INITIAL PROVISIONAL DATES: Saturday 10 April 2027 to Saturday 17 April 2027
Gentlemen,
2027 will mark 25 years of Monty’s Men (MM) and we intend to mark the occasion with a suitably ambitious undertaking… The last trip to the Netherlands was a huge success and we listened to your constructive feedback.
This letter is really just a WARNING ORDER so it lacks a lot of detail… the purpose is to:
- Announce plans, flag dates and gather interest. The intention at this stage is to run a ‘Battle School’ in 2026 on the build up to a full ‘FIELD PHASE’ trip in 2027. Both the MM2026 Battle School and the MM2027 Trip will be run in the UK.
- Summarise feedback from the MM2025 field phase & considered solutions which explain some of the intentions and rationale around the need for a MM2026 BATTLE SCHOOL.
- Give the initial outline for our main effort for MM2027.
- Draw potential attendees to a MM2027 event FACEBOOK page so that a core of people can be in one place for communication, we can get a firm trip attendance and detailed planning commence.
- There is no need for any deposit at this stage. You will just need to get yourself onto the FACEBOOK page – “MM2027 Trip Attendees” and spread the word. Anyone who does not commit to the trip will eventually be removed from the trip page and the trip page will be made ‘private’ and not viewable to the public once initial deposit deadlines are passed.
Initial PROVISIONAL dates for the full trip are Saturday 10 April 2027 to Saturday 17th April 2027.
Feedback & Solutions
We had feedback sessions for each of the command elements after the field phase for 2025. We listened. The feedback was consistent and we have made some considerations in this regard.
- We were too short of time to prepare to deploy into the field. Deployment was rushed. As a result of unexpected circumstances at the French border, going straight into the field in 2025 was chaotic. It made the start of the event extremely tough and people didn’t know their own unit structure, only really getting into their command elements as we moved into the field in the pitch black.”
At the start of the event, there will be a familiarisation day for everyone to have time to prepare together.
- “The days that MM events often span are Wednesday/Thursday of one week over a weekend to the following Tuesday. This effectively takes out 2 weeks of annual leave for some people, especially for international attendees and disrupts two full weeks of work scheduling for the self employed.”
- We will now run weekend to weekend, so the majority of attendees (who work Monday to Friday) will only have one working week affected (travel time aside, of course).
- “Many lads felt they would benefit from a form of training. At times in the FIELD PHASE, it was evident that there was a lack of understanding around roles, responsibilities, structure and tactics and this affected performance at individual, section, platoon and company levels. There were also individuals who lacked understanding of weapons, personal kit, skills and drills.”
We will run the MM2026 BATTLE SCHOOL. The idea will be to build knowledge and understanding and competence through a core curriculum. There will also be some time on the initial familiarisation day at the start of MM2027 to refresh knowledge from that curriculum. - “Overall initial base event cost was good value, but the extra late unexpected costs were frustrating and could have been avoided.”
We were unlucky with various late costs (Armourer) coming in from ‘left field’ at the last minute for the 2025 trip in the Netherlands. We will increase the event cost slightly going forward to avoid unexpected money requests, but we still aim to keep it as cheap as possible. Value for money is key to opening up the event to as many people as possible.
Intentions for MM2027 – 52nd Lowland Division – THE WINDPROOF SMOCK!
Everyone who likes or appreciates British WW2 kit loves a WINDPROOF SMOCK. The British were heavily influenced by ski and active sports wear when designing their uniforms in the late 30s into the 40s and the windproof is no exception and popular today on the vintage scene!
In basic terms, 52nd Lowland Division were the main end user of the ‘WINDPROOF’ design. The first versions were called ‘SNOW’ smocks (and trousers) but were made in GREEN DENIM (in sizes 1 to 4). This progressed to the DRAB lightweight material (often associated with ‘DESERT’ but this is incorrect although some saw action in the Aegean and Italy and Greece). Again the DRAB was sized 1 to 4. There was a WHITE variant made in heavyweight cotton as the newer SNOW camouflage (again sized 1 to 4). Then the CAMOUFLAGE smocks and trousers came out in 1943 and were likely issued out in early 1944. These were in sizes 1-8.
No-one has yet managed to do a large-scale portrayal of 52nd Lowland Division. We intend to change that for the 25th Anniversary of MM.
So… we will be portraying a Scottish unit again (we will advise which unit in TRIP LETTER 1). You will need MKII helmets. And CAMOUFLAGE WINDPROOFS. Of course, we realise that originals are expensive and should really not be used for an event such as a MM Field Phase because they at risk of being torn or damaged. The only acceptable form of reproduction CAMOUFLAGE WINDPROOFS ever made were by PANZERFAUST. With an authentic label and replacement buttons they were hard to beat, although the sizing came up small. These are no longer produced.
So where will we get so many CAMOUFLAGED WINDPROOFS?
We have commissioned them to be made! This is no easy feat… The cut and sizing of the smocks has to be right. The seams and construction has to be right. The buttons have to be right. And of course, the material and the camouflage print needs to be right too!
The only people who will be able to get the CAMOUFLAGE WINDPROOFS will be trip attendees. This is a MONTY’S MEN exclusive.
As stated before, CAMOUFLAGE WINDPROOFS were made in sizes 1 to 8. We are currently gathering precise measurements so we can properly scale and size the smocks. Remember that earlier GREEN DENIM ‘SNOW’ smocks and trousers and the DRAB smocks and trousers (often incorrectly referred to as ‘desert’ smocks) and the WHITE SNOW types were only made in sizes 1-4 and did not have buttons and tabs on the lower part of the arms.
So why a BATTLE SCHOOL in 2026?
This is really covered in the feedback above. But if we look at the ’DIE SOLDATEN’ group, you can see that they work together regularly as a unit. As a result of this they are better drilled and skilled and can patrol and communicate well, showing efficiency and proactivity.
OVERWHELMING feedback from attendees from 2025 was that many of the less experienced people struggled with knowledge of roles or how sections, platoons and companies work. This included basic personal field craft and skills as well as broader tactics. We need to address how we improve and get better and more efficient.
The MM2026 Battle School will be challenging and fun, but not fully immersive and there will be down time to relax and have some social time. Immersion is not the point of Battle School. Battle School is in place to ensure everyone has a better appreciation and understanding of what they are doing in the field.
We will be looking to arrange this before (or after) a main event season. At this stage, it is likely to be October 2026 so there is just six months before the full 2027 trip. If you would like to be considered for any appointment as an officer or NCO, you should certainly attend the 2026 BATTLE SCHOOL.
SO WHAT NOW?
- If you are interested in attending MM2027, please go to FACEBOOK and find: ‘MM2027 – Attendees Group’ and request to join, answering the questions. This page will initially be public so you can find it however, after a period, we will make it PRIVATE to avoid time wasters.
- If you have an ORIGINAL CAMOUFLAGE WINDPROOF SMOCK and/or TROUSERS please contact Pete MARSHALL and he will send you a measurement list and chart to complete to help us correctly size our reproductions.
- If you have ORIGINAL DRAB, DENIM or WHITE (SNOW) WINDPROOFS (SMOCK and/or TROUSERS) then please contact Pete MARSHALL and he will send you a measurement list and chart to complete.
Kind regards,
Leadership Team
Monty’s Men
admin@montys-men.org.uk