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Required Equipment

The US Army Soldier of WWII was a well-equipped soldier with high quality equipment.

Sizing

WW2 era uniforms were sized like our modern dress clothes; it is recommended that you visit a tailor to get your measurements. You can’t go out and buy a “medium” or “large regular” field jacket

Shirts were typically sized like modern dress shirts, eg. 16×34

Field jackets were typically sized like suit jackets, eg. 42L

Pants were sized like today, eg. 34×34. However, there was no vanity sizing as are found on most modern blue jeans, so getting accurate measurements is crucial.

The average American today is quite a bit larger than the average soldier in WWII, both horizontally and vertically. Originals may be hard to find in your size, even if you aren’t particularly wide – height is also an issue.

A note on where to get it

While originals can still be found on eBay and other sites, sometimes for modest prices, we personally recommend using reproductions where possible. You will be wearing your combat equipment in the mud, in the rain, crawling on the ground and running through thornbushes, so it’s a much better idea to save original equipment for displays or dress occasions. For regular use, we recommend using high quality reproductions. The “big three” vendors are What Price Glory, At the Front, and WWII Impressions. They can be thought of in a “good, better, best” order, with prices increasing accordingly. There are other vendors that make specialty gear such as boots and helmets, and they will be noted in the appropriate section.

Quartermaster Inspector, while the author cannot vouch for their standard uniforms, does tend to stock many more obscure pieces of equipment.

Required Equipment

Some equipment has a more detailed write-up, click on the hyperlink to be taken there. We additionally have a checklist that you can access here. [Section under construction, 6/2/25]

  • US Combat WW2 Uniform & Equipment, Requirements
  • Battle gear
    • M28 haversack, with meat can pouch
    • Entrenching tool (M1910 or M1943) with cover
    • Mess kit – with knife, fork, and spoon
    • 10 pocket M1928 ammo belt, with plenty of ammo
    • Canteen (M1910 or M1942) with cup & cover
    • M1928 or M1942 first aid pouch, with modern bandage
    • M1 helmet with liner (WWII “high top” pattern)
    • M1 rifle & sling, with bayonet
  • Personal hygiene equipment (in a period looking kit or bag)
    • Towel & washcloth (OD, brown, or white)
    • Toothbrush, toothpaste
    • Soap, shampoo
    • Shaving gear
    • Medications
  • Suggested extras, if needed
    • Combat meals (C or K rations recommended)
    • Extra blanket
    • Cold weather jacket (Melton overcoat, M1943 jacket w/liner, tanker jacket )
    • Army sweater
    • Winter “Jeep” cap
    • Winter gloves
    • Winter scarf
    • “Paratrooper” brown leather work gloves
    • Extra set of M1937 wools for dress occasions
    • Class A dress jacket: “4 pocket” tunic or “Ike” jacket
    • Brown dress shoes (polished) & socks
    • PT shorts & T-shirt

You are expected to acquire the following equipment by the end of your first year. Loaner equipment in some sizes is available for new members.

GI Haircut

You will need a neat, soldierly haircut. Your head does not need to be shaved, but it does need to be well kempt. There are several options, but this is a safe bet and how I normally go to events. Any competent barber should be able to do this for you: 1.5 inches long on the top, faded into one inch on the sides, off the ears and tapered in the back. Some shaggier hairstyles may be appropriate for certain situations (such as the breakout from Normandy and fighting in the hedgerows), but a clean haircut is always a safe bet when you’re first starting out.

The 90th ID Preservation Group has put together an excellent article on accurate period hairstyles.

Ranger ID Card / Dog Tags

Unit & Rank Insignia

You will need insignia (patches) appropriate to your unit and rank. As a new recruit, you will start off as a buck private, which has no rank patch. However, you will still need to acquire several Ranger Diamond patches, one for each of the following items:

  • M1937 wool shirt
  • M41 field jacket
  • “Khaki” summer uniform shirt
  • Class A dress jacket
  • Patches are optional on the following:
    • M43 field jacket
    • Tanker jacket

There were also several materials the rank insignia were made from: Rayon, wool, and khaki cotton. Theoretically, the rayon patches were for the wool shirt and field jackets, the khaki patches were made for the khaki summer shirt, and the wool patches were for dress uniforms. However, this wasn’t always the case. While the khaki rank insignia was typically only seen on the khaki summer shirt, wool and rayon patches were seen on all styles of uniform, with rayon being the most common. While there is nothing wrong with using the patches on their intended uniform types, this is not strictly necessary.

A note on unit insignia: You will find two different types of unit insignia: The diamond (properly called the “lozenge”), and the scroll. The lozenge was mostly worn by the 2nd and 5th Rangers and should be chosen by new recruits over the scroll.

Diamond
Scroll

Recommended vendors:

Army Duffel Bag / Footlocker

M1937 Enlisted Men’s Wool Shirt & Trousers

A US reenactor wearing full combat gear on top of a set of M1937 wools

The M1937 wool shirt and trousers, or “wools” as they are commonly referred to, were the standard US Army uniform worn in the European Theatre throughout the war. They are equally appropriate for a 1939 impression and a 1945 impression. These were worn on the dance floor, the battlefield, and everywhere in between. There are versions for enlisted men and officers; the officers’ version has additional shoulder epaulettes on which to pin officer ranks. New recruits should buy the enlisted version. You will wear this uniform the most, so it’s important to buy a quality reproduction. Once you’ve put together a basic impression it’s not a bad idea to have multiple sets of wools for different impressions, or to have one in reserve for dress occasions.

Recommended vendors:

US Enlisted Men’s Trouser Belt

This should not be confused with a cartridge belt – this is a standard belt to hold up your pants. There are two versions, one with a black buckle and one with a polished brass buckle. Troops likely would have preferred the less shiny black buckle in the field, but the brass buckle could be usable for dressier occasions.

Recommended vendors:

Garrison Cover

Military boots

M1938 Leggings

Olive drab t-shirt or tank top

Boot socks

Comfortable socks are an important part of any kit, and you can never have too many of them. At least 4 is a good amount to start with – one for every day of a Fri/Sat/Sun event, plus an extra pair for longer ones. They have multiple uses aside from footwear, such as makeshift mittens in cold environments. Unless you’re using them as something other than socks, though, they won’t be seen unless you take off your boots. Therefore, it’s less critical to get authentic socks than it is to get other equipment, such as a combat jacket. Until you do, civilian boot socks are acceptable to use. At The Front is the only vendor known to make reproductions of these socks, and they are priced at the same point as a civilian economy boot sock such as Danish Endurance. Therefore, we recommend you buy a reproduction boot sock if you have no civilian hiking socks already.

Recommended vendors:

If ATF is out of stock, Danish Endurance makes a fine economy boot sock in green wool. Modern military boot socks are also acceptable.

GI Underwear

Herringbone Twill (“HBT”) shirt and trousers

M1941 Field Jacket

GI poncho or M1938 Raincoat

No one likes getting wet, and that goes doubly so when you’re outside and moving through the woods all day. A raincoat can mean the difference between having a good time and getting pulled off the field for hypothermia. The author has personal experience going to a tactical in January with freezing rain and no raincoat. It was not a pleasant experience.

Of note, while both types of rain protection were used, ponchos seem to have been mostly used in the pacific front.

Available raincoat vendors:

Available poncho vendors:

Army sleeping bag

Military style folding cot, with wooden legs

This should be your first purchase after acquiring a basic impression, as you’ll always need a place to sleep at night.

OD wool Army blanket

Flashlight

M1928 Haversack w/”meat can” pouch

Entrenching tool with cover

US Mess Kit w/ utensils

The venerable mess kit has not changed since WWII, and continued to be issued until it was retired in 2002. A 1940s dated mess kit is not required, and these can readily be found for $10-20 at military surplus outlets. Try to get a stainless steel mess kit instead of an aluminum one – that way you can use it for cooking. Reproductions are available but tend to be lower quality then originals. It’s recommended to get reproduction utensils since originals can be rusty.

Recommended vendors for utensils:

M1923 Dismounted Cartridge Belt

Canteen, cover, and cup

Dehydration is a soldier’s worst enemy, whether they are active military or reenactors. Heat in the summer months is oppressive, and you’ll be wearing long-sleeved, long-pant wool uniforms. Therefore, it’s critical that you stay hydrated. Most summer events have one or two people pass out from heat exhaustion – don’t be one of them! It’s recommended to get two canteens and to wear them both.

Soldiers carried these canteens on pouches (called covers) attached to their belts. While several models were made, we recommend you get the M1910 pouch.

There was a metal cup with a folding handle made as well, which was meant to fit over the bottom of the canteen. Some reproductions are made, and originals are widely available online and at shows.

Differences between the M1910 Canteen and M1942 canteen:

The M1910 Canteen has a vertical weld going up the entire length of the canteen, and is the older of the two models. The standard issue canteen of WWI, they were still plentiful throughout WWII. While originally made with an aluminum cap, they were eventually replaced with a black Bakelite cap. Both are acceptable.

The M1942 canteen is made of two pieces, a top and a bottom, soldered together about 2/3 up the canteen. A few of these may have lead in the solder, so proceed with caution. See this article for more information. The M1910 canteen, being welded, is safe to use. All modern reproductions of either model can also be considered safe. No cups, original or otherwise, are known to contain lead.

Both models have the same shape and are interchangeable as far as pouches go. If one (in spec) pouch fits one, it will fit the other.

Recommended vendors for canteens:

  • What Price Glory (M1910, includes cup). This is most likely the easiest way to quickly acquire one.
  • At the Front, while tending to carry high quality equipment, carries a very inferior M1942 canteen and cup that is not manufactured by them. It’s highly recommended to avoid this canteen. However, the cover is quite good. An M1910 canteen is in the works, and we will update this page when it becomes available.
  • Originals are still plentiful, and, tending to be made out of steel, quite durable. However, see the above note on potential lead contamination for the “horizontal seam” canteens.

Recommended vendors for covers:

First Aid Pouch – M1928 or M1942

M1 Steel Helmet (WWII “high top” pattern)

Brown leather “paratrooper” gloves

M1 Garand Rifle

“The greatest implement of battle ever devised”, according to General Patton. In the context of WWII, he was undoubtedly correct. The standard issue rifle of the US forces was far superior to those fielded by every other major power, who largely outfitted their riflemen with bolt action, manually operated rifles. Meanwhile, the American rifleman enjoyed an 8-round, semi-automatic rifle that was far ahead of its time. This will be by far the most expensive part of your kit – there is no easy way to say that. The Civilian Marksmanship Program is likely the cheapest way to acquire one of these rifles.

.30-06 or .308?

While the rifle was chambered for .30-06 ammunition (pronounced “thirty-aught-six”, .30 caliber, designed in 1906), later variants were chambered to more common .308 ammunition. .308 blanks are cheaper and more available than .30-06 blanks, and both chamberings are acceptable. However, some reenactors have had issues with the cheaper .308 blanks.

Rifle Sling

No one wants to hold their rifle all day long, and slings were a standard part of equipment issue. While both leather and canvas slings were issued throughout the war, the canvas slings can be found for a cheaper price and are easier to adjust.

Recommended vendors:

M1 Bayonet, with scabbard.

Hygiene bag

Towel & washcloth

Toothbrush & toothpaste

Soap & shampoo

Shaving gear

Recommended Equipment

The above equipment is considered the bare minimum necessary for a basic infantryman’s impression, however you will doubtless want to acquire more gear for more varied impressions and your own quality of life.

Combat meals

Winter Combat (“Tanker”) Jacket

M1943 Field Jacket w/ liner

Military overcoat

Military sweater

Jeep cap

Winter gloves

Winter scarf

Class A dress jacket

Courtesy NARA

GI Necktie

When in garrison, troops would typically wear a necktie with their uniform, tucked into their shirt. It’s much shorter than a modern necktie so would look strange to wear it untucked without a Class A jacket. There are several different versions of this tie – one for Marines, another for army officers – get the khaki or OD#3 version (both would be worn with the wool uniform). When in doubt, select the “Enlisted Men’s (EM)” version. Click here for a guide to tying appropriate knots.

Recommended vendors:

Brown dress shoes

PT gear

M1943 “Double Buckle” boots

M1936 Suspenders

M3 Fighting Knife, with scabbard.