Late war? Early war- I can't tell!

[Rob_bresnen]

Please forgive an inquiry form a novice. I am looking at teh Warlord Games/BAM platic tommys, and wondering what is the main diference between LAte war uniforms, and webbing, and teh BEF/1939 style uniforsm. I have done a little reserch, and think that the troops in BD, with 1937 webbing, look very like the late war minis. what, if anything, wouold I have to do to make BAM late war minis suitable for 1938 VBCW? or BEF?
(obviously, I know about the weapons- Sten guns etc- really I am just wondering about the uniforms.

Did many soldiers in the eary war wear nets on thier helmets?

[Plynkes]

Gas mask bags on the chest (like in the Great War) seem a feature of early war Tommies, while you don't tend to see them later on, as the whole gas thing was never an issue. Early war you might still see a few guys in 08 pattern (WWI vintage) webbing. In the VBCW I think a lot of guys would still be wearing it, as the 37 pattern was (obviously) pretty new in 1938.

Late war the British helmets were a different shape, but I can't say I've ever noticed this being reflected in any of the figures produced.

Not being fully steeped in this period I don't have broad or deep knowledge, so there may be more to it, but those are a couple of things I have noticed just with my passing interest.

[Keith]

The master at work - although largely a treatise on the application of Blancoe, Anthony Barton gives a very good run down of the 'look' of the British soldier during the war and gives an overview of how the l;ook changed.

http://www.sixtharmygroup.com/portal/viewtopic.php?p=101576

[sepoy1857]

Thanks Keith! Excellent stuff on Blancoe.

[Arlequín]

Plynkes is pretty much on the mark. Even then, the BEF wore their gas mask cases in the 'ready position' in anticipation of the use of gas, there's no reason to suppose troops in a civil war would do so. The differences to me are pretty minor on a 28mm figure, but nevertheless there.

a) Bayonet - You mentioned weapons, but the bayonet used with the newer (1941) rifle wasn't a sword bayonet, but a spike.

b) Entrenching Tool - The new entrenching tool was quite different to the old one, and a bit rubbish, so many men carried a shovel instead.

Otherwise there's not much to tell them apart, especially as Warlord have gone for the 'Battle Bowler' rather than the 'Turtle' for the helmets.

[Gandalf]

Another difference between early and late war Tommies is in the use of sub-machine guns.  The sten gun didn't appear until 1941. Prior to that, troops were issued with the Thompson so if you want to use them for VBCW, don't use the sten guns.