Hi guys, though there are almost no WW1/WW2 reenactors around /only a few WW1 I think/, the 1877/78 Russian-Turkish Liberation war has a big lobby, I thought it would be interesting to show some pictures.
The biggest show is the "Defense of the Shipka passage". Historical background: Bulgaria is devided in southern and northern part by a long mountain. At some stage of the war, the Turkish commander Suleyman Pasha led his armies from the South to the North. Had he joined his forces with the Turks in the North, the result could be disastrous for the Russian armies and for the otucome of the war. But to reach there, he had to pass the mountain, through the Shipka passage, defended only by two Russian regiments /Orlovsky and Bryansky/ and 5 battalions of Bulgarian volunteers.
The heavy fights took place on August 9th - 11th 1877. On August 11th the ammo of the highly outnumbered defenders was already over and they were throwing stones, trees and dead bodies to stop the Turkish forces climbing up towards their positions. It was a very critical moment, but the positions were held. A big relief was the arrival of 205 russian shooters, the reserve of general Radetsky. Soon more forces arrived and the critical important passage was "sealed". It was a historical, critical moment, a heavy battle to decide the outcome of the war.
So, here they are - Russians, Romanians, Kossaks, Finns from the Russian imperial army, Bulgarian volunteers /some trained into volunteer units, with uniforms, some just joined from their villages/ and Turkish army.
The biggest show is the "Defense of the Shipka passage". Historical background: Bulgaria is devided in southern and northern part by a long mountain. At some stage of the war, the Turkish commander Suleyman Pasha led his armies from the South to the North. Had he joined his forces with the Turks in the North, the result could be disastrous for the Russian armies and for the otucome of the war. But to reach there, he had to pass the mountain, through the Shipka passage, defended only by two Russian regiments /Orlovsky and Bryansky/ and 5 battalions of Bulgarian volunteers.
The heavy fights took place on August 9th - 11th 1877. On August 11th the ammo of the highly outnumbered defenders was already over and they were throwing stones, trees and dead bodies to stop the Turkish forces climbing up towards their positions. It was a very critical moment, but the positions were held. A big relief was the arrival of 205 russian shooters, the reserve of general Radetsky. Soon more forces arrived and the critical important passage was "sealed". It was a historical, critical moment, a heavy battle to decide the outcome of the war.
So, here they are - Russians, Romanians, Kossaks, Finns from the Russian imperial army, Bulgarian volunteers /some trained into volunteer units, with uniforms, some just joined from their villages/ and Turkish army.
That's probably after the show, for the event itself no such things area allowed, of course /
But the variety of uniforms & kit worn makes it look really interesting. 
Andthe reenacting must be a great fun, very colorful, because there was a great variety of weapons and uniforms used, so many kinds!!! Here I found some more pictures - better and more interesting ones, from the main parts of the event:
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