Show us YOU

[Shc]

I really should have.

Goodbye car

Goodbye childhood memories

Goodbye symbol of adolesence

HELLO MOTORCYCLE

Motorcycle? No!! Say hello to a bicycle instead

~Shc~

[simondodkins]

Anyone does Kriegsmarine impression here?

Yup....I do Coastal Artillery - here is me at a recent reenactment in Jersey and yes I earned my Coastal Artillery award too (thankfully not by being KIA!) :

[Pzgr-Wolf]

Impressive pic!

[Dare Furor]

Anyone does Kriegsmarine impression here?

Yes, I do a Kriegsmarine/U-Boat impression.

I portray Kriesberichter des Marines/Marine Regt. Zapp. This allows me to do four things: 1) be an army of one (not all that much fun really). 2) take pictures all over the place. 3) help event coordinators with admin and gofer work, such as registration, judging, and crowd control. 4) troll for others interested in portraying sailors forced into infantry roles.

Uniform in picture is denim Brit P-37. These were acquired at Dunkirk in both denim and wool versions as along with one-piece tankers' coveralls and other B.O. stores. The gentleman in the centre is wearing the same uniform.

Marching boots (pants worn over the boot-tops, cuffs should be rolled in KM fashion).

Leica IId Marine camera

KM Jr. Offizier peaked cap (which I myself made)

U-boat war badge (awarded after two patrols)

EKII ribbon, and EKI (yeah, yeah, yeah, talk to the hand. However: KM/U-Boat medals were commonly collectively earned and awarded. EK-II was awarded after sinking one target. The EK-I was awarded after the first of the following: completion of 4th "successful patrol"/tonnage accumulation of 50.000 BRT/sinking of enemy warship)


I don't wear the RK which my character acquired this past Spring (Spring '44) but I may in the future just to p!$$-off the whiners (U-Boat crews carried four-to-five officers; 10% of commanders earned the RK)

Okay, U-Boat officer without a U-Boat: After D-Day 1944, the situation for U-Boat flotillas on the Biscay coast turned bleak. From Brest to Bordeaux, U-Boat crews without functional boats were pressed into infantry service. Except for recruits, few crewmen had participated in rudimentary infantry drill since basic training. Although some KM personnel were re-issued fieldgrey/Heer uniforms and equipment, many simply went in their fatigues and received rifle, ammo, and a position to hold. Many crewmen retained their blue sidecaps (I am still researching the popularity of blue M-43 caps), but blue peaked caps among CPOs, warrant and commissioned officers was not uncommon. Wearing the white cap in an infantry situation was a good way to die of "lead poisoning."

Short tangent on white caps: the white cap was the pre-war summer cap. The white cap was also worn in the Med. The removable white cotton cap usually had a metal eagle & swastika that could be removed for laundering. On board a U-Boat, it was a common tradition for the commander to wear the white peaked cap, however, the most important man on board, the cook, also wore a white cap: the summer sidecap with blue-on-white eagle & swastika.

Back to Kriegsmarine impression: one of the easiest, least expensive impressions to accurately portray (or farb up). For example: it's autumn/winter 1944, your boat's been cannibalised to make other boats seaworthy, you are to defend Brest: if you trade in your blue clothing, what fieldgrey uniform do you wear? The M-43? M-44? or the fieldgrey uniform you wore in basic training (provided you didn't wear it out on a patrol because you never expected to wear it again)? When were you last in basic training: 1936? 1940?

Four things I have found about the naval infantry uniform: 1) internal lower pockets (like M-37) with horizontal pocket flaps. 2) fieldgrey collar. 3) Naval ("Coastal Artillery") collar insignia: yellow waffenfarb/white bkgd. 4) No shoulder boards (you were a recruit in Basic). Wear your blue shoulderboards since these would have been issued separately, and it appears that at the end, all ranks wore "other ranks" breast eagles and collar insignia. In many cases only the shoulderboards indicated rank.

Marine-Regiment Zapp was formed in September 1944 in LaPallice/LaRochelle. Two battalions (3rd & 4th) consisted of personnel from the 3rd U-Flotilla, KvKpt Richard Zapp, cdr. There were also various naval infantry (marine) units fighting around Hamburg and Berlin. I have jpegs of naval personnel wearing combat infantry badges as well as tank destruction awards. It is no more odd to portray a post-D-Day U-Boat/KM crewman without a boat, than to portray artillerymen without cannon, or paratroopers without airplanes, but that is a separate thread.

Halali!

Dare Furor

[Hoover]

Four things I have found about the naval infantry uniform: 1) internal lower pockets (like M-37) with horizontal pocket flaps. 2) fieldgrey collar. 3) Naval ("Coastal Artillery") collar insignia: yellow waffenfarb/white bkgd. 4) No shoulder boards (you were a recruit in Basic). Wear your blue shoulderboards since these would have been issued separately, and it appears that at the end, all ranks wore "other ranks" breast eagles and collar insignia. In many cases only the shoulderboards indicated rank.

From the second half of the war onwards the "fieldgrey navy" (Coastal Arty, Marineinfanterie) recieved mainly Army patterned Fieldblouses. Of the 2. Marineinfanteriedivision which fought between the Rivers Weser and Elbe about two third of the soldiers were equipped by the Army, including Camo-smocks and helmet covers (in small numbers).

[Dare Furor]

Thank-you, Hoover,

This is, on the left, KvKpt. Peter Erich "Ali" Cremer (U-333) and another KM officer while assigned to a navy tank destroyer unit. Cremer wears a Luftwaffe camo smock. Note: both wear U-Boat badges. Officer on right wears 1936 KM uniform. Also very European: men arm-in-arm.

The other is an image of a sailor wearing the tank destruction award on his blue uniform.

"Second half of the war" uniforms would be post-1942?

[Hoover]

Ali Cremer fought his way from Walsrode back to Hamburg with his men. Ha wasn´t part of the 2. MID but an indendent Panzervernichtungsbataillon. The remains of his bataillon were ordered to become the "Wachbataillon Cremer", which then secured the Headquarters from GenAdm Dönitz in Flensburg.

It a very interesting pic of Cremer because I only have seen some other pics of him in another camo-uniform.

[Sarge]

Cremer was not just "in" that battalion, but was the commander. If memory serves me, he was personally credited with knocking out a couple of tanks. When they were recalled from the front to act as the "Wacht Battalion Cremer" the unit was down to 16 men.
Sarge

[Hoover]

It is said that Cremer´s men knocked out about 70 tanks. I couldn´t find any definitve numbers.

[Newton30]

Hi Guys!

I converted túnica NVA, was FARB!
I would like if possible, to age this photo!

Newton

[Oxidizing Material]

Here is me on Hallowe'en. I got extra candy

[PzGr Conrad]

How about this?

[Newton30]

Dear PzGr Conrad

It is this effect was very good.

You artist photos.

Thanks!
Newton

[craigob]

Hi Guys!

I converted túnica NVA, was FARB!

interesting,, its not really worth converting NVA Kit, so its still a little farb, dont like the green collar, i dunno somehting about it

[Newton30]

Panzerfaust

I sinned in the color of collar.

Newton