Issue clothing
Battledress
Both the 1936 and 1940 serge pattern battle dress is acceptable for any scenario we display at shows.
As well the trousers can also be ever pattern, however no airborne pattern trousers are permitted as the battalion were not issued them due to the fact they
were glider troops.
All insigne for airborne tab and Pegasus patch can be purchased from Pegasus
South Staffordshire can be purchased from Monty locker.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus (best quality first choice for unit members)
solider of fortune (will require tailoring to acquirer correct fitting)
Collarless shirt
Standard issue to all troops in the battalion , except for officers who received collar shirts which they were able to wear there ties.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus (best quality mainly use original materials)
Trouser braces (suspenders)
As belts were not common issue braces were worn to hold the trousers up. They were made of white cotton non elastic and most had leather button tabs.
Acceptable suppliers:
Soldier of fortune
EBay (can sometimes find originals)
Dension airborne smock 2nd pattern
One of the main part of the uniform is the dension the pattern most common for the scenario we portray is the 2nd pattern which is the printed version
with knitted cuffs however this pattern did not have the buttons on the back to hold up the tail of the dension.
Very common in the battalion was to unstitch the rear of the dension inside to create a large pocket to store extra equipment.
Acceptable suppliers:
Solider of fortune (best to buy at a militia show were a member of the group can check the quality of the dension.)
Footwear
Ammo boots wear issued to battalion in black leather with 13 hobnails, officers were allowed to wear brown ammo boots. Socks were white wool socks.
Web canvas ankle gaiters were worn over the boots any variation with brass fittings.
Acceptable suppliers:
What price glory
Soldier of fortune (best a present in quality)
Headgear
Jump helmet 2nd pattern all steel
These were standard issue to all troops the had all leather chin straps and leather chin cup. The helmet netting is a small mesh with lots of scrim for
camouflage.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus ( the only and best quality helmets made)
Maroon beret
This is one of the most prominent airborne symbol is the maroon beret. These were plate hanger much larger than the modern style berets.
Cap badge: south Staffordshire with the king crown best is original easily found at miltria fairs.
Acceptable suppliers:
Soldier of fortune
What price glory
37 pattern webbing
Basic field webbing (standard load for rifleman)
Web waist belt
Web cross straps
Utility pouches mk2 or mk3 brass press stud fastenings
Web water bottle with carrier ever the sleeve cover or skeleton cover.
Small pack used to carry all the ration cleaning kit towel ground sheet.
Web l-straps to fit on to the small back to wear as a rucksack.
Entrenching tool and cover also was a pick.
Web bayonet frog second model is preferred which fit the short spike bayonet of the no4
Bren auxiliary pouches and straps used to carry extra bren ammo.
All webbing will need blancoing please ask before blancoing and I will be able to tell you the best way and correct colour.
Personal items of the airborne soldier
The haversack was packed for typical operation with the following items:
Emergency ration - they contained a single block of high energy glucose chocolate.
24 hour ration this was held in waxed cardboard box which fitted in the small half of the mess tin.
The ration contained
10 biscuits
2 sweetened oatmeal box
Tea/sugar/milk block
1 meat block
2 slabs of raisin chocolate
1 slab of plain chocolate
20 boiled sweets
2 pack of chewing gums
1 packet of salt
6 tablets of meat extract
4 tablets of sugar
One knife one fork and one spoon
One solidified spirit burner
One mess tin
One towel
One ground sheet
One jumper pullover
Shaving roll this held shaving brush shaving soap razor toothbrush shoe laces foot powder and comb.
Tea mug
House wife sewing kit
Jack knife and lanyard
Torch
Cigarettes and tin
Field dressing
Gloves
White string vest
Camouflage face veil
Identity discs
Battledress
Both the 1936 and 1940 serge pattern battle dress is acceptable for any scenario we display at shows.
As well the trousers can also be ever pattern, however no airborne pattern trousers are permitted as the battalion were not issued them due to the fact they
were glider troops.
All insigne for airborne tab and Pegasus patch can be purchased from Pegasus
South Staffordshire can be purchased from Monty locker.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus (best quality first choice for unit members)
solider of fortune (will require tailoring to acquirer correct fitting)
Collarless shirt
Standard issue to all troops in the battalion , except for officers who received collar shirts which they were able to wear there ties.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus (best quality mainly use original materials)
Trouser braces (suspenders)
As belts were not common issue braces were worn to hold the trousers up. They were made of white cotton non elastic and most had leather button tabs.
Acceptable suppliers:
Soldier of fortune
EBay (can sometimes find originals)
Dension airborne smock 2nd pattern
One of the main part of the uniform is the dension the pattern most common for the scenario we portray is the 2nd pattern which is the printed version
with knitted cuffs however this pattern did not have the buttons on the back to hold up the tail of the dension.
Very common in the battalion was to unstitch the rear of the dension inside to create a large pocket to store extra equipment.
Acceptable suppliers:
Solider of fortune (best to buy at a militia show were a member of the group can check the quality of the dension.)
Footwear
Ammo boots wear issued to battalion in black leather with 13 hobnails, officers were allowed to wear brown ammo boots. Socks were white wool socks.
Web canvas ankle gaiters were worn over the boots any variation with brass fittings.
Acceptable suppliers:
What price glory
Soldier of fortune (best a present in quality)
Headgear
Jump helmet 2nd pattern all steel
These were standard issue to all troops the had all leather chin straps and leather chin cup. The helmet netting is a small mesh with lots of scrim for
camouflage.
Acceptable suppliers:
Pegasus ( the only and best quality helmets made)
Maroon beret
This is one of the most prominent airborne symbol is the maroon beret. These were plate hanger much larger than the modern style berets.
Cap badge: south Staffordshire with the king crown best is original easily found at miltria fairs.
Acceptable suppliers:
Soldier of fortune
What price glory
37 pattern webbing
Basic field webbing (standard load for rifleman)
Web waist belt
Web cross straps
Utility pouches mk2 or mk3 brass press stud fastenings
Web water bottle with carrier ever the sleeve cover or skeleton cover.
Small pack used to carry all the ration cleaning kit towel ground sheet.
Web l-straps to fit on to the small back to wear as a rucksack.
Entrenching tool and cover also was a pick.
Web bayonet frog second model is preferred which fit the short spike bayonet of the no4
Bren auxiliary pouches and straps used to carry extra bren ammo.
All webbing will need blancoing please ask before blancoing and I will be able to tell you the best way and correct colour.
Personal items of the airborne soldier
The haversack was packed for typical operation with the following items:
Emergency ration - they contained a single block of high energy glucose chocolate.
24 hour ration this was held in waxed cardboard box which fitted in the small half of the mess tin.
The ration contained
10 biscuits
2 sweetened oatmeal box
Tea/sugar/milk block
1 meat block
2 slabs of raisin chocolate
1 slab of plain chocolate
20 boiled sweets
2 pack of chewing gums
1 packet of salt
6 tablets of meat extract
4 tablets of sugar
One knife one fork and one spoon
One solidified spirit burner
One mess tin
One towel
One ground sheet
One jumper pullover
Shaving roll this held shaving brush shaving soap razor toothbrush shoe laces foot powder and comb.
Tea mug
House wife sewing kit
Jack knife and lanyard
Torch
Cigarettes and tin
Field dressing
Gloves
White string vest
Camouflage face veil
Identity discs
Airborne weapons
No4 mk1 rifle 303
The No 4 series rifles were developed from the British forerunner, the Short Magazine, Lee Enfield Mark VI (SMLE). The Rifle, .303 calibre, Lee Enfield,
No 4 Mk 1 appeared in 1931 as a refined production version of the No 1 rifle adapted from the SMLE. The Rifle, .303 calibre, No 4 Mk 1 was further
redesigned for mass production as the Rifle, .303 calibre, Lee Enfield, No 4 Mk 1 * in 1939. This version of the rifle became standard issue for the British
Commonwealth during World War II.
Sten gun mark 5
Sten is the simplest mass-production submachine gun used during World War 2. It evolved form a more complex and expensive Lanchester. Sten Mk.2 (and
later Mk.3) was simple to the extreme. All-metal and made to generous tolerances it was much faster and cheaper to make than an Enfield rifle. It cost $6 to
make and most parts were simple metal pipes.
Mk.5 was the "deluxe" model, complete with rifle rights and a pistol grip. The current British Sterling SMG evolved from this ugly contraption.
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson was used in World War II in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers (corporal, sergeant and higher
ranking), and patrol leaders. In the European theatre, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian Commando units, as well as U.S. paratrooper and
Ranger battalions who used it widely because of its high rate of fire, its stopping power and because it was very effective in close combat. Through
Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union also received the Thompson, but due to a shortage of appropriate ammunition in the Soviet Union, usage was not widespread.
Bren light machine gun 303
The Bren was officially operated by a two-man crew: a gunner to fire and carry the Bren, and a reloader to reload the gun and replace the barrel when it
overheated. The latch in front of the magazine was rotated to unlock the barrel so that it could be replaced: the carrying handle was used to grip the hot
barrel without risk of burning. The reloader carried extra ammunition and barrels. During wartime, however, the two-man crew concept was abandoned and
the weapon was commonly operated by one man, the gunner
The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards (550 m) when fired from a prone position with a bipod. Initial versions of the weapon were sometimes
considered too accurate because the cone or pattern of fire was extremely concentrated, resulting in multiple hits on one or two enemies, with other enemy
soldiers going untouched. More than a few soldiers expressed a preference for worn-out barrels in order to spread the cone of fire among several targets.
Later versions of the Bren addressed this issue by providing a wider cone of fire
Piat
The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank (PIAT) was a British anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in response to
the British Army's need for a hand-held infantry anti-tank weapon that was more effective than the current weapons it possessed. It consisted of a steel tube,
a trigger mechanism and firing spring, and was based on the spigot mortar system; instead of using a propellant to directly fire a round, the spring was
cocked and tightened. When the trigger was pulled, it released the spring which pushed the spigot forward into the rear of the bomb. This detonated the
propellant in the bomb itself, which was then thrown forward off the spigot. It possessed an effective range of approximately 100 yards (91 m).
Vickers machine gun 303
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers
Limited, originally for the British Army. The machine gun typically required a six- to eight-man team to operate: one to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and
the rest to help carry the weapon, its ammunition and spare parts. It served from before the First World War until after the end of the Second World War.
The weapon had a reputation for great solidity and reliability. Ian V. Hogg, in Weapons & War Machines, describes an action that took place in August,
1916, during which the British Army's 100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps fired their ten Vickers guns continuously for twelve hours. They fired a
million rounds between them, using 100 new barrels, without a single breakdown. "It was this absolute foolproof reliability which endeared the Vickers to
every British soldier who ever fired one
2" mortar
The Ordnance SBML 2-inch mortar, or more commonly just "2-inch mortar", was a British mortar issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies
that saw use during the Second World War and later.
It had the advantages of being more portable than larger mortars which needed vehicles to be carried around, but gave greater range and firepower than rifle
grenades.
Varity of grenades
No.36 mills bomb
No.69 grenade
No.73 anti-tank grenade
No.75 grenade
No.77 smoke grenade
The s.t. grenade
No.82 gammon bomb
No4 mk1 rifle 303
The No 4 series rifles were developed from the British forerunner, the Short Magazine, Lee Enfield Mark VI (SMLE). The Rifle, .303 calibre, Lee Enfield,
No 4 Mk 1 appeared in 1931 as a refined production version of the No 1 rifle adapted from the SMLE. The Rifle, .303 calibre, No 4 Mk 1 was further
redesigned for mass production as the Rifle, .303 calibre, Lee Enfield, No 4 Mk 1 * in 1939. This version of the rifle became standard issue for the British
Commonwealth during World War II.
Sten gun mark 5
Sten is the simplest mass-production submachine gun used during World War 2. It evolved form a more complex and expensive Lanchester. Sten Mk.2 (and
later Mk.3) was simple to the extreme. All-metal and made to generous tolerances it was much faster and cheaper to make than an Enfield rifle. It cost $6 to
make and most parts were simple metal pipes.
Mk.5 was the "deluxe" model, complete with rifle rights and a pistol grip. The current British Sterling SMG evolved from this ugly contraption.
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson was used in World War II in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers (corporal, sergeant and higher
ranking), and patrol leaders. In the European theatre, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian Commando units, as well as U.S. paratrooper and
Ranger battalions who used it widely because of its high rate of fire, its stopping power and because it was very effective in close combat. Through
Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union also received the Thompson, but due to a shortage of appropriate ammunition in the Soviet Union, usage was not widespread.
Bren light machine gun 303
The Bren was officially operated by a two-man crew: a gunner to fire and carry the Bren, and a reloader to reload the gun and replace the barrel when it
overheated. The latch in front of the magazine was rotated to unlock the barrel so that it could be replaced: the carrying handle was used to grip the hot
barrel without risk of burning. The reloader carried extra ammunition and barrels. During wartime, however, the two-man crew concept was abandoned and
the weapon was commonly operated by one man, the gunner
The Bren had an effective range of around 600 yards (550 m) when fired from a prone position with a bipod. Initial versions of the weapon were sometimes
considered too accurate because the cone or pattern of fire was extremely concentrated, resulting in multiple hits on one or two enemies, with other enemy
soldiers going untouched. More than a few soldiers expressed a preference for worn-out barrels in order to spread the cone of fire among several targets.
Later versions of the Bren addressed this issue by providing a wider cone of fire
Piat
The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank (PIAT) was a British anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in response to
the British Army's need for a hand-held infantry anti-tank weapon that was more effective than the current weapons it possessed. It consisted of a steel tube,
a trigger mechanism and firing spring, and was based on the spigot mortar system; instead of using a propellant to directly fire a round, the spring was
cocked and tightened. When the trigger was pulled, it released the spring which pushed the spigot forward into the rear of the bomb. This detonated the
propellant in the bomb itself, which was then thrown forward off the spigot. It possessed an effective range of approximately 100 yards (91 m).
Vickers machine gun 303
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers
Limited, originally for the British Army. The machine gun typically required a six- to eight-man team to operate: one to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and
the rest to help carry the weapon, its ammunition and spare parts. It served from before the First World War until after the end of the Second World War.
The weapon had a reputation for great solidity and reliability. Ian V. Hogg, in Weapons & War Machines, describes an action that took place in August,
1916, during which the British Army's 100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps fired their ten Vickers guns continuously for twelve hours. They fired a
million rounds between them, using 100 new barrels, without a single breakdown. "It was this absolute foolproof reliability which endeared the Vickers to
every British soldier who ever fired one
2" mortar
The Ordnance SBML 2-inch mortar, or more commonly just "2-inch mortar", was a British mortar issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies
that saw use during the Second World War and later.
It had the advantages of being more portable than larger mortars which needed vehicles to be carried around, but gave greater range and firepower than rifle
grenades.
Varity of grenades
No.36 mills bomb
No.69 grenade
No.73 anti-tank grenade
No.75 grenade
No.77 smoke grenade
The s.t. grenade
No.82 gammon bomb
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