Let’s look at these paratroopers. The person who made them says that they are US Airborne in June 1944. It’s a noble endeavor. Or, is it? We’ll label them #1, #2, and #3.
Trooper #1:
He’s probably the best of the bunch, but is he a good figure? First of all, look at the aid kit tied to the helmet net. Reenactors love it that way. Modelers love it that way. Action figure enthusiasts love it that way. Is it correct? Not at all. Paratroopers jumping into Normandy didn’t do it that way. They used a lot of burlap scrum to help break up the silhouette of their helmets. They wouldn’t tie an unnatural looking object into them.
How about the musette bag? It looks good, right? It’s on backward. The idea was for the jumper to land, drop his chute harness, drop his life vest, and toss the musette over his head and wear it like a backpack. That doesn’t work when you wear it this way.
A trench knife in the reserve chute rigging? Really? What happens to it if you use the reserve chute? When you are in a hurry and quickly drop your harness, will you remember to grab your trench knife?
What’s with the compass on the wrist? Troopers said they rarely if ever wore them that way.
Trooper #2:
The musette bag is backward. See above.
He wouldn’t have his binoculars loosely slung around his neck. In the first place, he’d lose them as soon as he jumped. What would happen if he had to use his reserve, and they got snagged in it? He’d either strangle himself, or they’d bind in the rigging, and his chute might not open properly. Then, what?
Why would you have smoke grenades in the parachute rigging? Would you remember to grab them when you dropped your chute? If not, what good are they?
He has the wrong parachute on. The parachute used in Normandy hooked in the front. The one with the buckle harness wasn’t used until Market Garden.
Figure #3:
Is he good? Nope. His musette bag is backward. See #1.
Why the trench knife in the reserve parachute rigging? See #1.
Double-buckle boots? First of all, they weren’t issued at this time. Most importantly, paratroopers took pride in their jump boots. They earned the jump boots, and the boots were a status symbol. Only recruits and replacements brought in later got the double-buckle boots.
A BAR? Unless he’s 82nd, he has the wrong weapon, and even then troopers didn’t jump with them. They were too big and too bulky to jump with.
Compass on the wrist? Nope.
Why is his canteen in front?
Learn from these figures. If you want yo do good, realistic figures, look at photos. See what was worn and how they wore it. Do a bit of research, and the rewards will pay off.
By the way, the purpose of this post isn’t to ridicule or to demean anyone. It’s our hobby. We all do things our way. However, if you are trying to represent a group of real people, even if you aren’t doing a specific individual or group of individuals, you owe it their memory to do it right. Reenactorisms took over what was once a great hobby. Don’t do the same thing in 1/6 scale.
