moscow as my rescue team were useless! :)
@@AnvilAirsoftTV had nice kit though
Have a look at Frontline Events for WW2.
great vide, im currently looking ot do som ww2 loadout and this has helped make it a lot easier and cheaper to start off with! I was wondering where you got your denison smock from? and whether using post war battle dress would be considered okay. I bought some that has moth damage and was used by cadets in the 50s as opposed to ww2 originals or kit used in the korean war. mainly because it was a mile cheaper tha ww2 repro. tia
lots of people have used post war or greek battle dress for airsoft. Makes sense to us.
Would there be much of a difference of the contents caried in the small pack between paratroopers and infantryman
This is a glider troop impression so effectively the contents would be the same.
@@AnvilAirsoftTV thank you as i am thinking about getting into reanacting as a paratrooper. Have u any more videos on this impression. Thanks
where do you guys recommend getting the gear for this from
If you are in the UK Soldier of Fortune. US then What Price Glory
@@AnvilAirsoftTV thank you
What price Glory are about to do some good looking Repro 68 pattern DPM and Early 80s windproofs smocks.
Isn't G&G making a Lee Enfield ?
At some point. Though last thing I heard they had pulled the engineers off for other projects
Epic millitara are also good and millitara fairs have cheap kit
A big big thank you guys and can i run a Umbrella guys as im not good a passwords
I’m Trainspotting in airsoft:
do a ww1 tommy loadout
any chocolate covered caramel pouches
:)