question 44 Pattern belt

[chevpol]

Evening folks,

 

what size is the largest 44 Patt web belt? Doctor says that I have got to loose weight.....so if I have a recognizable goal to work to it would help me.

 

TTFN

 

Mark

[Peter4456]

The 1946 issue of the 1944 Pattern Web Equipment Manual says the 'Large' belt has a maximum adjustment of 48 inches!

[wdbikemad]

As far as I'm aware, it was medium and large only ! Few troops in the tropics, for which 44 was originally intended, were of a large size as commonly encountered today, plus of course exercise in such climates was a sure-fire way to reduce any waistline ! Add to this the fact that during the period 1945 to the 60s when the 44 kit was used in large numbers, the average troops size was notably smaller than today.......diet, genetics, quality of life today, etc, has all contributed to our larger build nowadays...........

 

I'm 6'3" and of average build....but I can only just squeeze into the largest wartime British battledress manufactured (size 18) and then it's a tad tight in certain areas.......:shocked:

[34ba37]

probably best to aim to get into a small one, not a large one.

[wdbikemad]

I might add that in common with 37 and 58 patterns, the size "L" belts are always harder to find, even post-war production........

[ArtistsRifles]

I might add that in common with 37 and 58 patterns, the size "L" belts are always harder to find, even post-war production........

 

You think those are hard to find - try getting hold of Soviet kit to fit me - a 6' tall and badly overweight it's almost impossible!!! :-) Definitely a reason/goal to lose weight :-)

[AlienFTM]

You think those are hard to find - try getting hold of Soviet kit to fit me - a 6' tall and badly overweight it's almost impossible!!! :-) Definitely a reason/goal to lose weight :-)

 

There is a very good reason for this. Whenever we sized by height ("Tallest on the right, shortest on the left, in single rank SIZE"; "From the right NUMBER"; "1", "2", "3" ... "42 last man SIR") I was reminded of Soviet conscription policy. Because BMPs were compact and bijou, any draft of conscripts was sorted by inverse height. I imagined:

 

"Shortest on the right, Tallest on the left, in single rank SIZE";

"From the right NUMBER";

"1", "2", "3" ... "100,000 last man COMRADE"

 

The shortest X percent went to the infantry simply because they would fit inside a BMP: nothing else mattered. The next X percent went to armour to fit inside a T62 etc.

 

At six feet, the Red Army would simply not have accepted you in an armoured unit.

 

For similar reasons (sources suggest 1m55 - 1m57) Yuri Gagarin was chosen to be the first (successful) cosmonaut. See http://humanheight.net/famous_people/sources/height_of_gagarin_source.html :

 

For our first spacecraft, which in comparison with the current look simply dwarfs, Yura's options are ideal.

 

I read once that, since accidents did not unacceptably afflict Soviet spacecraft in space, to get more cosmonauts inside, rather than increase the size (and hence the payload) of the craft, they stripped stuff out and used small cosmonauts.

[Lauren Child]

There is a very good reason for this. Whenever we sized by height ("Tallest on the right, shortest on the left, in single rank SIZE"; "From the right NUMBER"; "1", "2", "3" ... "42 last man SIR") I was reminded of Soviet conscription policy. Because BMPs were compact and bijou, any draft of conscripts was sorted by inverse height. I imagined:

 

"Shortest on the right, Tallest on the left, in single rank SIZE";

"From the right NUMBER";

"1", "2", "3" ... "100,000 last man COMRADE"

 

The shortest X percent went to the infantry simply because they would fit inside a BMP: nothing else mattered. The next X percent went to armour to fit inside a T62 etc.

 

At six feet, the Red Army would simply not have accepted you in an armoured unit.

 

For similar reasons (sources suggest 1m55 - 1m57) Yuri Gagarin was chosen to be the first (successful) cosmonaut. See http://humanheight.net/famous_people/sources/height_of_gagarin_source.html :

 

 

 

I read once that, since accidents did not unacceptably afflict Soviet spacecraft in space, to get more cosmonauts inside, rather than increase the size (and hence the payload) of the craft, they stripped stuff out and used small cosmonauts.

 

At 6ft tall I physically couldn't fit into the MT-LB drivers or gunners seats. When we were working on it I ended up with the hatch into the front (gearbox) bay open and poking my legs to the side. Needless to say, the vehicle wasn't running