Here's a quick question.
I'm currently building some German figures to accompany my Minenraumer build here .
I'm using the following sets...







The figures are great, particularly the MasterBox ones, and come with a lot of personal equipment...gas masks, breadbags, water bottles, ponchos etc.
My question is how much of this gear would an assault team be likely to carry on a mission to capture a forward position?
I can imagine them carrying a canteen and a knife or entrenching tool but I imagine they would likely leave gasmasks and other personal equipment on a following vehicle.
I'd have thought they would rather be encumbered with ammunition rather than their lunch...
The diorama is set during a Russian summer so I'm tempted to leave off some of the gear.
Any suggestions/comments appreciated.

for basics...they need to have ammo pouches, bread bag, canteen, Gasmask canister(everyone wore one), and E-tool.

here is a link of what I do..maybe it can give you some advice...

12hj.com

russ

Thanks for the link Russ. I understand the basic equipment that was standard issue but my question was more to do with what the individual might choose to carry during an attack.
Presumably Panzergrenadiers and Signals troops would be transported in trucks and half-tracks which would be strewn with equipment. When they dismounted to launch an assault, would they necessarily all grab gasmask canisters, mess tins and breadbags or would they typically just carry weapons and ammunition, do the job and then return to their vehicles?

During my time in Germany, I made it a point to talk to as many German vets as I could find, and Russ pretty well nailed it - ammo pouches, canteen, bread bag, gasmask canister, and E-tool. Their explanations match pretty well with what experienced troops will tell you today (no surprise there) and with my own experience (U.S. Army 1978-2003).
By way of explanation:
Ammo – naturally, as much as possible – in pouches, pockets, wherever you have room, likewise grenades when available, stuck in belts, boots, wherever.
Canteen – always – only an idiot goes on an op without (at least) one, and he’s gonna be a thirsty idiot.
Bread bag and gasmask carrier were for your “gotta have” stuff. Any experienced troop has a collection of things he will not go anywhere without. I was told the old german gasmask canister was great for carrying stuff you didn’t want to get wet or squashed – I never talked to anyone who said they carried a gasmask in there.
E-tool - seem this was almost as popular as ammo. Lots of guts said they sharpened one side for H2H when things got bad, and everybody pointed out how popular digging became when the other side was using artillery.
Beyond that, there were lots of different things (one guy said he never went any where without a wool blanket), but those were the basics that most everybody agreed on.

Thanks Don, I guess I'll stick with the full kit as supplied.

It all depends on the scenario you´re depicting. The minenraumer would hardly be sent on its own for any great distances, so the supporting vehicles shouldn´t be too far away. I guess they´d have the basics no matter what, as even the best laid plans can go astray. So its your story ...... what and why, they´re they doing ... what they´re doing?
I think you should also be thinking about what else they should be carrying. Maybe rucksacks or cable rolls or extra explosives depending on what your mission/story plan is!

As the others have pointed out, the basic kit is a must. I notice that one of the sets you have chosen is of engineers. These guys would always be more heavily laden than ordinary infantry. There weas a set of special engineer front pouches, which I think are included in the set. they had a waterproof insert for carrying charges, and web pockets on the outside for 5 round clips. There was also a special engineers pack. Other kit they might carry would include wire cutters, pole charges, 2Kg hand charges, grenade bags etc. The latter are an item of kit seldom modelled, although the DML Waffen SS engineers have a set. Dating back to WW1, they were originally sewn up in the field from sandbags. They consisted of two bags connected by tapes which passed round the back of the neck and round the waist so that the bags hung forwards, open side forwards, allowing easy access to the user. They enabled grenadiers to carry plenty of stick grenades easily. If you are modelling a mine-clearing scenario, you might consider the DML German Mine Detectors set also.

Thanks guys, the gear that comes with both sets is pretty complete. The Dragon Sturmpionier set features a guy carrying a mine detector. The MB set has a cable layer backpack.
The general idea is to create a diorama around how the Minenraumer might have been employed if it had ever seen combat.
I'm thinking it would have forged a path through enemy defensive positions, setting off anti-tank and anti-personnel mines as it went along.
A team of Engineers could follow in it's wake taking care of bunkers and other emplacements using charges and flamethrowers.
The Signals team would lay a cable to establish a forward command post.
The Dragon figures,although good, are a little static so I plan on having them using a bunker for cover.
The MB figures, on the other hand, are some of the most dynamic I've seen and really lend themselves to this kind of scenario.
I'll post some pictures in the Minenraumer thread when I get them started.

Masterbox always dors brilliant figures. Not long ago I bought 2 kits - Eastern front series ? #1 & 2
That`s really great!!!

One thing soldiers in all wars learn quickly is that you can never be sure the gear you left behind a.) in the wagon; b.) in your tent; c.) in the half-track is ever going to show up again (and if there's anything good left behind, it likely will end up in the OTHER guy's ditty-bag.

It's one reason Civil War reenactors fight like dogs and cats about what is "appropriate" at an event. The "hardcores" only bring what a soldier is likely to have carried on campaign. Sounds like the same advice holds true for WW II Wehrmacht!