Small items of equipment such as personal firearms, clothing and uniforms and so forth are routinely lost as personnel are wounded, killed, or taken prisoner. There is often a perception amongst soldiers that foreign equipment is better or more convenient than the equipment issued by the soldier's own army. Thus, it was not uncommon for Soviet troops to make use of German boots, knives, mess-kits, flashlights and other personal items such as shavers and sidearms. Likewise, German troops often sought Soviet winter boots (vаlenki) and hats. Oddly, troops on both sides each favored the other's submachine guns. Photos of German troops using Soviet PPSh-41 submachine guns are as common as photos of Red Army troops (and Soviet partisans) using captured German MP-40s.