HELLO

[dasreich]

My name is Chuck I want to do DasREICH 1st SS and be a hero of germany. I ned camoflaj and gear. Does Flektarn work for camo,

thanks
Chuck BORGWARD

[stuka]

depends on how accurate of a kit you are trying to do. Flecktern works i guess but it's not ww2 thats for sure

[dasreich]

Shud I wear black instead? I can get black uniform

[brownien]

If you want to start an impression, do alot of research online first to at least get an idea of what would be best to buy. Stay away from modern items like jackets, trousers, and web gear. In the long run, saving up and buying what is correct for your impression, initially, will save you tons of money later on.

I am no expert on German WW2 uniforms, but I would say, either go with good repro items like tunics and trousers, or go for a post war Swiss tunic to convert. Overall repro German webbing, with some Post war East German items would be fine also.

[dasreich]

Jun 26, 2013 22:37:50 GMT -5 brownien said:

If you want to start an impression, do alot of research online first to at least get an idea of what would be best to buy. Stay away from modern items like jackets, trousers, and web gear. In the long run, saving up and buying what is correct for your impression, initially, will save you tons of money later on.

I am no expert on German WW2 uniforms, but I would say, either go with good repro items like tunics and trousers, or go for a post war Swiss tunic to convert. Overall repro German webbing, with some Post war East German items would be fine also.

So black SS uniform from ebay is good then? I want to be elite night time sturmabteil unit like in the movies.

[aldrich]

First off, welcome to the boards! Secondly, the 1st SS division was in fact the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division. The Das Reich Panzer Division would be the 2nd SS. As said before, the best route to go would be to do some research and find the exact impression you wish to put together. I would highly recommend that you do not buy the black SS uniforms as they were never really used during the actual wartime period. A more suitable choice would be a field grey wool uniform. German uniforms changed over the years to cope with material shortages so you will have to do some research as to what year you wish to portray. I would also highly recommend that you steer clear from any modern gear to supplement your impression such as Flectarn. It is much more worth it to save up your money for quality reproductions than spend it on things you will later no longer use. My recommendation is to find a photograph of an average soldier on the particular front that interests you the most and then base your impression off of that. I would also recommend that you steer clear of camouflage items until you have first completed a wool uniform. Though camouflage was extensively used by the divisions named above, it is best to get the wool first as a foundation for the rest of your uniform. Remember, camouflage at the time was issued on an as needed basis, but everyone was issued a wool uniform. If you want to do a German night fighting soldier or "Nachtjager" that is something completely different. Though used by the Germans, these units were very late war and small in number. An impression such as this really limits you to the types of events you can attend. They also largely used the same wool uniforms that the army used. Also, the sturm abteilung or "SA" was not a combat unit and I believe was disbanded before the war years, but I could be wrong on that last part. The last and most important thing to remember is that whether you choose to do Das Reich or Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, both units were notorious for the atrocities they committed in WWII. I am not saying you can not reenact these divisions, though my main impression is 3rd Panzergrenadier, I also have a Leibstandarte impression as well for when I do blankfire. What I am trying to say is that one should be always be careful, respectful, and aware when portraying such a division. All in all, I hope this has helped, and if not already involved in another way, welcome to WWII reenacting!

Picture of LAH for reference on uniforms:

[brownien]

Dont go by what you see in movies. If you want to do an SS impression for airsoft, do a Waffen SS impression, no black tunics or pants, unless you go with a black tanker's wrap, but thats completely different from infantry. Doing Waffen SS, will give you a wide variety of camo patterns that you can use. But also, DONT ASSUME that because its shown in movies, that it is true! RESEARCH!!!! Look up everything you will need to buy for a German Waffen SS private, see what units wore what, and how often. The point of WW2 airsoft, isnt to run around shooting each other in uber super soldier uniforms, but to portray the average WW2 soldier, and get a better feeling of what life and combat would have been like. My best advice to do first:
1. Google: WW2 Waffen SS field uniform, get an idea of how hey dressed.
2. Go to Atthefront.com they are one of the best, but one of the most expensive suppliers, BUT hey are correct, and they have reference materials.
3. Google what Waffen SS unit you would want to portray, and look up their backround info.
4. Figure out what gun you would like to use. I know the MG42 is very tempting, but for a beginner, your best bet (price wise) would be a STG44. I personally prefer springer Kar98k conversion, as they can be more accurate at distances, and they were the mainstay of the German Armys.

Btw, using a springer may seem foolish due to its slow rate of fire. But with squad tactics, and right strategies, bolt action riflemen can be more effective than sprayin' and prayn' with a aeg.

Lastly, I would suggest going for a Private, or at most a Corporal impression. IMO there are too many people that want to be "the" field marschall. Nothing wrong with being a lowly Pfc.!

Dont get me wrong, this hobby is meant to be fun! But many of us have alot of fun just trying to make our kits period correct. Hope this isnt daunting to a new guy, just need a planned approach.

[dasreich]

i really like the black uniform tho. i think i will go with it anyway, i am doing 1st SS Das Reich, not adolf hitler also warcimes comited during wwii were done by normal ss not waffen.

[dasreich]

Jun 27, 2013 0:29:26 GMT -5 brownien said:

Dont go by what you see in movies. If you want to do an SS impression for airsoft, do a Waffen SS impression, no black tunics or pants, unless you go with a black tanker's wrap, but thats completely different from infantry. Doing Waffen SS, will give you a wide variety of camo patterns that you can use. But also, DONT ASSUME that because its shown in movies, that it is true! RESEARCH!!!! Look up everything you will need to buy for a German Waffen SS private, see what units wore what, and how often. The point of WW2 airsoft, isnt to run around shooting each other in uber super soldier uniforms, but to portray the average WW2 soldier, and get a better feeling of what life and combat would have been like. My best advice to do first:
1. Google: WW2 Waffen SS field uniform, get an idea of how hey dressed.
2. Go to Atthefront.com they are one of the best, but one of the most expensive suppliers, BUT hey are correct, and they have reference materials.
3. Google what Waffen SS unit you would want to portray, and look up their backround info.
4. Figure out what gun you would like to use. I know the MG42 is very tempting, but for a beginner, your best bet (price wise) would be a STG44. I personally prefer springer Kar98k conversion, as they can be more accurate at distances, and they were the mainstay of the German Armys.

Btw, using a springer may seem foolish due to its slow rate of fire. But with squad tactics, and right strategies, bolt action riflemen can be more effective than sprayin' and prayn' with a aeg.

Lastly, I would suggest going for a Private, or at most a Corporal impression. IMO there are too many people that want to be "the" field marschall. Nothing wrong with being a lowly Pfc.!

Dont get me wrong, this hobby is meant to be fun! But many of us have alot of fun just trying to make our kits period correct. Hope this isnt daunting to a new guy, just need a planned approach.

i am doing officer so i can carry a luger

[brownien]

Warcrimes were commited by the Waffen SS, but mostly on the Eastern front, although there were a few occations on he Western front.

You are correct that the SA was disbanded before the war started, not sure when, but I know the SS basicly took over the SA.

The black uniforms you see online are all parade uniforms. I have never seen evidence of infantry units wearing black uniforms in combat. All of he German Infantry wore the field gray tunic and trousers, the main difference between Wehrmacht and Waffen is that Wehr had 6 buttons on the chest, and Waffen had 5.

[2nd Bat]

You are free of course to ignore any and all advice given but my question would be why ask? A black uniform impression for anything but a Panzer crew is essentially the fodder of pourly done films and pubiescent teens with twisted fantasies. You clearly don't want to hear it but what you want (and have every right to do). Falls outside of the realm of what this forum likes to promote and that is historically factual depictions of soldiers in WW2.

I wouldn't want such an impression at one of my events. That in no way makes it wrong but since you asked for input, there you go!

[dasreich]

ok can i wear a black panzer uniform and be 1st SS das REICH?

[labrador]

hi chuck, I guess you could wear the black panzer uniform as quite a few tank crewmen from the ss ended the war without vehicles and were hastily organized into infantry and tank hunting units. this only happened at the very end of the war.

by the way. the first ss is the leibstandarte ss, it's the second ss that is das reich.

[dasreich]

I will def wear a black panzer uniform for 1st SS das REICH then. can i carry an ak insted of an stg since it is close? also wear do i get SS officer insignia and lot of medals? like knights cross?

[brownien]

If an ak47 is all you have at the moment, then it shouldnt be a problem while you are building your kit. If you dont have a weapon at the moment, Dont go buying an ak47 instead of an stg44 just because its cheaper. Save up a bit more and get the proper ww2 gun. But if you are doing a tanker impression, you may want to consider getting an mp40 instead. More compact, and suitable for a tanker.

[dasreich]

Jun 27, 2013 11:31:55 GMT -5 brownien said:

If an ak47 is all you have at the moment, then it shouldnt be a problem while you are building your kit. If you dont have a weapon at the moment, Dont go buying an ak47 instead of an stg44 just because its cheaper. Save up a bit more and get the proper ww2 gun. But if you are doing a tanker impression, you may want to consider getting an mp40 instead. More compact, and suitable for a tanker.

Great i will use AK-74

[brownien]

Just try to make getting a period gun, one of your kit priorities. Most ww2 events nowadays wont allow modern guns, and if they do, they must be burlapped.

If you are going for a dismounted tank commander, you may also want to grab a pair of binoculars that look like period German. They would add to the kit and be quite functional!

[knights52]

I know it's been said a few times before, but 1.SS Das Reich is not real. 1.SS was originally Hitlers bodyguard, and became a combat unit later. 1.SS Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler

[greaser350]

Jun 27, 2013 11:15:03 GMT -5 dasreich said:

I will def wear a black panzer uniform for 1st SS das REICH then. can i carry an ak insted of an stg since it is close? also wear do i get SS officer insignia and lot of medals? like knights cross?

You're not taking any of the advice you're being given here to heart at all. Buying and "elite" uniform and covering yourself in medals is a good way to get a bad reputation in this hobby. No less, if you're going with the black panzer uniform, you're limiting yourself ONLY to VERY late war events, unless you happen to get a tank. Your true best bet is to go with a field grey uniform and be an enlisted man. I don't know how old you are, but you shouldn't be doing officer unless you are at least in your 20s. If you want to be an officer, you've also got to know a thing or two about unit tactics so that you can effectively lead troops. You then also need troops to lead. By choosing to be an officer, you're just opening a can of worms for yourself in the farb department. My advice to you is this:

1. Go with a Waffen SS or Heer impression
2. Lose the black unless you have a tank to ride around in
3. Lose all the medals. Maybe an infantry assault badge at most, but lose the knight's cross.
4. If you have the AK already, that's fine for now but make an effort to upgrade.
5. Unless you're talking originals, stay away from ebay. Some of the stuff on there is ok, but much is poorly constructed and Flaggrantly Wrong.

This community is very understanding when it comes to beginners. No one expects you to have a perfect impression right off the bat. But if you just go with "what you like" and intentionally throw historical accuracy out the window, then you will not be welcome at events nor do you deserve to be. If you have to justify an impression or make an excuse for why it could happen, then it's not worth doing.

[dasreich]

OK, i wont be officer, i will be enlisted men until i get promoted

www.ebay.com/itm/East-German-Tanker-jacket-size-K48-/121059423733?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2fb435f5

this jacket i got and black pants. i just need helmet and ak and i will be doing 1st SS das REICH in no time

[knights52]

My sides... I can't even...

[ScottCollins]

dasreich, if you just want a moviestar-rambo-hero of germany impression, why did you come here? We're all about realism here

[SNAFU]

To be a very obvious troll...
the shame of it is you guys were giving him really good advice.

[wilhelmmoa]

Omg I am 14 and I get this stuff better then you! The 1st SS is the liebstandarte adolf hitler division and the 2nd SS is the Das reich division, that is a pretty bad tunic by the way but its fine for like one game. Get a WWII german uniform not a East German stuff. Also if your trying to go all nazi ninja for night battles, it's too dark to see the uniforms anyway so why would you care? I just wear my wool tunic and possibly a camo smock.

[brownien]

This is either a troll, or someone who really doesnt know or care about the history of the period. All that is said cannot sway his/her opinion. Thank you all, who tried to help out, I am reassured that you all are very generous people, but we can only beat a dead horse for so long.

[dasreich]

i do care about history and since nobody wants t odo ss since people think they are evil i am doing ss

[knights52]

That's almost as backwards as you can get. Often times, SS outnumber Heer. If anything, we need more Heer to balance it out

[brownien]

At their most basic level, the only difference between a budget wehrmacht uniform and a budget waffen ss uniform would be the tunic. If need be, just grab one you prefer. I personally dont mind the balance of either army group, As long as their is a proper balance of riflemen to NCO's.

[aj czarkowski]

Good advice, this forum is very helpful and patient to beginners. I think that 'dasreich' is a troll

[dasreich]

i am not a troll, just a new guy and i am mad that u guys are pised becaus u dont like my stuff i dont hav 2 be like everyone else.