From my silhouette iterations earlier on, I've got a couple of distinct outfits I want to pursue and flesh out. Now that I'm looking at particular items of clothing/gear I need to get deeper with the reference. The weapon I'll give the soldier is a 'Mauser' rifle. There are a ton of different variations, but they all keep the same basic look:
I want to give him a bayonet, as this plays into the loose gameplay I've already worked out (melee combat). These rounds seem to be fed individually (although rounds were clipped together for quick reloading), so reloading in gameplay would manifest itself as a repeated button press until the gun is full. The 2d sidescroller 'DeadLight' (2011) has a similar system which I feel is satisfying. I'm going to leave iron sights on the weapon.
In terms of webbing/load carrying gear, there is a consistent look to the pouches the non-uniformed left forces wore: made of leather, wide and boxy.
For other pouches/yoke/strapping I'm going to use 58 pattern webbing for reference. The British Army used it up until the 80s and I actually used it in the cadets at school (it's horrible, everything falls out...). So I already know a bit about how it all fits together and how the canvas material feels. This stuff's actually surprisingly tough.
One of the silhouette iterations I really like is the idea of a double breasted woollen cardigan, collar up. Couldn't find a whole lot of period reference for this, but There Be Dragons (2011) has something similar in one scene:
At any rate, it useful for the fabric it's made of. More modern reference is easier to come across:
I want to look at giving the character a heavy cloak/poncho; it seems fighters did use them in the desert.
There are quite a few options for headgear in the period, I like the idea of giving the soldier one of these puffy flat caps.
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