Questions on DD082 to DD087 (1 Viewer)

[cantinetozzo]

Hi..i'd like to buy some of these soldiers, but i'm not sure about their uniforms..they're listed as 82nd Airborne but i see that are dressed like infantry..maybe i'm in error (my field of interest is more the British army)..nonetheless they are great for sculpting and drama..but..there is this little but..let me know thanks!!!
P.S. sorry if this point has been already touched in some former thread.

 

[Molloy]

Hello! These guys are indeed 82nd Airborne (with a couple of 101st patched figures included as well, as far as I know). They represent glider-borne infantry from the division though, as opposed to the more commonly modelled paratroopers with baggy M42 airborne uniforms, jump boots etc.

At this stage in the war in Europe (circa D-Day and the Battle of Normandy), glider troops within US Airborne formations were still uniformed and equipped almost identically to their regular "leg" infantry counterparts; hence the gaiters over the boots and the M41 field jackets. I suppose the logic behind that being that they wouldn't actually need some of the specialised paratrooper uniform items like jump boots.

Not sure what the uniform situation for US glider troops later in the ETO was (Operations Market Garden, Varsity, etc.), but for D-Day, these figures are spot on. A quick online check reveals that the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd landed in Normandy on June 7th, 1944 to reinforce the division, and presumably saw action with it thereafter for the remainder of its participation in the campaign. Ditto the 327th GIR for the 101st Airborne.

Hope this helps.

Molloy.

 

[binder001]

Molloy called it right, these are "glider riders" from DDay.

Glider troops had the advantage that they landed in groups versus having to gather in from "sticks" of individuals. They could also use the gliders to bring in heavier weapons (artillery, towed AT guns, jeeps, etc). The bad news was that when a glider crashed you lost everybody/everything. The glider troopers were not volunteers like the paratroopers and originally didn't get hazardous duty pay!

As to the later uniforms, they glider troops were issued M1943 pants, jackets and boots when the units were refitted before the jump into Holland. I'm not sure about the extra thigh pockets that the paratroopers added. Most photos don't adequately ID the troopers but it SEEMS that at least some of the glider troops added the big thigh pockets also.

Gary B.

 

[cantinetozzo]

Thank you guys..really informative and interesting..i'll buy these soldiers..they're really wonderful!

 

[cantinetozzo]

Hi..i've found this piece of information really funny on "US Army Airborne 1940-90" (Elite 031) commenting a plate where is portrayed a soldier identical to those of K&C :
"The differences in uniforms was a continuing sore point with the glider troops.The prestige of the jump boots and parachute cap badge were so strong that in 1943 Maj.Gen .Ridgeway , commanding the 82nd , authorized his staff to wear them if they undertook a single parachute jump (without completing full jump training), but not the jumpwings - they flocked to the chance.The 505th PIR in retaliation , posted a noice that any paratrooper making a single glider landing was authorized to wear shoes and leggings!"