Beret's

[punkrockguy]

is there some sort of un writen code in the ******* ***** about not wearing beret's? Because I want to go with a British para loadout but with my own team logo/cap badge, but have never seen anyone in a beret at games...
i'd much rather wear something that reps a great part of our armed forces with a long and amazing history than a spec ops unit.

[god84]

Re: Beret's

I wear one when i wear my BOPE uniform... never had any heat for it.

[pacey]

Re: Beret's

Nothing wrong with wearing a beret, there has always been the long running debate as to wether you should be wearing a particular insignia if you haven't earn't it.
But as you want to wear you own logo I don't thing anyone could really gripe, EXCEPT for one reason. Shape the bloody thing properly!

[tomdrews]

Re: Beret's

I personally wouldnt as to me it's something that irritates my head when it's hot at work, especially if it's abroad! And i end up with a nice sweaty black line on my forehead. But if you want it for a loadout i agree with Pacey, dont make it look like you're smuggling plates or wearing a shower cap!

[Gadge Europa]

Re: Beret's

Cap badge is the key.

Some regiments/corps/units get funny about their capbadge being used.

Ex russian paras are quite militant about this and have been known to hospitalise people wearing blue VDV berets, in the UK you're more likely to get a shirty 'please take that off' from someone who objects.

As part of a 'historical' or milsim loadout i dont think most people mind including ex forces and serving forces as long as you're not passing yourself off as being a 'real para'

One way around it if you want a 'beret' look is to wear a 'dead cap badge'... there are hundreds of units that no longer exist so choose to wear an old WWI badge on your beret, or a fictional sci fi unit ... like erm 'UNIT'.

Back in the old days of the First and Only 'Lenton First and Only' team we all worked for Games Workshop and used 'gaunts ghosts' capbadges on rifle green berets and had a unit patch of the 'imperial eagle' wings with a lightning strike in the centre.

Looked pretty cool and no one objected.

If you're dead set on doing a para loadout why not do a 16 air assault supporting arm/service loadout with maroon beret and a corps badge and no wings. That way you look 'airborne' but you're not wearing anything that anyone had to sweat through Pcoy to attain.

Like I say hardly anyone really cares... most people who get offended about wearing insignia that wasn't 'earned' in a game usually have not 'earned' it themselves and are carrying on the great British tradition of taking offense on someone else s behalf!

In our old re-enactment group we used to do 2 South Staffords (my old regiment), in WWII they were airlanding so all wore maroon berets (even the cooks wore maroon berets in the attached catering units). We had one 'para' get stroppy once (clearly his own knowledge of the history of airborne forces was a bit lacking) but two of our group were ex paras and put him straight. That said the two ex paras never wore 'wings' or the 'lightbulb' para qualification on their kit as they just didnt think it was worth the hassle from enraged armchair enthusiasts who wanted to tell them off. Nige and Pete just said it was easier not to bother and just wear the glider badge on it's own... we were in very little danger of being hassled by anyone who had done an assault glider landing

- - - Updated - - -

To be fair though you've probably not seen that many people wear berets in game as they are not the most amazingly practical bit of field headwear. You sort of wear them when you're working or making a 'visible presence'. In the field you tend to wear a soft cap.

I used to use an old 1970s patrol cap in the field but these days the boonie hat (usually cut down) seems to be the headgear of choice.not my own kit.jpg

[dave38x]

Re: Beret's

We took agc green berets with AMISOM badges to a weekender last year - some accusations of why we were wearing "commando berets" was laughed off by pointing out that we were playing as AMISOM according to the game background, that oh most highly imitated force, and therefore thought that we might as well wear the berets.

Normally though we don't bother with cap badges if we are going to wear a beret

[Fizzy]

Re: Beret's

You don't seem to see many, but people do wear them. Our team used to wear a khaki beret as an identifier, as did another team we bumped in to at one year's NAE when they thought 2 of use were on their team :p

[Gadge Europa]

Re: Beret's

The problem we had with the old LFO team is that there were about 30 of us and we all said 'go and get rifle green berets' and some of the guys got int corp green, some got commando green but most got rifle green but to a lot of guys 'green is green' and like you say most people assume its 'commando' regardless of the shade.

[druid799]

Re: Beret's

If you're dead set on doing a para loadout why not do a 16 air assault supporting arm/service loadout with maroon beret and a corps badge and no wings. That way you look 'airborne' but you're not wearing anything that anyone had to sweat through Pcoy to attain.

Take it it's changed now ? As when I was in (many yrs ago !) you HAD to do P company to earn your beret .

[Fizzy]

Re: Beret's

Here we go, for the most part we're wearing the 'team' beret



Excuse the worn out look, but quite literally we were, having just completed Town Assault 2

[Airsoftelitez]

Re: Beret's

I wear several berets depending on my loadout. I use an old General Service Corp beret for my British Loadouts.

Have you ever thought about a UN beret?

[Fizzy]

Re: Beret's

Have you ever thought about a UN beret?

Wouldn't he then need to stand around in the safe zone doing nothing, while it all kicks off around him?

Edit: actually, I know a few players that should probably get themselves a UN beret!

[Gadge Europa]

Re: Beret's

Take it it's changed now ? As when I was in (many yrs ago !) you HAD to do P company to earn your beret .

well when i was doing some articles for Raider mag with 16 air assault a few years back it seemed to be a bone of contention that the airmobile infantry got red berets just for being part of the unit. It was even more 'disliked' that the AGC girls etc or 'lumpy jumpys' got them too.

As far as i'm aware it's the capbadge and the wings you 'earn', the maroon beret is just given out to everyone in 16AA... may have changed now.

[tomdrews]

Re: Beret's

Here we go, for the most part we're wearing the 'team' beret



Excuse the worn out look, but quite literally we were, having just completed Town Assault 2

On a slightly unrelated note, what's the guy on the left armed with?

[km2339]

Re: Beret's

well when i was doing some articles for Raider mag with 16 air assault a few years back it seemed to be a bone of contention that the airmobile infantry got red berets just for being part of the unit. It was even more 'disliked' that the AGC girls etc or 'lumpy jumpys' got them too.

As far as i'm aware it's the capbadge and the wings you 'earn', the maroon beret is just given out to everyone in 16AA... may have changed now.

Still the case, any one in or attached to 16AA Brigade will wear the Maroon Beret. Same as the clerk in Hereford will wear the Beige beret.

It's the Wings which are the qualification and are earned by doing P Coy.

As far as I'm aware, it's only Marines /All Arms Commandos that earn their beret.