Swedish infantry soldier mid 1980s

Here is my impression of a Swedish mid 1980s infantry ”Furir”. This impression probably has many mistakes so constructive critisism is welcome. My main information source is a handbook on material for the Swedish soldier ”Soldatreglemente material” from 1983.
The lighting is s*** on the photos, sorry about that...
First pictures are me with all the field gear:
Front

Side


Back


I am wearing the BDU with helmet, webbing, helmet with fieldcap and backpack. On the floor is the ”trosspackning”. List and pictures of content below.
Rifle is a Umarex GBBR with real parts (handguards, stock and Swedish sling).

Without backpack and respiratorbag correctly attached (I think...)

Webbing 304k with waterbottle and bayonet
Cleaning kit for AK4-rifle (missing a few parts and tools)
Flash light
Sight adjuster
Umarex GBBR G3 rifle with black parts + Swedish sling (this is a bit too short compared to Swedish AK4, hoping to maybe find a genuine Swedish AK4 some day…)
Mags (Sadly not Swedish)
Respirator bag with contents:
respirator with filter
3x ”personsaneringsmedel”, for cleaning chemichals, do not know the English name for these
Plastic bag
Anthropine-injector
Indicationpaper
Immskyddsmedel, stops the glass from getting foggy
Tissue
Eye protectors
Sling
Attachments for respirator bag to the webbing
Missing: socks, some parts for AK4 cleaning kit, AK4

Jacket M/59
Trousers M/59 with belt
Field shirt M/59
Field cap M/59
Undershirt
Underwear
Shoes M/59
Wool-cap (”Olles bror”)
Nametag
Warm scarf
Leather gloves
First aid kit
Missing: socks, camocream, hearingprotection, insectrepellant
Forgot to add my cotton green scarf in the picture, will post later.

Backpack 35L (stored in the same vehicle as the soldier was transported) with contents (top to bottom):
Field shirt M59
Wollen shirt M59
Spade KLAS
Rainracket M59
Windjacket M59 (used with thick liner that is packed in the ”persedelpåse”)
Raincap (”sydväst”)
Field kitchen: mess tins, stove, cup, knife/spoon/fork, fuel for stove, can opener
Socks (not period correct, hoping to find correct pair soon)
LK 35 backpack

Trosspackning or ”Persedelpåse”, stored in a different vehicle as soldier:
Thick socks
Two towels
Two pairs of underwear
Footrags
Liner for windjacket M59 (windjacket with filler was used for sleeping, no sleeping bag or blanket was issued to regular troops)
Underwear shirt and longjohns
Wollen uniform jacket and trousers M58
5-finger wollen gloves
Wollen gloves
Winter cap M59
Wollen scarf (grey)
Cotton scarf (green)
Wrist-warmers, wollen
Ancle-warmers, wollen
Bag M69 ”persedelpåse”
Rubber-shoes (half of the shoes are rubberized)
Missing: socks, Swedish toiletry from 80s

Other stuff:
Ra 135 squad radio. Not 100% sure if a furir used this or if the soldier had to be of higher rank.
M52 belt (used with field uniform when webbing is not worn)
Cotton scarf green (used with field uniform, should be in the picture with the BDU).

Winter camo jacket and trousers, gloves and backpack-cover

really amazing collection. Thanks for sharing!

How I see what those little straps are for: to attach the gasmask carrier.

Wolverine wrote:How I see what those little straps are for: to attach the gasmask carrier.

Yup, these pictures are from the 1983 manual:

Beautiful to see more people doing cold war swedish. Sweden was very militarized during this era so this kit really brings out the era as a whole!

Not a lot of mistakes I think! Some general notes:

Balaclava would very rarely be worn, but I guess it is there for anonymity.

The belt should be set so the innermost holes are used with summer equipment, and the buckle centered on the row of buttons on the tunic.

The look is a little later than stated. The practice of tying up the helmet cover seems to have come about in 1987 and mainly among the rangers. Inner tubes would be used in the beginning, taping would be more common towards the end. Also, many infantry soldiers would have the S-webbing adapted to belt configuration, with the belt not fully replacing them throughout the 80's. While not incorrect for 1983, it would be more typical of the late 80's.

The respirator bag is mostly worn in its sling, as you did in your first picture. You are supposed to carry that and your gun at all times while the belt can be dropped. If you do wear the bag as a part of the belt, aim the hooks towards the bag so that it does not twist the straps.

Sweden never used the aluminium magazines, with the horizontal ribs. Not sure if plain ones are available for the VFC though. Also a proper swedish stock would be nice when you find one! The one you have were used during the trials and the trial weapons were often kept in the regimental storage, so not entirely wrong, but rare for sure. The AK 4 also didn't have a V-notch on its drum, but rather a ring of sorts. I can't tell if you have changed it, but that is a worthwhile addition to look for!

The neckerchief should be folded into a 10cm band and placed across the neck in order to protect the tunic and not get crumpled. It looks like yours is crumpling a little bit.

Great work:

Proper black boots! Rare these days!

You seem to even have stuffed your pockets correctly!

m/58 tunic (woolen one) are a rare find these days! The m/39 was around in such great numbers for changing into m/39-58, they never made that many proper m/58s

Ra135 is also a nice and thoughtful addition. It changes a little over time and troop type who would carry it, but I think your rank would be suitable for being a specialist.

The proper Ak4 sling IS short. It should be stamped M1353-006010 according to Ak4 Beskrivning del 2 (1980).

The backpack is of the early type, so correct for 1982.

Actually, the respirator bag sling was worn around the waist, rather that over the shoulder once the belt kits came in, come to think of it.

d99wipe: Could you clarify what you mean here:

"Also, many infantry soldiers would have the S-webbing adapted to belt configuration, with the belt not fully replacing them throughout the 80's. While not incorrect for 1983, it would be more typical of the late 80's."

What is the S-webbing?

The original webbing for the m/59 kit was the "stridssele S", literally assault harness S. It is probably called S for the same reason the S-tank is. It was the swedish homegrown option among a number of foreign alternatives. They were looking into a lot of british webbing bought cheaply after wwii.

It was replaced in 1982 by the "stridsbälte 304K" (assault belt 304k), as used in this impression. Belt kits were trialled from 1976, and in 1979 or so, they started modifying the old assault harnesses to work like belts

I think the reason that they wanted to go to belts was to facilitate the use of backpacks, the lk35 and lk70 backpacks were developed in parallel.

Throughout the 80's you would find a mixture of S, altered S and 304K.

Here is the unmodified S-webbing:


Here is the modified S-webbing:

d99wipe wrote:Beautiful to see more people doing cold war swedish. Sweden was very militarized during this era so this kit really brings out the era as a whole!

Not a lot of mistakes I think! Some general notes:

Balaclava would very rarely be worn, but I guess it is there for anonymity.

The belt should be set so the innermost holes are used with summer equipment, and the buckle centered on the row of buttons on the tunic.

The look is a little later than stated. The practice of tying up the helmet cover seems to have come about in 1987 and mainly among the rangers. Inner tubes would be used in the beginning, taping would be more common towards the end. Also, many infantry soldiers would have the S-webbing adapted to belt configuration, with the belt not fully replacing them throughout the 80's. While not incorrect for 1983, it would be more typical of the late 80's.

The respirator bag is mostly worn in its sling, as you did in your first picture. You are supposed to carry that and your gun at all times while the belt can be dropped. If you do wear the bag as a part of the belt, aim the hooks towards the bag so that it does not twist the straps.

Sweden never used the aluminium magazines, with the horizontal ribs. Not sure if plain ones are available for the VFC though. Also a proper swedish stock would be nice when you find one! The one you have were used during the trials and the trial weapons were often kept in the regimental storage, so not entirely wrong, but rare for sure. The AK 4 also didn't have a V-notch on its drum, but rather a ring of sorts. I can't tell if you have changed it, but that is a worthwhile addition to look for!

The neckerchief should be folded into a 10cm band and placed across the neck in order to protect the tunic and not get crumpled. It looks like yours is crumpling a little bit.

Great work:

Proper black boots! Rare these days!

You seem to even have stuffed your pockets correctly!

m/58 tunic (woolen one) are a rare find these days! The m/39 was around in such great numbers for changing into m/39-58, they never made that many proper m/58s

Ra135 is also a nice and thoughtful addition. It changes a little over time and troop type who would carry it, but I think your rank would be suitable for being a specialist.

The proper Ak4 sling IS short. It should be stamped M1353-006010 according to Ak4 Beskrivning del 2 (1980).

The backpack is of the early type, so correct for 1982.

Thank you for your many insights! I will take them to heart and maybe do another photoshoot at some point in time! Maybe  the time frame would be better for late 80s? How long did the infantry use the AK4? Most pictures I have encountered from 1987 onwards have the AK5.
Swedish parts for the weapon are very difficult to find, even harder to find someone who is willing to ship abroad. My hopes are to get lucky on tradera.com.

I see you are from Finland, right? All the more impressive! Sadly, following your lead and build an early finnish kit is nigh on impossible for many reasons, otherwise I would've a long time ago!

The first AK5 seem to have hit the organization in 1986 in some units, becoming more and more widely distributed over the years. Only after 1990 they disappear completely. Often a unit would receive the ak4 to start their education with, receiving the ak5 only later. The focus was to distribute them to units which needed a handier weapon such as the different ranger units. The rangers did keep the ak4 for a very long time as a sharpshooter weapon though, with scope. The guy with the altered S-belt above is such a sharp shooter from the K3 ranger regiment 1987. The rangers are surprisingly easy to spot in a picture just due to their general attitude!

I think your kit could be a good example of an infantryman in 1987. From 1981 the regiments gradually introduced regimental shoulder patches so consider putting one of those on. It should mostly be an old primitive one with a lot of loose threads on the back.

Your rank during that era would make you a concript so the other shoulder, weapon specialization tabs could be put such as the PEK patch and/or the PV robot qualification patch. Another possible addition is the little button you'd receive for soldatprov (soldier qualification), which are specific to a regiment and a year.

Yes, the swedish parts are really tricky. I know some good swedish dealers love visiting the finnish military fairs, try to make some contacts there! It will probably take them a while to track down what you need, but they will be able to do it! The things you need most are the rear sight and the stock I guess. The rear sight is reasonably easy to find. the stocks are harder, but with the current upgrade program they are sure to hit the market in somewhat greater quantities.

Thank you d99wipe - I was guessing that the S webbing must be the earlier set. I have one of those sets, as well as the 304, but I didn't realize the components from each one were mixed together at some point.

d99wipe wrote:I see you are from Finland, right? All the more impressive! Sadly, following your lead and build an early finnish kit is nigh on impossible for many reasons, otherwise I would've a long time ago!

The first AK5 seem to have hit the organization in 1986 in some units, becoming more and more widely distributed over the years. Only after 1990 they disappear completely. Often a unit would receive the ak4 to start their education with, receiving the ak5 only later. The focus was to distribute them to units which needed a handier weapon such as the different ranger units. The rangers did keep the ak4 for a very long time as a sharpshooter weapon though, with scope. The guy with the altered S-belt above is such a sharp shooter from the K3 ranger regiment 1987. The rangers are surprisingly easy to spot in a picture just due to their general attitude!

I think your kit could be a good example of an infantryman in 1987. From 1981 the regiments gradually introduced regimental shoulder patches so consider putting one of those on. It should mostly be an old primitive one with a lot of loose threads on the back.

Your rank during that era would make you a concript so the other shoulder, weapon specialization tabs could be put such as the PEK patch and/or the PV robot qualification patch. Another possible addition is the little button you'd receive for soldatprov (soldier qualification), which are specific to a regiment and a year.

Yes, the swedish parts are really tricky. I know some good swedish dealers love visiting the finnish military fairs, try to make some contacts there! It will probably take them a while to track down what you need, but they will be able to do it! The things you need most are the rear sight and the stock I guess. The rear sight is reasonably easy to find. the stocks are harder, but with the current upgrade program they are sure to hit the market in somewhat greater quantities.

Thank you for the tips! 1987 is now the year for this impression!
I have not decided on a regiment yet so I will have to do some studying. I might have some regimental sidecap-badges for the ”båtmössa M/60” that decide what regiment to portray.
I am waiting for military fairs to start again as soon as corona settles down. Every winter is TAMARMS in my home town so I will visit it hopefully next year for weapon parts.
I actually own a stridssele, after some alterations I turned it to this:

All the pictures I found on this belt in use the pockets look all banged up, my pockets might be too clean...
Regarding Finnish gear: it was easier for me as a Finn to find the Swedish gear from Finland than the Finnish gear in Finland. After constant searching and a whole lot of money Have I put together this impression: https://iacmc.forumotion.com/t12965-finnish-late-1980s-loadout

Yes, the stridssele S is the earlier attempt. It came about in 1958 after a series of trials from 1950 onwards. One of the trial versions, the fm/55 was in rather widespread use during the 50's.

The 304K stridsbälte was trialled from 1976, the fm/76 belt was also used in a few regiments up until circa 1981. The most common version had 2 ak4 mag pouches, and 2 grenade pouches, but there was a k-pist (swedish K) pouch similar to the 304K. This configuration seems to have won out.

Modifying the S probably started as a part of the trials in around 1979. At that point they probably had realized that the k-pist configuration was the one they wanted to go with and saw the potential for the S to be altered into something very similar to what they wanted.

The 304K started being issued in around 1982.

The S was available in (at least) 3 verisons:

The original glossy rubberized one. They were withdrawn early as the rubber coating wore off, expecially in cold weather. There may have been a version with an almost black rubber coating similar to the one used an fm/55, with the same problem. They are hard to ID in pictures but were likely withdrawn already in the 60's.

It was followed by the matte rubberized one already in the early 60's.

The final version is the canvas version, the one that you have. It also showed up in the mid 60's. The rubberized and canvas versions were made in parallel for a while, but the canvas one wins out and becomes more common towards the end. The canvas version is simplified in some ways and were probably mostly a cheaper alternative. There is a fadeover where the first versions have the hooks for the side straps on the belt, to yours that has the hooks on the sidestraps, and d-rings on the belt. D-rings on the belt seems like a late 60's update. For this reason, if you are getting the yoke and the belt separately, make sure that you have matching side strap attachments!

The canvas verion is the one you see altered mostly, and they quickly end up in a sorry state. However, they are rarely more worn than when in the hands of rangers as they are in the picture. Yours seem nicely average, I'd say. Your alteration is correctly done, but you don't keep the lower set of C-clips. The C-clips on one side look strange so, move 2 of them there!

Your belt leather tab is a little interresting. It should be green, but looks entirely brown! Is the metal loop brass? If so, it is actually a tab from the fm/55 trial verion!

The m/60 stuff belongs on the m/60 of course, with the exception of the beret that saw use with the field uniform despite being disallowed. Only the paratroopers were actually allowed to use their beret with the field uniform but more and more troops did it. Let me know once you decide on which regiment and i can try to figure out if there is anything specific about them!

Oh, so Nyland! I guess you are sueco-finnish? I love reading finlandian swedish as it contains minute differences from swedish swedish. Stormgevär med tre kassetter which becomes automatkarbin med tre magasin for instance!

d99wipe wrote:Yes, the stridssele S is the earlier attempt. It came about in 1958 after a series of trials from 1950 onwards. One of the trial versions, the fm/55 was in rather widespread use during the 50's.

The 304K stridsbälte was trialled from 1976, the fm/76 belt was also used in a few regiments up until circa 1981. The most common version had 2 ak4 mag pouches, and 2 grenade pouches, but there was a k-pist (swedish K) pouch similar to the 304K. This configuration seems to have won out.

Modifying the S probably started as a part of the trials in around 1979. At that point they probably had realized that the k-pist configuration was the one they wanted to go with and saw the potential for the S to be altered into something very similar to what they wanted.

The 304K started being issued in around 1982.

The S was available in (at least) 3 verisons:

The original glossy rubberized one. They were withdrawn early as the rubber coating wore off, expecially in cold weather. There may have been a version with an almost black rubber coating similar to the one used an fm/55, with the same problem. They are hard to ID in pictures but were likely withdrawn already in the 60's.

It was followed by the matte rubberized one already in the early 60's.

The final version is the canvas version, the one that you have. It also showed up in the mid 60's. The rubberized and canvas versions were made in parallel for a while, but the canvas one wins out and becomes more common towards the end. The canvas version is simplified in some ways and were probably mostly a cheaper alternative. There is a fadeover where the first versions have the hooks for the side straps on the belt, to yours that has the hooks on the sidestraps, and d-rings on the belt. D-rings on the belt seems like a late 60's update. For this reason, if you are getting the yoke and the belt separately, make sure that you have matching side strap attachments!

The canvas verion is the one you see altered mostly, and they quickly end up in a sorry state. However, they are rarely more worn than when in the hands of rangers as they are in the picture. Yours seem nicely average, I'd say. Your alteration is correctly done, but you don't keep the lower set of C-clips. The C-clips on one side look strange so, move 2 of them there!

Your belt leather tab is a little interresting. It should be green, but looks entirely brown! Is the metal loop brass? If so, it is actually a tab from the fm/55 trial verion!

The m/60 stuff belongs on the m/60 of course, with the exception of the beret that saw use with the field uniform despite being disallowed. Only the paratroopers were actually allowed to use their beret with the field uniform but more and more troops did it. Let me know once you decide on which regiment and i can try to figure out if there is anything specific about them!

Oh, so Nyland! I guess you are sueco-finnish? I love reading finlandian swedish as it contains minute differences from swedish swedish. Stormgevär med tre kassetter which becomes automatkarbin med tre magasin for instance!

Thanks for the tip on the C-clips, will do!

The leather on my belt is from another belt, you have a good eye. The original leather piece for this one was broken so I took the leather piece from another one, apparently from a trial version. I may have the original belt somewhere tucked away.

I am really impressed by your knowledge of the Swedish webbingsystems, thank you for your insights! I feel like I hit the jackpot!
Javisst, finlandssvensk! The small differences in Swedish in Finland and Sweden are very interesting, like the example you gave. During my military service in Nylands brigad (in early 2000s) the language was Swedish but the commands were in Finnish, so that we were trained in a language we understand but can operate with Finnish-speaking soldiers.

Oh, you'll give me a swelled head! No problem! I grew up an army brat and was always curious of this gear. Well, maybe not always, I remember I was annoyed that my father's officers cap wasn't a police hat. Cops and robbers were exciting at the time.. I remember I liked the system thinking, everything thought through to fit together and to fit the purpose.

Since then I have become fascinated by the small nuances that identify different units and eras despite the kit being so strictly stereotypical. One of those nuances is the trial kit. From the mid 50's to the mid 80's the trials were held in the units where the kit was supposed to be used, that is, the regiments often had different pieces of trial kit throughout this time.

That means that some units would carry the G3 from the early 60's. Some units wouldn't be correctly portrayed in the late '70s without the trial belt kit fm/76, etc. And figuring out who had what when makes for some fascinating research. In a field where most would only see identical troops.

For the next layer there's the specific gear that comes with different units. Paratroopers have the telescopic stock, the arctic jägers have altered webbing to pull pulks, the horse jägers had breeches and riding boots before they disappeared. The armoured units would wear the m/69p tanker uniform, but it was also a fashion in other units.

The third layer is that there were fashions that were observed during different times in different units. The rubber band holding up the helmet cover is one example. Other examples are the bundeswehr boots that were popular among the 80's jägers, or adding a drawstring to the bottom of the jacket. Or in the navy where they folded the field caps ti look like sidecaps, "boat caps" in swedish.

The fourth layer is that there was a preference of certain gear to other. I know some regiments prefered the dark grey m/52-58 to the m/58 or m/39-58 trousers. The airforce have a heap of gear unique to them that they'd prefer even when more mainstream gear was available.

It is the research that keeps me interested. Any way I can help, just let me know!

I have a finnish exercise manual from 1899 in swedish. One of my prized books, it is so interesting reading the swedish, with the (then) russian commands. And russian uniforms!

Can anybody tell me what canteen is correct for use with the 304 webbing set? Aluminum, plastic or both? The only Swedish canteens I can find have a hanging strap, would that be removed if it was going to placed into a canteen pouch or just be tucked in? Were aluminum canteens with wool cover still in use with 304 webbing?

Thanks, Chris

Both were in use.

The 304k comes with a canteen pouch which can be used for either bottle, although mostly it was used with the plastic one. Presumably they felt a bright white piece of metal sticking out wouldn't help. The strap can be removed or just tucked into the pouch. Mostly it was kept on as you could use it to hang the bottle from anything, your trouser belt or your ruck for instance.

The bottles can be hanged from their straps without the canteen pouch if so prefered. The plastic bottle when thusly worn was mostly used bare, although I guess nobody would stop you from having the cover on it. The aluminum bottle was almost always used with the grey-brown-green wool cover.

In parallel with the 304K, the army used the stridssele S webbing in both original configuration or converted to something closely resembling a 304K belt kit. These did not come with a canteen pouch so there the bottles had to hang by the strap.

In short, this sort of thing wasn't very particular. The most likely setup with a 304K would be a plastic m/68 bottle with strap tucked into the pouch.

Thank you for that very complete answer, thats why I like this forum, you can always jump on an old thread.