Inventories of War: Soldiers Kit from 1066 to the present.

[Scout26]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11006139/Inventories-of-war-soldiers-kit-from-1066-to-2014.html?frame=2994148

The more things change the more they stay the same.

[roo_ster]

Great link.

[just Warren]

That's A FAL in the last pic, shouldn't it be an SA-80/L85?

Still a powerful presentation.

[Northwoods]

My 8 year old will have tons of fun looking at that.

[French G.]

Slideshow pointedly excludes the type of kit that was hastily dropped on the road back to Boston.    And no PT belts in sight, no wonder history was so bloody bloody.

[Viking]

That's A FAL in the last pic, shouldn't it be an SA-80/L85?

Still a powerful presentation.

The FAL is in the second last picture, included in the kit of a Royal Marine Commando from 1982, which is correct for the era. The L85 is included in the last picture, in the kit of a close-support sapper from 2014.

[K Frame]

Directly to the right of the L85 is a long wooden kind of looking thing.

What is it? I'm thinking it's something for door breaching, but I'm not sure.

[lee n. field]

Sure carry a lot more crap in the mechanized era.

[K Frame]

In the 1944 photo they're showing a Sten Mk V. Interesting, as it shows the magazine housing rotated to cover the feed and ejection ports, which makes it look as if it's a bottom feed gun.

[Waitone]

I wonder about the comparative weights of each kit.  I've read in the past that the weight of total kit remains relatively constant through history.  I can't say how accurate the assessment is.

[vaskidmark]

Directly to the right of the L85 is a long wooden kind of looking thing.

What is it? I'm thinking it's something for door breaching, but I'm not sure.

That wooden thing looks like a surveyor's levelng rod.  Mighty handy thing for an Engineer to have.

stay safe.

[Hawkmoon]

I found it interesting that the common soldier continued to carry a sword until long after their gear included rifles (or muskets, as the case may be).

[Viking]

In the 1944 photo they're showing a Sten Mk V. Interesting, as it shows the magazine housing rotated to cover the feed and ejection ports, which makes it look as if it's a bottom feed gun.

They got a lot of ammo issued. I'm counting 14, possibly 16 magazines, depending on if those two mag pouches above the belt (?) hold 3 or 4 mags each.
Also, what is that rope thingy to the left of the jacket up on the left?

[K Frame]

That wooden thing looks like a surveyor's levelng rod.  Mighty handy thing for an Engineer to have.

stay safe.

But, that's a Sapper's Kit. They're part of the Royal Engineers, but they're not engineers. They blow *expletive deleted*it up.

[K Frame]

They got a lot of ammo issued. I'm counting 14, possibly 16 magazines, depending on if those two mag pouches above the belt (?) hold 3 or 4 mags each.
Also, what is that rope thingy to the left of the jacket up on the left?

Apparently those pouches could each hold up to 6 32-round magazines. I'm finding a lot of pictures on the web, but not a lot of specs....

Hum... OK, I've found a page with history of the equipment of the British Airborne. Apparently those pouches were called "basic" pouches and were part of the Pattern 1937 web gear, and could be used for lots of things.

http://www.1stairborne.com/webgear.html

The rope thingy is a commando toggle rope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toggle_ropes

[lupinus]

I wonder about the comparative weights of each kit.  I've read in the past that the weight of total kit remains relatively constant through history.  I can't say how accurate the assessment is.

I've noted that from many sources. I've also heard it suggested that old kits including armor and stuff actually carried better due to the weight being spread out over the entire body. When you really look at a suit of armor, it's not all that bad. Chain mail is naturally flexible, plate has fully articulating joints everywhere you bend naturally, etc. and it's spread out from head to toe so the theory isn't entirely without merit IMO.

[French G.]

I was actually wondering the other day about older armies, like the Romans. What did you carry when you were off subjugating most of the known world? How was it carried? Lots of easily accessible history on the weapons and armor, but what was a roman road march like? I imagine that soldiers will be soldiers no matter the age. Did gear get personalized, did Marcus steal a mule and everyone in the century piled their extra gear on it? What about the quartermaster? How did you feed all those angry latins?

[Viking]

I was actually wondering the other day about older armies, like the Romans. What did you carry when you were off subjugating most of the known world? How was it carried? Lots of easily accessible history on the weapons and armor, but what was a roman road march like? I imagine that soldiers will be soldiers no matter the age. Did gear get personalized, did Marcus steal a mule and everyone in the century piled their extra gear on it? What about the quartermaster? How did you feed all those angry latins?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_military_personal_equipment

[just Warren]

The FAL is in the second last picture, included in the kit of a Royal Marine Commando from 1982, which is correct for the era. The L85 is included in the last picture, in the kit of a close-support sapper from 2014.

Well crap. I thought that was the last pic. Curse me for a fool. Though, in my opinion, the rifle in the last pic should also be a FAL.

[Northwoods]

I was actually wondering the other day about older armies, like the Romans. What did you carry when you were off subjugating most of the known world? How was it carried? Lots of easily accessible history on the weapons and armor, but what was a roman road march like? I imagine that soldiers will be soldiers no matter the age. Did gear get personalized, did Marcus steal a mule and everyone in the century piled their extra gear on it? What about the quartermaster? How did you feed all those angry latins?

They could make the Jews or other subjugated peoples carry their gear.  But only for a mile at a time.

[Viking]

Well crap. I thought that was the last pic. Curse me for a fool. Though, in my opinion, the rifle in the last pic should also be a FAL.

To quote from ARRSEpedia, about the L1A1 SLR: "A real rifle, one that's properly Squaddy Proof.".

From same ARRSEpedia, the SA-80 rifle: "At the first Services rifle meeting at Bisley after general issue of the SA80, squaddies could be seen relaxing in the sun and wearing T-shirts made by the late, great Pete Bloom which bore an outline of the SA80 in profile, and the legend :Designed by the Ignorant, Built by the Incompetent, Issued to the Unfortunate.A passing general who'd come to distribute prizes had a sense-of-humour failure and had the T-shirts banned as "bad for morale"."

[fifth_column]

Directly to the right of the L85 is a long wooden kind of looking thing.

What is it? I'm thinking it's something for door breaching, but I'm not sure.

According to the annotated pictures it is a "Bar mine - anti-tank landmine."

[KD5NRH]

According to the annotated pictures it is a "Bar mine - anti-tank landmine."

Well, that does make more sense than a leveling rod for a sapper...unless they need crater depth for bragging rights.

[K Frame]

Oh man nice pull on the annotated pictures! Thanks!

[vaskidmark]

Whatever happened to blocks of C-4 stuffed in a sock coated with axel grease?  Or is (f)GB so wrapped up in doing things by the numbers?

stay safe.