Question regarding uniform differences between theatres (North Africa)

[nickelkers]

Hi,

I just had a small, hopefully uncomplicated, question that I thought someone here might know the answer to. Would units from parts of the armies that had particular clothes wear the same kit in different theatres? For example would British paratroopers and marines in Africa and Italy wear the same uniforms as they did in Northern Europe? Likewise for Fallschirmjager and Waffen SS troops (I'm aware that no Waffen SS served in the Afrika Corps, but I believe they were in Italy). Intuitively, I feel like they would have worn something different but I am unsure to what extent that would be the case. Would they be best represented by using the para/marine sets painted in a more desert friendly colour scheme, or would they have been equipped in the same manner as the standard 8th army soldier.

Many thanks!

[BillK]

Mix 'n match was common. Even when receiving a uniform issue for a different theater, soldiers often kept pieces of kit they preferred. Clearly some things won't transfer but you really do have a lot of latitude with your mix of clothing.

[Jemima Fawr]

The British Airborne generally had exactly the same kit and uniforms in North Africa as in NW Europe.  All Commonwealth troops were issued Khaki Drill ('KD') dress for tropical climes, but the woollen Battledress ('BD') would also be worn when the weather turned colder and wetter (which it occasionally did in North Africa).  However, the Airborne were certainly wearing BD and Dennison Smocks in Tunisia.

For Sicily the Paras were still wearing the same kit (you wouldn't want to jump wearing KD shorts...), but the Airlanding troops seem to have worn a mixture of BD and KD.  There are photos of the Border Regt wearing a right mixed bag of dress.

[Truscott Trotter]

Dension smocks in North Africa, Sicily and Italy were indeed different than in NWE
Subtly or not depends on your opinion.
Mk.1

Mk.2

from
https://www.camopedia.org/index.php?title=Denison_smock
now I believe this was a change over time not necessarily related to theatre so there may be some crossover - so i am quite happy for my Frosts boys to be wearing mk1 Denison at the bridge.

[Harry Faversham]

I asked the question about the Paratroops in North Africa, looking forward to doing them a tad different with SMLEs, only to be informed they took No.4s with them!
Conclusion was they'd look brother-chip to their European brethren, apart from no bits of wood, dangling off their Sten guns.

[carlos marighela]

The Germans in Sicily and Southern Italy, including the SS, also wore a jumble sale of uniform, depending on the season. Reed Green  and tropical kit was widely used, often mixed with items of temperate uniform.

[Plynkes]

I'm sure I saw a photo once of a Wehrmacht soldier in NW Europe (possibly Normandy), dressed normally for the theatre apart from the inclusion of a sand-coloured peaked cap, presumably a souvenir of service in Africa.


I might have dreamt it, but I don't think I did.

[forrester]

Not a dream..it's in Panzers in Normandy. I think he's from 21st Panzer Division.

[westwaller]

I was re-reading a book about the SAS during the war and the author mentions that they were wearing khaki Drill trousers and blue shirts during an operation in the Med.
They get briefly shot at by a british army unit who mistake them for Italians.

[nickelkers]

Thank you all for the fantastic responses - looks like there's a fair bit of leeway to use a wide range in there. Many thanks!

[wtjcom]

Cloth caps and shoulder straps were the most readily swapped to other theaters. There are numerous field photos in North Africa of Luftwaffe personnel wearing their blue-grey wool caps from home. A helmet would get painted for local service pretty quickly and "local" tunic/trousers would be issued on arrival wherever possible.

The German paratroopers sent to Africa were mostly stuck with existing jump smocks - there are photos in Tunisia of German paratroopers still wearing their M38 jump smocks, tan smocks seem to have been rare. Lots of them would be wearing M40 splinter smocks and they would all have the blue or splinter camouflage bandoleers (tan bandoleers were not issued until after Africa). Underneath the smocks they acquired local tan tunics and trousers pretty quickly.