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With few exceptions, photographs of soldaten in the field show them wearing a basic complement of field gear. It is this image that we should strive to emulate.

Below are reference photographs of (mostly) original gear. All photos are from my personal collection and are a representation of what the normal soldier would have carried.

This is to be considered a basic guide for reenactors. For simplicity, gear will move from the head down

This is to be considered a basic guide for reenactors. For simplicity, gear will move from the head down.

Many people dont consider the helmet to be a piece of equipment, instead lumping it in with uniforms. However, I consider it to be a piece of field gear, as its primary function was to protect the head, making it a protective item.

Every reenactor should have one of these, and they should wear it when on the field. Not only is it extremely accurate (It is a rare, rare occasion to see soldaten in combat without their helmet, with the exception of Gebirgs units, of which there is some evidence of soft cap wear in combat.). It also keeps your head protected from anything that might happen to come flying thorough the air, such as grenades and mortar rounds.

This is a refurbished M40 Single decal. For a better description of helmets, please see the article on helmets in reenactor articles.

The Heeres used two main styles of buckle, the parade buckle, and the field buckle.

The parade buckle was a private purchase buckle, and was generally used for dress occasions before the war. However, it has been documented in field use. It is two piece and has very distinct pebbling on the surface. The above example is an original.
*Collectors note* parade buckles are really controversial, and it is extremely hard to tell the authenticity of this particular style because of numerous variations. Also, it is very widely reproduced.

The second kind of buckle is the field buckle and is primarily steel, although there are examples of both aluminum and bakelite buckles being used. These come in a few varieties. First is the plain buckle, as can be seen in the (denazified) version above. It was also painted in feldgrau and tan (AK)

The German belt was truly remarkable, and it can be a bit of a pain for a newbie to figure out exactly how to make it work. Its simple, really. The buckle slides onto the belt and secured by the two prongs on the backside. It then hooks onto the other side of the belt.

Something to note, original belts (like all German gear) were smooth side in. That means the rough side of the leather should be facing out. This is something that most repros get wrong. Also, the hook on the end of the belt should be facing outward, not inward, like on many of the early postwar versions.

This is a reproduction.

The K98 was the backbone of the Wehrmacht, and the rounds were carried in two 30 round pouches like the ones above.

They came in two varieties. The first, earlier variety had sewn flaps and tabs, and the latter had rivets. However, they show up in fairly equal amounts in pictures where that feature can be discerned.

Also, on many occasions such as garrison, guard duty, artillery duty and other rear line jobs, men often only had one pouch. This was also applicable for those who were issued pistols as a complement to their gear, such as a gun crew.

Y-Straps were issued from 1941 as a way to replace the internal suspender system that was adopted for the Poland and French campaigns. They came in a number of varieties, although the most common style for the regular infantryman was the 5 legged variety.

There is a major reenactor pitfall here. On many back straps to repro Y-straps, the rear hook is held on simply by putting the leather through the loop and sewing it. This is a postwar rig. The only originals that were set up in that way were some of the last ditch 1945 dated straps that had a wire rear hook. The proper hook should only have the front of the hook uncovered.

*This is a reproduction pair. Also, the blackstrap has been repaired and is not like a mint issued set.

Perhaps one of the most versatile tools of the soldaten. The bayonet was designed both for attachment to the K98, but the handle was as such that it could be used as both a close combat and a utilitarian knife.

There were two kinds of handles, bakelite (as shown above) and wooden. Both appear in all theaters of the war.

There were also three different kinds of carriers. The basic Early war frog, the shortened (or improperly titled SS frog), and the mid to late war style with the retainer strap. All were used for most of the war. Your choice on which to use depends on personal preference. However, there are a couple of things that should be kept in mind.

Look at the kind of e-tool carrier you have. If you have the straight one, your best option is the regular early war style, as it is made to be positioned so it is lying on the shovel and is secured to it as well.
If you are using a folding shovel, in order to follow regulations, you need to stick it through that little loop on the back of the carrier, and in order to do that, you must have the shortened frog. However, while that may look nice on parade, it can be uncomfortable in the field. Having the bayonet attached to the e-tool carrier in that particular manner tends to cause the rig to bind up if you are moving a great deal.
If you choose to not wear an e-tool or if you ant to wear your bayonet separate from your e-tool, I would recommend the third model of carrier with the retaining strap. This keeps the bayonet from swinging freely, which can be a complete pain in the ass. Instead it holds it straight so it stays out f the way.

One thing to note while looking for an original bayonet (they are not reproducing these as far as I know.) is that none of the WWII manufactured K98 bayonets had a muzzle ring. However, there were millions of Mauser bayonets manufactured for other countries that did. These bayonets are incorrect for a WWII impression.

There were two different kinds of spade and carrier issued during the war. The first kind was a basic straight spade, a relic of the first world war. The second was a folding shovel.

The straight spade was widely issued and was generally carried with the bayonet nested in between the two belt straps. It was an extremely versatile tool, used both for fighting and for digging of holes for various means. There are three styles of carrier for the straight e-tool. The hollow backed, solid backed, and web carrier. There were also varieties made of prestoff false leather that are a rather unattractive shade of mustard. However, these can be hard to come by, and I would not recommend the use of them for reenacting. For a general impression, the first two styles are the best. Use of the web carrier would generally only be very late war on the continent, and it is a hot dispute as to their commonality.
Also, A note for reenactors. If you are going to use a postwar shovel (which is slightly wider than the wartime model) get the hollow back. It generally has a bit more give, and youll be able to get the e-tool in there without the aid of a hammer.

The folding e-tool was issued as well. Originals of these are not uncommon, although they are generally extremely expensive (thanks to the idea that they are SS). Most reenactors choose to go with the postwar Dutch model which is extremely close to the original (it is slightly larger, however.). There are two applicable carriers for this tool. The first is the early war box top model. This is actually more uncommon in photographs than the later model. The later model has a simple flap that covers the spade. This is more common in original photos, although repros are slightly less common (more than likely because they are less *Kewl* looking).

The bread bag was the multipurpose carrying sack issued for Wehrmacht personnel. It is designed to carry the field rations, which it does quite well. However, it also has room to stick other small personal items such as sewing kits, shaving kits, Esbit cookers, butter dishes, cards, smoking implements, you name it. One of the most annoying things that I notice on the field is when reenactors leave these empty. Most original pics show the bag brimming with *stuff*. So stick something in there.

A note, original bread bags come in a plethora of colours, ranging from green to gray to a yellowish colour. Generally any of these is correct. Please see my article on bread bags for more information.