Young90th
MP's
Head Forum MP
Lil Beav
Posts: 266
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Post by Young90th on Oct 16, 2008 16:52:13 GMT -5
Oh and Jim, You're driving me crazy playing the devils advocate but it is keeping me in shape for the big board
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Post by redjoshman on Oct 16, 2008 18:16:26 GMT -5
I have to agree with French DBs, Me and charles saw a guy, 100% perfect 82nd BAR gunner impression, BAR, the whole works, the only problem French DBs. If you can spend however much for a BAR, you can afford the $50 for a pair of correct DBs.
-Josh
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Post by barrelhunter on Oct 17, 2008 9:40:20 GMT -5
Guys
Never assume a BAR gunner is the owner of the BAR. Often times a senior reenactor with deep pockets brings a collection to a reenactment and takes the biggest new guy and turns him into the BAR man. The old guy leading the team with the binoculars and pistol...he probably owns the BAR and all the toys that brought the private up to high speed and the French double buckles to go with it.
Like you guys point out, if you can afford the BAR you can afford the right footwear. Other wise you are using loaner gear and growing into the hobby.
Now I didn't look at Lil Beavs shoes for a reason. I was afraid he had white fuzzy boots that hadn't been treated with Pecards, clear shoe polish or heaven forbid soot and dubbing mix. I'm serious about the heaven forbid aspect. Not knowing if boots have polyester cotton blended stitching I never suggest Military Issue dubbing for anything but a footlocker display. I also don't suggest it for cotton thread just because. Kiwi, Lincoln, and most over the counter polishes have bees wax and lanoline to preserve leather. Pecards is different and I suspect it has a form of duck fat due to the product picture. I've also never been a big fan of mink oil due to the awful smell.
I strongly suggest watching "To Hell and Back" and watch Major Murphy's feet. At one point in the movie, his squad tries to talk him out of his new boots. At another point, he pays a young kid to shine his shoes. England, Italy, France, etc., were not third world nations and all had cobbler shops, stores, and an abundance of shoe shiners, polish vendors and so much more. My point is if you want to call a reenactor FARBE for the color of their boots then you don't own all the shades possible. I agree for a beginner having light brown boots with a minimum of tanning...suntan of the boots that is...is appropriate. However, by Army regulations, you would have been issued one pair of shoes, two pairs of boots and you would have had polish in your footlocker. We just see too many Sad Sack and Mauldin comics with troops polishing their boots to discount them just because [insert favorite vendor] doesn't ship a pamphlet or DVD with his boots.
Keep in mind also there were foot inspections done at various times while on patrol to check for athletes foot, blisters, trench foot and to count toes during the winter. Brits even used uratic acid to shrink and tenderize their boots...yes they peed in them. Uratic acid has been a long time cure for athlete’s foot and I'm more then willing to pee on yours however, for myself I'll stick with a spray...well maybe not for French double buckles, god only knows where they've been.
Jim
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Post by redjoshman on Oct 17, 2008 21:23:54 GMT -5
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