With the anniversary of ww1, many airsofters have been on battlefield tours, so we asked military historian and battlefield guide, will fowler, to tell us about the kit he takes with him when conducting a tour.
ALL INSTRUCTORS KNOW THAT the more senses that can be engaged in a lecture, the better the chance that the contents of the lesson will be absorbed and understood.
The worst thing to do is just stand up and talk – the simplest teaching tool is a blackboard, or Powerpoint if you have the kit and the technical skill. This engages both hearing and sight and it is even better if the class can touch or handle something… feel its weight and size. When we get into smell and taste then cookery and chemistry would be among the few areas that could engage these senses.
It was with this in mind that as a Battlefield Guide working with soldiers, school students and the general public, I put together what I call my “bag of tricks” and you would be excused if you thought that only junior soldiers or school students were interested in a hands-on encounter with this kit. Actually, anyone who has loaded up and tabbed, yomped or hacked over rough ground or thick cover and done so in all weathers, looks at the kit carried by soldiers between 1939 and 1945 and has a real respect for them.
BAG OF TRICKS
So what does my bag of tricks contain? A set of 1937 pattern webbing with small pack and its contents including mess tins, washing and shaving kit, sewing kit, socks, clasp knife and mug. A rolled ground sheet cape stowed at the top of the pack. The webbing has a No.4 Rifle spike bayonet, entrenching tool and, in the ammunition pouches, a bandoleer with clips of deactivated .303 ammunition and a drill No 36 Grenade. A “Respirator Lightweight Mk2” with all the anti-gas ancillaries is of interest to anyone who has had to endure NBC training or, as in Gulf War I, the threat of the real thing. Other bits and pieces include a collarless KF shirt and woollen cap comforter.
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Airsoft Action.
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This story is from the March 2017 edition of Airsoft Action.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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SETTING THE SCENE: SETS AND PROPS
WITH THE FIRST “OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT” OF HIS MISSILE LAUNCH SYSTEM NOW WELL AND TRULY UNDER HIS BELT, JAMES TURNS TO THE MORE GENERALISED USE OF “SET AND PROPS”. THIS IS WHERE IMAGINATION MEETS REALITY, AS HE EMBARKS ON A NEW SERIES OF ARTICLES INVESTIGATING HOW THE CORRECT USE OF “SCENE SETTING” CAN TURN A GOOD AIRSOFT GAME INTO AN AWESOME ONE!
PRACTICAL MAGIC
IN THE FIRST PART OF YET ANOTHER NEW SERIES, JON “POSH” MILLS HAS STARTED HIS JOURNEY INTO ALL THINGS “PRACTICAL” AS HE DOCUMENTS HIS FIRST STEPS INTO A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF AIRSOFT AND, ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE AA CREW, TAKES A STEP BACK TO “PROJECT PRECISION” AND SEES HOW TRUE “AIRSOFT MULTIGUN” IS BEING LOOKED AT WITH FRESH EYES!
THE CAGE: GLOVES
AS WITH EVERY INSTALMENT OF THE CAGE, WE’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR GOOD KIT; NOT SIMPLY GEAR THAT’S 100% FIT FOR PURPOSE BUT EQUIPMENT THAT’S GOING TO GIVE YOU GOOD SERVICE AND GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY! THIS TIME THE AA LEGION TAKE A LOOK AT GLOVES, WHAT THEY’VE WORN IN THE PAST AND WHAT THEY’RE WEARING NOW, SO YOU CAN REALLY GET “HANDS ON” IN ANY SITUATION! AS USUAL, BILL LEADS OFF…
DIRECT ACTION: 2021 UPDATES!
ACTION IN POLAND. AS ALWAYS THOUGH, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THEIR LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS FOR THE TRUE TACTICAL USER! WITH SOME GREAT NEW MODELS AVAILABLE HE BRINGS IN AN UPDATE OF KIT THAT HE’S ALREADY TRIED AND TESTED EXTENSIVELY!
VORSK: DIARY UPDATE
SINCE THE “VORSK PROJECT” STARTED, BILL HAS BEEN KEEPING DETAILED NOTES AND A RUNNING TALLY ON THE EXISTING MODELS TO SEE HOW THEY PERFORM OVER TIME AND ALTHOUGH SOME STILL HAVEN’T YET SEEN A GAME DUE TO THE RESTRICTIONS WE HAVE ALL FACED, HE CONTINUES TO GIVE ALL THE MODELS, INCLUDING THE LATEST RELEASES, A VERY HARD TIME ON THE RANGE IN HIS WEEKLY SESSIONS!
OPFOR OPERATOR
DURING HIS TIME PLAYING AIRSOFT, BILL HAS FOUND HIMSELF ON ALL MANNER OF TEAMS AND EVERY SINGLE ONE HAS HAD ITS OWN PARTICULAR PLUS AND MINUS POINTS, BUT HE DOES SAY THAT IT HASBEEN THE TIME THAT HE’S SPENT PLAYING OPPOSING FORCE, OR OPFOR, WHERE HE’S ENJOYED HIMSELF THE MOST. FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, HE FINALLY STARTS TO LOOK AT OPFOR “MAIN FORCE”!
THE NEED FOR SPEED: PART I
ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SEEM THAT WE ARE ALL CONSTANTLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE “LATEST AND BESTEST” INNOVATIONS THAT WILL MAKE OUR AEGS AND GBBS UTTER DEVASTATORS AND BRINGERS OF DOOM, IN PART 1 OF A TWO-PART FEATURE, BOYCIE TAKES A LOOK BACK AT WHERE WE’VE COME FROM AND HOW WE CAN USE THE SIMPLEST OF “FIXES” TO OUR BEST ADVANTAGE!
RELOADED CZECH MATE
AA’S “MAN IN TAIWAN”, STEWBACCA, TAKES A LOOK BACK AT HOW AND WHY HE ENDED UP USING A KJ WORKS CZ75 SHADOW 2 FOR HIS ACTION AIR EXPLOITS.
SOMETIMES SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
FRENCHIE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT MULTITOOLS ON MORE THAN A FEW OCCASIONS IN AIRSOFT ACTION AND THIS MONTH HE’S GOING TO ADD TO THAT GROWING PILE, BY TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE OF HIS FAVOURITES.
“A SHOOTER NEEDS ONLY ONE RIFLE!” ...SAID NO AIRSOFTER …EVER!
NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PLATFORM IT IS, ALL OF US AT AIRSOFT ACTION ARE GENUINELY DELIGHTED TO SEE SOMETHING THAT’S JUST A BIT DIFFERENT AND IN A DEPARTURE FROM HIS USUAL PREFERENCE OF AIRSOFT RIFS, BOYCIE TAKES A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THE STEYR SCOUT BOLT ACTION RIFLE THAT’S COME TO MARKET COURTESY OF ACTIONSPORTGAMES (ASG).
