Sonnenbrille

[Hoffman Grink]

Not having a go folks.....

Of late I see many folks wearing sonnenbrille..... some non regulation.

Are too many of us "shaded up"?

I personally think it looks way wrong - but I'm taking care not to tell anyone it IS wrong - Can we examine evidence and come up with a definitive? Do we care?

What do you think?

[Mikkel]

I think it's part of the 'reenactors disease' where everyone gets everything they can put their hands on.

Not anywhere during the real war would you have seen this amount of private purchase items, camouflage, SS and eagle stamped junk, rations, etc. etc.
It's like when you can get something, many take it as must have.

"I gotta have rank on my smock"
"Must have metal eagle and skull on my winter fur hat"
"Must have skull on my camouflage cap"
"Must have nazi stamps on every single part of my huge field rations kit"
and the examples goes on.

[Reich Crispies]

Das Reich had a comment from an SS vet last year.
He (they) were impressed with our display and portrayal with one exception:

sonnenbrille

Yes they were an issue item, but one in twenty (if they were lucky) ever got them.
In one photo, 3 out of 5 of our lads were wearing them. We now discourage their usage, but to be fair, two of our lads suffer from bad migrane.
Bright lights, bad heads.
I have stopped wearing my 1930's vintage sunglasses except on the brightest days.
(I wear contacts and bright sunshine is a right pain)

Smile through it boys

[Reich Crispies]

...Oh, and I do have a skull on my fur hat Mikkel

[crossofiron]

hmm, i myself am a bit guilty of this one! goes ok with the civvie i spose though and a real pain having to change the lenses in wartime gigs so your eyes dont burn out of your skull........

The problem with shades is they can sometimes look so good, yet wrong and can really spoil the whole "look". just my op.

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

Sunglasses were standard issue for the first two MG gunners in a gruppe. (H. Dv. 130/2a)

[Hoffman Grink]

Sunglasses were standard issue for the first two MG gunners in a gruppe. (H. Dv. 130/2a)

Yep!
Blue ones sometimes... most often with straps for the ears rather than arms.......

It's like the goggles worn on helmets. I've seen £100 driving goggles which look way Gucci but I rarely see the cheapo (and mega authentic) throwaway Dust Goggles being worn....

But at least this thread IS seeing acknowledgement of the "fads" we become "guilty" of and recognises the whys and wherefores of it.

I have to say - it takes some nerve to sit and rip, distress and dirty a full uniform just to look "orfentik". And the grime seeps through and makes your skin grubby - but then again..... that's what happened!!!!!!!

[John Wilson]

This reminded me about OG Hirschmanns post about the amount of kit needed for an impression, sure enough everybody does like to show off their newest purchase(and also tell everyone within earshot how cheap it was ) but there is a fact that people take a lot of kit to shows and try to display it as much as possible,
I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but to have a body festooned with all manner of accoutrements "because they were issued" is.
As has been mentioned before, there are several examples of wrongness but to bring it out in the open can only be a good thing, (there's a bit too many '42 patt. pots with decals around for my liking for instance )
Not that I'm slating anyone who wants to tart up their helmet, there are original examples of them but it was uncommon.

[Hoffman Grink]

To reinforce JW's post - Renishaw saw me bring the basic uniform and a Mauser Rifle........ IT was so tempting to bring EVERYTHING!!!!!! and I must confess to having to stifle the old feelings of inadequacy here and there when sexy MG42s slinked past etc. But what we did worked...... and so I shall persevere and continue to only bring what fits and what a man can carry into a scenario to make it work...........
At Beltring I think it will be basic FJ................. most of the time...................

[Alex]

Quite simply sunglasses weren't really there. A few dust goggles. A few American generals. Sunglasses only attained a status thing after the war anyway. Rock n Roll!

I have a pair of my Grandad's sunglasses from when he was a pilot. I could I suppose wear those as "captures" but that just would not be in the spirit of things.

My little unit will continue to keep it real, even if it means no school-chairs or shades

[TIGER RIDER]

Sunglasses were standard issue for the first two MG gunners in a gruppe. (H. Dv. 130/2a)

Yep!
Blue ones sometimes... most often with straps for the ears rather than arms.......

It's like the goggles worn on helmets. I've seen £100 driving goggles which look way Gucci but I rarely see the cheapo (and mega authentic) throwaway Dust Goggles being worn....

But at least this thread IS seeing acknowledgement of the "fads" we become "guilty" of and recognises the whys and wherefores of it.

I have to say - it takes some nerve to sit and rip, distress and dirty a full uniform just to look "orfentik". And the grime seeps through and makes your skin grubby - but then again..... that's what happened!!!!!!!

thats wat i use..the simple dust goggles.

[Reich Crispies]

Quite simply sunglasses weren't really there.

Yet pictures of them being worn, both issue and non issue are a matter of record Alex.
They werent used in the volume we are seeing on the circuit admittedly but they were used.

[Stigroadie]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/ ... w10bW3.jpg

Windhund in '05.
They do get worn.

[RudyWerner]

Somewhere in Leeds I have my Great-Grandfathers issue dust glasses - they are really dark and look a bit like welding gogles. They have leather sides on and the metal "arms" are sort of like really flexible metal? I suppose things like that could be used. BUt yes, you don't see every landser in them. I have a pair of simpel dust goggles that I used when the light gets too much for me, then again my eyes are quite sensitive to bright light.

[Alex]

Quite simply sunglasses weren't really there.

Yet pictures of them being worn, both issue and non issue are a matter of record Alex.
They werent used in the volume we are seeing on the circuit admittedly but they were used.

yes, I am sure there are pictures. There are also pictures of dwarfs and people with beards in german uniform. I see no reenactors doing leprechaun!

Fact is that this sunglass thing is an affectation. No doubt there are a couple of pics of cool SS people in shades, but for every photo of somebody in sunglasses there are 10000000 photos of people without.

So, are we reenacting to look all sexy and rock star in Boss designed gear? Or are we trying to show in a little way how it was?