FRENCH INFANTRY & DUTCH INFANTRY WW2

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

Another great pair of mannequin displays. I liked the french gas mask with 3rd reich stamp, ive got 3 of the m26 french helmets, very nice. A lot of people are not aware of the french soldiers being evacuated at Dunkirk, i seem to recall that Churchill demanded this be the case. Again probably most folk wouldnt have a clue of Hollands place in ww2, apart from the german invasion. The Dutch helmet is particularly nice...ive been on the lookout for one for ages, they dont come up often...although i do have the very similar Romanian M73...cheers and all the very best to you 😊😊😊😊😊

[@militarymad2840]

I got the Dutch helmet from an online auction site in Germany and I have seen some on a Dutch Militaria dealers web site but not easy to find your Romanian one sounds good though I do think they are a bit of a weird shape, by the way I comment on most of your videos but quite often KZbin don't show them they too are a bit weird

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

@@militarymad2840 cheers and thanks , yeh I'm a bit wary of buying outside the UK, I've been stung a couple of times with customs etc trading with a guy in Ireland and even though British customs admitted it was their fault and they would pay back my £70....they havnt and they refuse to accept any emails or calls, just kept passing the buck from one department to the next until I just gave up. Yeh I always check my 'youtube studio' for comments held in limbo ...but sometimes youtube just makes people's comments disappear, very frustrating, all the very best to you 🙂🙃🙂

[@martimhenriques1169]

The Dutch uniform is beautiful. Nice display mate!

[@militarymad2840]

Still got a couple of items to complete the set but finding it difficult to source them

[@martimhenriques1169]

@@militarymad2840 well, I hope we can see an update in the future 😉

[@Blitz1944]

Two very nice mannequins, the French one is my favourite 👍

[@militarymad2840]

Me too there is just something about it

[@anthonyford411]

Germany didn't invade the Netherlands during the First World War. The country was, and remained, neutral between 1914-18

[@militarymad2840]

Ok thanks

[@laurentdevaux5617]

I won't say anything about the Dutch soldier, I haven't enough knowledge about it. But let's talk about the French soldier : the overall impression is really great, but there are several details I don't like (forget the boots, they're not of the right model). Brass buttons are normal on greatcoat, they were like that in time of peace, but should have been painted khaki for the campaign uniform, and no, brass buttons weren't those of colonial troops, which had their own buttons with an anchor (though most often they used this kind of general use buttons), but the model used for all greatcoats. I also find the cloth used for collar patches is too light. About the 1931 gas mask, yours lack the rubber tube, just like the British gas mask had. The filter is the model 1935, which is correct, but I never saw a grey filter on an army mask, it could be Navy, or civil defense. True, the French army used puttees in 1939, but they weren't the same as before : the model 1919, very carefully made with quality cloth, weren't straight anymore but curved, which made them very easy to put. They should have been replaced in 1940 by a new model of leather or canvas gaiters, which few were made and used before the defeat. The leather equipment is OK, but the two cartridge pouches should be attached together with a small leather strap I didn't see. Beware of the canteen, if you use the 1935 leather equipment, you can't wear a canteen with a long strap, but with two short straps, one attached under the cartridge pouch, one attached to the rear belt loop used to link the 1892/14 suspenders. The bayonet, here a 1892 model whose original fiber grips have been replaced by wooden ones from 1917 on, was never used with Berthier rifles, but with Berthier musketoons. The Berthier rifles used the same long and thin bayonet as the Lebel rifle, the model 1886 or 1886/15. And last, with such an uniform and equipment, the 1922 breeches are not the best choice. The 1938 baggy knickerbockers would be much better. And if you could find a 1935 shirt with its tie, it would be great ! But all in all, a very nice mannequin indeed. Congratulations !

[@militarymad2840]

Thanks its not easy to get all the correct items over here so I just try and make it up as near as possible to give a general idea of what it should have looked like

[@laurentdevaux5617]

​@@militarymad2840Sure, finding all the items necessary isn't easy, and especially the 1935 shirt and necktie (as a matter of fact the tie I use on my own mannequin was actually worn by my own grandfather during the 1939-40 campaign, as well as other items, such as the rifle sling, the mug, the trousers belt or the dogtag). I had the chance to find all these things in an almost never used condition, some even really never used at all like the greatcoat or the shirt, but it was at a time it was still possible, which isn't the case anymore today. And Indeed you gave there more than a general idea, your French soldier is not far from being perfect. So once again congratulations !