Edit:

See below - order of dres question?

Greetings all,

Following on to my earlier post on Beachh Masters, which I found the answer to, I came across this really interesting site.

http://www.combinedops.com/RN%20Commando.htm

It details the formation and activities of Combined Operations RN who were responsible for organising all manner of stuff to do with any type of beach landing.

Worth putting in your favourites if you are at all interested in any of the landing operations that took place in WW2. Lots of detailed information about specific LCTs and all manner of information about the various units involved in the organisational side of beach landings.

Hope you find this useful, if you already have it bookmarked, then great.

Cheers

Al

Hi Alan!
Thanks for the link, mate...went into the research fave's, sure to be used sometime!
~Gunny

Thanks for sharing. This went straight to the favorites. One day I'd like to try my hand at doing the beach master from The Longest Day, played by Kenneth Moore. I don't suppose it would need to be too accurate, if I only wanted him to look like from the film, but this site would be good if I wanted it to look just right.

Hi Rodger,

There's a Beach Master Kit in 1/32 if you're not worried about scale.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DD54-Beach-Master-Set-by-King-Country_W0QQitemZ6036596356QQcategoryZ2634QQcmdZViewItem

This one is on e-bay, I can't remember who makes it but it is available from the supplier.

Cheers

Al

I used to say I wasn't but for the first time I've tried mixing and matching figures and I've realized how really differnt in size they can be. I've been working on figures for a Duce N a half truck, one from the kit itself, one from the old half-track kit, one from DML, and one resin figure I don't even know who made. There is a vast difference between the four in size. The driver that came with the kit looks like a midget next to the one from the half-track. The DML guy is a bit smaller than the h.t. guy, but still towers over the resin figure. I know people come in all sizes but these just don't look right. I have had to arrange the figures in such a way that the extremes aren't right next to each other. I'm going to be very careful in the future on that kind of thing.

Hi Rodger,

Yip, even in 1/35 there are some strange sizes!!! However, did you like the dog and his beard!!!!! LOL

I believe that you can use 1/32 and 1/35 provided you use the same equipment, although I've never tried it. That kits way too expensive for me but I did provide an idea.

The signaller is wearing a sailors hat, interesting. The beach units were made of of a variety of personnel so although it's a mixed order of dress it is probably possible.

Any thoughts anyone???

Cheers

Al

One thing that has always struck me about the British military is how sometimes the soldiers/sailors could wear just about anything they like, while in other cases they would all have to wear exactly the right "kit." I think it all came down to the commander. I might have to watch The Longest Day again to see if any of the Beach Masters crew are shown, and look if any of them are wearing a standard sailors cap.

Hi Rodger,

Remember that during the war clothes were rationed. In Britain, there were shortages of just about everything except German Bombs.

If you think about the RN and actually being at sea then your going to get wet, cold, wet cold constantly. People wore what was available. Jumpers from home, hats from Granny, scavanged kit all sorts.

It's the same if you look at the desert war. All manner of odd and wonderfull dress was accepted, because kit was in short supple. We always think of the desert as being hot. Yes, it's blisteringly hot during the day but can be freezing cold at night - hence you see people with greatcoats and shorts on especially in the early morning or late evening. There's a picture of a chap from a DUKW unit at the Rhine Crossing sitting by the side of the road having scoff and wearing a Top Hat.

Add to that a collection of kilts and hats of all descriptions and that's why I get annoyed when people say British military dress is boring.

Anyway have to get back to the M7 Wheels for my LCM.(thanks for you help there).

Cheers

Al

Oh yes, Mum told me about the rationing. She had one house bombed out over her head. My Dad always said she never learned to drive a car, or really cook all that well, because of the rationing she went through at a time when most people were learing to drive and cook.

I'm not 100% sure though that this entirely explains why British soldiers/seaman dress so casually sometimes. It seems to me that it's been going on for a long time. British officers in the Napoleonic wars dressed pretty much as they liked. One admitedly fictional example is Michael Caine's character in A Bridge Too Far. The scene where Gerneral Horrikcs (sp) gives him a hard time about the way he's dressed. I know he's an officer, but I think common O.R. did it too. I still think it comes down quite a bit to the commander.

Hi Rodger,

Your right I give up. Only joking.

If it helps here's my personal experience. On parade your are 100% correct - in battle, anything goes as long as it works. It's just a matter of common sense.

If the kits not available and you have your own, no ones going to bother you about it. If you haven't got what you need you improvise, liberate it from somewhere else.

Things that work become accepted. When I was stationed in the Middle East I bought my own desert boots, all the Brits did, everybody accepted that they were more comfortable to wear and as long as they were roughly the same colour not one bothered whether they were more like shoes than boots. They were not standard issue, so you bought you own.

When we were stationed in HK no one in the Battalion wore the webbing straps that went with the 44 pattern webbing. All the other Regiments did.

Yip, it's the CO who sets the policy but it's often the ORs who come up with the ideas that then become accepted as the norm.

Each Regiment is different and has it's own traditions dating back hundreds of years, these get added too over time and 'Orders of Dress' especially in the field are adapted to meet the need.

In short the British Army has always been 'qualified to do anything with nothing' and that's still true to this day.

Adaptability is one of the reasons it's one of the best armys in the world - possibly the best. Sorry but I'm a bit bias!!!

You need three basic things to fight, a weapon, ammunition and water - the rest you can take off you enemy because if you do you job correctly he will be dead. That's making it a bit simple but it's basically true.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Al

Ps: '12 wheels on my wagon' LOL, LOL, LOL

From what I've found researching a 30 AU dio mixed rig seems quite common. I have RNVR Officer in army BDs and denison smock with army SD cap (RN rank and cap badge) planned...