French Resistance Help and Suggestions

[CapaciousZepher]

Hey guys,

 

I've been wanting to get into WWII airsoft for quite some time so I've finally made the jump. Partizan/resistance fighters have always interested me so I figured I would head down that route, I'm particularly wanting to do French Resistance. To start with I've made myself an FFI arm band, that turned out pretty good, which I based on museum images I was able to track down. I'll post some pictures of the arm band tomorrow. Additionally I have a Sten gun on the way for armament. However I'm wondering a few things.

 

First off, obviously civilian 1930's clothing is going to form the basis for the loadout, but in the interest of keeping this low cost, I'm going to try to source most of the pieces through thrift and second hand stores. Is there anything to keep in mind regarding what particular newer items would work, and not look wrong or out of place? Also what about fabric and materials? Also worth noting that I'm going for a working class look here. So right now I'm looking at

 

- Collared shirt

- Trousers

- Suspenders?

- Some kind of flat cap, wool or similar.

- Leather shoes

- FFI armband

- Canteen?

- Some kind of jacket

- Bread bag or some kind of shoulder bag/pouch to hold spare magazines.

 

I've also got a set of P37 webbing so I'm not sure what I could work in to this loadout from that. Perhaps a canteen?

 

Also as far as armament would a Sten gun be accurate? I understand some weapons and ammunition were dropped into France to aid the resistance, but I'm not sure the details or if Sten guns were among these. A captured MP44 or other German weapon might be more accurate, but I like the Sten and want to stick with it.

 

Any other pointers you guys may have for me? I want this to look accurate while being DYI and inexpensive. I don't just want to look like a guy in some random civilian clothes with a WWII weapon. I think it will all be in the little touches.

 

Thanks,

 

- Zepher

[ED-SKaR]

We definatly dropped Stens on the french, amoung other guns. The french resistance is also know to have carried pretty much every german weapon avalable, for obvious reasons, but also guns from many other places. I have seen a picture of a couple of them in some woods with a PPD40 and a mosin nagat, so russian weapons where definatly avalable, probably due to the russiofinnish or russiopolish wars, anything the black market could buy or steel.

 

 

Time for you to watch some old british war movies . And probably "allo allo", thats the most accurate... no, i cant say that seriously .

 

 

 

It is good that you have decided to go for something a little unusual, the french resistance certainly did a lot of good for us during that horrible time.

[lardassmonkey]

Zepher your kit list looks about right. Try to avoid any kind of synthetic material; wool and cotton are your best bet. Try to avoid zips as well.

A wool coat or jacket works well or you could go for a cardigan of some sort. Headgear there is plenty of options, a flatcap would probably be the most common but you could go for a beret or even a trilby type hat.

Suspenders is a nice touch although a plain leather belt will work just as well.

Webbing wise I don't think the resistance had much British stuff. The odd bit of German or French if you can get it would be ok though. I just use a postwar czech gas mask bag, holds everything I need and looks the part. Anything along those lines is fine as long as it doesn't look too modern. For a canteen I use an emptied & unlabelled red wine bottle with a cork. I usually fill with blackcurrant squash for that authentic look.

 

Extra advice? Clothes that are damaged/repaired and a few sizes too big is a good thing. There is a war on you know. Oh remember to look scruff and as undisciplined as possible, this isn't the army.

 

A sten is the ideal weapon, there was more of them supplied than any other weapon. A captured K98 is also an excellent choice. I'd say an MP44 would be pretty unlikely and ammunition would be hard for a partisan to get hold of. An MP40 would be ok though.

 

 

 

I have seen a picture of a couple of them in some woods with a PPD40 and a mosin nagat, so russian weapons where definatly avalable

 

Are you sure they're not just Russian partisans? There is a quite famous photo of 2 partisans in Belarusia with a PPD and M91/30.

[Gadge]

Collared shirts were really for proffesionals and the upper class.

 

The working man wore collarless shirts in general for day to day stuff if that helps

[lardassmonkey]

Of the photos I've seen I'd say the majority of partisans actually seem to be wearing collared shirts.

[Joshua_Rose]

Of the photos I've seen I'd say the majority of partisans actually seem to be wearing collared shirts.

 

Maybe it was only the middle classes that could afford a camera.

[CapaciousZepher]

Thanks for the help guys, some good suggestions there.

I'm liking the wine bottle idea

 

As far as a shoulder or Bread bag goes, would either one of these fit the bill?

 

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/2-used-czech-military-bread-bags-olive-drab.aspx?a=645041

 

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/used-swiss-military-issue-linen-shoulder-bag-olive-drab.aspx?a=608030

 

- Zepher

[lardassmonkey]

I'm liking the wine bottle idea

 

Its amazing how well it workks disarming enemies when you wander about pretending to be drunk with a bottle in your hand, only to pull out a pistol when they're not looking.

 

Either of the bags would be ok although the swiss one looks a bit better IMO. I'm sure you should be able to find something cheaper one ebay though, mine cost £7 posted.

[Hurrah]

A recommended site would be here

 

http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/civilian_clothes.htm

 

Spanish civil war, so it will give you hints and ideas of what to look for.

 

2 games at Wothing run by EAG, photos were taken, results here (i hope peeps don't mind me sharing). Some good, some bad, some thrown together there.

 

http://s1006.photobucket.com/albums/af188/tamashido/EAG%20Worthing%20WWII%20game/?start=all

 

http://s1006.photobucket.com/albums/af188/tamashido/EAG%20Battle%20for%20Brittany/?start=all

 

You can go civilian and mix in a bit of French 1940 kit, or use captured German Mauser rifles or MP-40s and their pouches. Stens, Brens, Thompsons were all dropped into France by the allies. Civilian hunting gear would do as well.

 

Materials? Wool, cotton, linen, a bit of silk (a scarf maybe). leather button up jackets should work well. The leather jerkin like the WW1 British army one was still common rural work wear.

 

Your in the states? Some of the old canvas hunting jackets that appear out there are quite serviceable (if it is without zippers). Plainer pendelton or older dockers style woolen shirts would work great as well. An old canvas and leather style gunbag would totally suitable.

[CapaciousZepher]

Ok, I'll keep my eye out on ebay as well.

 

Thanks for the links Hurrah, I'll have a look through them.

 

Here is a picture of the armband I made.

 

 

- Zepher

[CapaciousZepher]

 

 

Finished armband. I'll hit up some thrift stores in the next few days and see what I can come up with as far as clothing.

 

- Zepher

[ratboy44]

If you google for a website/stall called monty's locker i'm sure they have some bits and pieces that might help.

 

failing that look up a group called operation jedburgh.

 

liking the homemade armband, assuming your picture was taken in a mirror due to it being back to front.

[CapaciousZepher]

Monty's Locker looks to be an insignia company, so nothing I really need from them.

I'll look into operation jedburgh.

 

Cheers about the armband. Yeah it's was taken with my webcam and so is back to front.

 

- Zepher

[Hurrah]

A few thoughts further on frenchi-fying your look. This is purely optional but would add flavour.

 

There are plenty of photos of FFI (June/July 44 onwards) with bits of 1940 French kit. I am not sure if these are liberated from stores or items the conscripts took home with them (I assume a bit of both as well as deserters from the Vichy Amry of the amristice forces).

 

Most common are the helmets, either Adrians (both the multi part WW1 and the single stamping with added comb 1926 model) or the sallet style helmets with the large front rubber buffer (issued to motorised troops, vehicle crews, weapon crews and Maginot garrison troops).

 

Plus, rarer is the occasional bits of other webbing. The following have appeared in surplus stores recently.

 

The FM24/29 ammo bags. There are for the LMG of the French Army that served untill the late 50's. There are 2 about, the small one (canvas, leather lined, divided into 2 internal sections, just big enough for 6 Browning Automatic Rifle magazines so if you wind up using a BAR it could be worth using) is a 1930's issue pattern (in UK prices, £20-25). The larger one is post war (Algeria, Indo china) but very suitable in look and very cheep for a solid canvas bag that is leather lined (as little as £15). Both have solid leather shouder straps and belt loops on the back of the bag.

 

There is also the leather post war belt and Y strap rig. The Belt and Y strap is 1930s pattern but the pouches are not (and you won't find 1930's pouches without paying serious collectors prices). However for most games the post war pouches could fit in (especially the double pocket rifle clip pouches).

 

Also about are heavy canvas dusters/raincoat for motorised troops, these again may be advertised as post war, but the pattern is a 1935 pattern and was issued to horse mounted troops (cavalry and weapon crews), dispatch riders and motorised infantry.

 

French style water bottles seem rare in photos, and cost body appendages for an original or a replica. You may be better looking at the American Civil War market for their canteens. Bullseye canteens in stainless steel with a non military cloth/blanket cover would seem the most durable/best bet. The Bota bottles look OK but I am not sure how bullet proof they are, they also can “pop!” if you hit the deck and land on it (something the bullseye canteen was designed to overcome).

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

[harborne blue]

I've played as an FFI Resistance member at one of the excellent CIA games - great fun!

 

My advice would be to check out markets for clothing especially battered leather jackets, old shirts etc. Lardass is right - baggy and scruffy works best.

 

My 'loadout' was:

 

Brit army boots as they are big and clumsy so look <ahem> big and clumsy

Old woollen moleskin trousers

Old shirt

Leather jacket

Flat cap

 

I got it all from the back of the wardrobe, markets or places like H&M or Primark (good for hats at the mo).

 

For armament, the sten is fine but a bolt action rifle or shotgun would be far more appropriate for most of the war. We dropped stens to the Frogs by the shed load in '44 but not a lot before. Anything that looks pre-WWII is also good.

 

You could also use anything from the Spanish Civil War as a lot of Republicans escaped to France and joined the Resistance in WWII - old automatic pistols and anything old and Russki works! Captured German stuff is also fine but remember that (especially the French) the active Resistance in WWII was very, very small in number, actually tried to avoid a scrap pre-44 and were mostly concerned with intelligence gathering for the Allies.

 

Post 44, there's a great quote from one guy about how suddenly every young man seems to have an armband and a machine gun when before D-Day he could count his cell on one hand. There's another about how the Free French found a Parisian couple with a stash of German rifles, didn't believe that they were FFI and shot them!

 

Your armband is spot on BTW.

[CapaciousZepher]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll keep an eye out for pieces of French gear that I may be able to incorporate. I'm thinking that with the Sten this will be more of a late war loadout. I was thinking about later on doing a VSR-10 or similar rifle up as a hunting piece with a wood stock, which could be cool. Also what kind of sling would be appropriate with the Sten? Would a post war MAT-49 sling work? As seen here.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WWII-style-French-Leather-Slings-GREAT-CONDITION-/290371277011?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439b7a10d3#ht_742wt_941

 

- Zepher

[Hurrah]

The MAT sling follows the pattern for the earlier slings for the Mas 36 and FM24/29, certainly it is an old school style item that would fit very well.

 

There are some nice original piccies here that will give you an idea of what ball park you are aiming for

 

http://www.ww2incolo...nch/?g2_page=16

[CapaciousZepher]

Excellent, thanks Hurrah. Those pics will be most helpful.

Just bought one of those slings too, figured why not for the price.

 

Also anyone have any info on cigarettes? Not sure if replica packs are made or if WWII cigarettes were any different.

 

- Zepher

[ED-SKaR]

Rollups?

 

 

 

Anyone considered making an FP-45 . Thats a gun i could get used to carrying .

[CapaciousZepher]

By rollups you mean rolling ones own? I'm mostly a pipe and occasional cigar smoker myself, but I think a cigarette really adds to the look of the thing.

 

I would definitely sneak about with an FP-45

 

- Zepher

[ninja master of coffee]

Thin role ups or a pipe, remember, tobbaco is hard to obtain, what with all the fascist occupation! Cigars, unless you happen to have just raided a gestapo office are exceedingly unlikely. I'd really like to see some pics as I'm considering to something similarish at some stage.

[CapaciousZepher]

Yeah I may just stick with my pipe, we'll see.

 

I'm also seeing quite a few collared shirts in pictures of French Partizans, so I may go with that, seeing as I'm not sure where to source shirts without collars. Even if it's a bit less correct for a working man.

 

- Zepher

[Tom Andrews]

How about a striped jersey, a sit up and beg bicycle and several strings of onions on the handle bars? You could do drive bys...er....cycle bys.

[Hurrah]

Yeah I may just stick with my pipe, we'll see.

 

I'm also seeing quite a few collared shirts in pictures of French Partizans, so I may go with that, seeing as I'm not sure where to source shirts without collars. Even if it's a bit less correct for a working man.

 

- Zepher

 

Don't fret about a collarless shirt. Both were around at the time.

 

Crass generalisation time here...

 

As a rough rule of thumb, the more rural your neighbourhood and more manual and outdoors your work, the more likely you are to wear a collarless shirt day to day. But when you get to a town, a collarless shirt is more likely to be worn by your dad, and you don't like wearing clothes your dad would wear (yes, the youth of the day rebelled against their parents dress sense even then ) Also flat caps and Breton caps, more rural again or your dad, fedoras and trilbys seems to the preferred fashionable wear for the young urban. The young loved the Hollywood films of the 30's and so wanted to dress like the stars of the silver screen.

 

I tend to find my collarless shirts at music festivals and green/eco fairs, stalls selling hippy chic from South America or India mainly as well as retro stalls (who mainly have formal shirts with bib or textured fronts anyway).

[ninja master of coffee]

I've even seen a few collard check shirts being worn by spanish republicans during the civil war which gives a fair bit of leway, both in terms of that was before WW2 and a lot of republicans fled to france when the fascists won (damn their eyes!) It's a shame no company has done a range VSR system classic rifles like the mauser, springfield, smle and mosin nagant, would be so handy for this stuff!