Its one of the things that I see with regularity on the reenacting field that irritates me to no end, and that is soldaten portraying front line troops with completely spotless uniforms and shining boots and brass. Let me explain something folks. Soldiers in the field get dirty. Ask anyone who has served, and they will verify it. So in order for us to authentically recreate the image of the soldaten in the field, we, therefore, should also be dirty. However, we are then faced with a dilemma. Exactly how dirty should we be? After all, it is just as unauthentic to show up looking like some sort of mud monster as having a magical anti dirt shield.



Take a look at the following pictures. They show front line troops engaged in combat operations. Notice their uniforms, gear, and hands and faces.

Courtesy of www.ww2incolor.com

courtesy of www.lostbattalions.com

These photos show how the average soldaten looked in the field. Notice that they are dirty, but not filthy. Most pictures that you see will have this trend. The soldiers uniforms look dirty from wear and tear, and lived in but they dont look like theyve rolled around in a mud puddle.

So how do you achieve this look? Its quite simple, really. Wear your uniform. Use it, crawl around in it, sleep in it. And if it gets dirty, dont take it to the dry cleaners or woolite it, simply leave it that way. And if its too dirty, or has solid, caked mud on it, then take it off with either a stiff clothes brush (originals were carried and facsimiles and period style pieces are easy to find) or simply beat or scrape/rub it off. Do the same with your gear, although please remember to oil it every once in awhile, but please dont shine either your boots or your gear. Then you too will have that nice, field dirty look, and youll get the satisfaction of having your very own little cloud of dust rise from your trousers after you slap your knee laughing at a good joke.