Reenactorisms or Pet peeves in German WW1 or ww2

[Lars11thpz]

Well, to compound any problems left over from the depression, Germany was very much overextended even by 43. Germany had neither the manpower or the resources to invade russia, and the longer the war went on, the more sawdust they added to their bread dough to make it last.

By 45, most german soldiers (civillians too) were measuring their daily bread intake in hundreds of grams, and what they did have, most of us would never consider eating under normal circumstances.

Lars

[fergmacleod]

What really gets my goat is the number of people who head for home as soon as the first rain drop falls, complain about insects and heat if its a hair over 65 degrees, complain about the terrible cold if its below 50 degrees, yet can't wait to sew on the Eastern front ribbons etc, and explain with all scencerity how they 'earned' those same ribbons.........
Then there's the types that confuse re-enactorland with the National Guard, and tell you that you can't wear this or that ribbon because you did'nt go to Ranger School the same year that he did
(those types generally take this hobby way too seriously)

Enough said already. Back to the bunker.........

Fergus.

[Kriegrelic]

Rolf, I think that you are exactly correct in your assumption as to the average soldier of WW2 and his diet. Literally, the world was coming out of the Great Depression. Unless you were living on a farm and growing your own food, times could be very harsh.

I was just talking with my parents last weekend and they were telling me about when they were children. Both would have been in their single digit years during the depression and their teens during the war. My mother said that she was lucky to get meat once every two weeks. And, even then, it was a scrawny chicken spread between her parents and roughly dozen siblings. My father on the other hand, who was raised as a sharecropper's son, said that they never had money, but always ate well.

You're right, Jack! However, aside from the obvious dietary effects of the Depression worldwide let us not forget that during pre-WWII physical fitness in Germany became a priority. Organizations such as the HJ and the RAD were established to prepare the young German male for future military service. Sporting competitions, hiking and the like were de rigeur for the average German male and it paid off for the German military during the early years of the war.

[J.von Canon]

What really gets my goat is the number of people who head for home as soon as the first rain drop falls, complain about insects and heat if its a hair over 65 degrees, complain about the terrible cold if its below 50 degrees, yet can't wait to sew on the Eastern front ribbons etc, and explain with all scencerity how they 'earned' those same ribbons.........
Then there's the types that confuse re-enactorland with the National Guard, and tell you that you can't wear this or that ribbon because you did'nt go to Ranger School the same year that he did
(those types generally take this hobby way too seriously)

Enough said already. Back to the bunker.........

Fergus.

Seems to me that reenacting,by it's very nature,can only go to a certain degree of "authenticity";for instance,the youth of the actual combattants cannot really be imitated as the usual participant is hardly a teenager or early twenties-type.
Most tend to be thirtyish on up.Younger guys are interested in girls,pizza,and cars.That's the way it is.But,on the other hand,it does little good to wear the uniform of an 'elite formation if the reenactor is grossly unfit or overweight.What is more ridiculous than a fat man in kilts or paratroop uniform?
As to awards,there seem to be two schools of thought.
The participants who actually earned the awards in military service(such as the Parachute badge) tend to support the display of parachutist insignia by the actual jumping from an aircraft.
Those who have not actually jumped(military or otherwise)tend to want to wear the badges anyway.I don't suppose there will ever be agreement on this because both are different mindsets.
Why would someone willingly ask to join a reenactment unit and then loudly complain about the unit policy of wearing badges,particularly the parachute badge?Seems to me that if someone just want to wear "the badge"he should join a unit with minimal standards.It's a no-brainer...
Tactically,the reenacting is usually poor.
"Bullet proof" G.I.'s is a common phrase.Some units are tactically savy though.It depends on the individual unit and that units interest(or not) in learning some basic fire and movement techniques.
I suppose my main criticism(or gripe)is that there seems to not be much regard for veterans.Sometimes it is hard to imagine that the shakey old gentleman wearing a hearing aid was once a strapping young stud back in '44.
I'm ashamed to say that a reenactment unit in Georgia calling itself 506/101 will be out of state attending a shoot-um-up when the ACTUAL W.W.II veterans of the same unit(506/101)will be having a reunion locally!As a former 506er myself I'm not at all happy about this.
I just hope the vets are not aware of this.Seems to me that those reenactors could learn a great deal from these old soldiers.They won't be around much longer.Can you imagine throwing away a chance to talk with the Fallschirmjaeger who jumped on Crete and,instead,went to a mock battle in Indiana?
But again,it depends on the unit.
In short,reenacting seems to fall somewhere between the ridiculous to the sublime.