Reenacting, lets talk.

[Tom M]

Maybe i try reenactment, drove to Beltring next year and wear a SS Uniform!

Dirk

That's one thing I don't get. Why do 90% of the collectors there wear some sort of camo or wear a feldmuetze when walking around the stalls? It's as if it's some sort of fashion clique at shows "I'm a serious collector, I've got pea dot camo on..." Unless you're re-enacting on the stage area, take it off and wear civvies for christ sake!

[DennyB]

I have not been a collector because I do not want to be responsible for the artifacts, the pieces of history, I know "collectors" that have destroyed historical artifacts by their mishandling of them. I have always been interested in military history, particularly WW2 and the American Civil War. I like to examine the uniforms and equipment, study them and the battlefields.
I liked reenactments because I wanted to learn more about the war and the soldiers life. Granted I would not really want to participate in killing or being shot but spending the weekend out in the field will give me some idea, albeit a small one, of what soldiers living in the field felt.
In Civil War reenacting I found that it was easier to carry a blanket roll to sleep in instead of carrying a tent, etc. Portraying a German soldier, I learned small tricks for keeping the equipment quiet while moving through a wooded area, how to break in new boots, to wear a cotton cloth around your neck instead of allowing the wool to rub against it, etc. These things I would have never learned in a history book.
The majority of reenactors are intelligent people interested in military history and those interested in busting caps at a show battle are in the minority.

[Voldbjerg]

William.

really great answer here, you almost sold reenacting to me.

It sure gave me a whole different wiev on reenactors

Few more questions

How about tactics? Do reenactors read on the tactics that were used? I saw a movie when a swedish SS reenacting unit attacked in open field a t34 packed with russian infantry and seeing that made me think if they really have a clue about tactics that were used during the war.

Lets say you are in a field for 2-3 days reenacting, do you sleep like the soldiers did? in treches etc etc, or does the day end up in the local bar?:P

Daniel

That was at a public event.. At private ones you use original tactics and hand signals. And you sleep outside in the night- even though it's freezing. You eat hot soup two times during a weekend. If you want to eat more you have to eat stuff like bread or dried meat. But you only have limited amount of food.

I cannot comment on other groups, but in the swedish one things are done right. And we do not have over weight folks.

[Stroodle]

Check out the photo's of this event..........laughing my ass off. Makes me uncomfortable to call myself a reenactor.
Stroodle


http://www.flickr.com/groups/waxww2weekend2009/pool/

[Soldat de Fer]

Hello
I have nothing against reenactors ( to each is own fantasy ), I have never done it , never been interest at all and never will .
War is not a game you can play with your buddy's on Sundays .
When it comes to static displays , then yes , to some extend it is fine , but when they start "shooting games " at each other , it becomes something really different , just a game and there is nothing funny or playful about wars .
If you want to reenact it , then hire guys that really want to shoot at you with real bullets , that .... will be REAL reenactment .
Regards
P-Y

[Grabenkater]

I have been a WW2 "re-enactor/living historian" for the past decade. As it has been pointed out there are yahoos in every hobby. The buffoons will always be the ones who get the attention. There are those of us that take the hobby serious and do our best to portray as accurately as possible the men and women who wore the uniform before us.

I have met scores of veterans and not one has ever had a negative word for my friends or me. I used to be an active member of the WW2 Airborne veterans association and I provided monthly displays for the organization. I was even made an honorary member of the WW2 82nd Airborne Assoc, by these vets. Apparently, my service to them was seen in high regard and not seen as a weird hobby.

I have had too many WW2 veterans; both American and German thank me personally for keeping their memory alive with my hobby to be judged by people who have no more connection to the war than I do.

I see no difference in my participation of history preservation than the collector who preserves history in their collection. Sometimes having a person in front of you portraying history makes it a little more real and entertaining......especially children who are bored to death in a classroom by a uninteresting educator.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

So please, don`t misunderstand me, i have nothing against "reenactment", but i think it isn`t living history, because history isn`t put on some old cloth, take a gun and sleep in a Wehrmachttent! I collect WH Equipment and uniforms for over 15 years now, i`am very interested in that time. One Grandpa served s a Sturmgeschützkommandant at Luftwaffenfelddivision and at the End of war as a Kommander of a Hornisse/Nashorn, the other one was a Paratrooper.
My Grandma was in Eastprussia in Winter/Spring 1945 and walked throught Germany at the End of war.
They all told (and still tell me, my grandma is 88 now) Storys you couldn`t believe! They all were in the early 20`s , young people, and they saw things i don`t want!

To put on a SS Uniform and shoot a little bit isn`t living history, because that time never comes back, and that is good! A "reenactor" couldn`t realize how it was!

ZM

Until a time machine is invented it IS living history to the extent it can be lived. Also SS re enacting is not the only game in town and SS units do not define the hobby as a whole.

If you guys want to see quality footage look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFjj9FT91po

I only saw one guy that was kind of meaty and farm hands form the corn belt probably showed up for battle looking that big during the war. Only one guy was really fat.

William

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Brendan,

i don`t think "reenactors" are crazy, i never would think that, but you can never play history 100% because one thing is the hardware, you can wear uniforms and sleep in a tent, the other is the "software", you can never realize what a german soldier thought in that time with all the **** that happend!

Maybe i try reenactment, drove to Beltring next year and wear a SS Uniform!

Dirk

Gee, no one ever said it could be relived 100% did they? Then there are laws the would not allow certain asspects. The point of re enacting is to learn, gain an insight, keep history alive and sometimes to entertain an audience.

Who seriously has a problem with this?

W.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

While no re enactment is 100% perfect this is another one of the good ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQBAs...eature=related

[Willi Z.]

I have been a WW2 "re-enactor/living historian" for the past decade. As it has been pointed out there are yahoos in every hobby. The buffoons will always be the ones who get the attention. There are those of us that take the hobby serious and do our best to portray as accurately as possible the men and women who wore the uniform before us.

I have met scores of veterans and not one has ever had a negative word for my friends or me. I used to be an active member of the WW2 Airborne veterans association and I provided monthly displays for the organization. I was even made an honorary member of the WW2 82nd Airborne Assoc, by these vets. Apparently, my service to them was seen in high regard and not seen as a weird hobby.

I have had too many WW2 veterans; both American and German thank me personally for keeping their memory alive with my hobby to be judged by people who have no more connection to the war than I do.

I see no difference in my participation of history preservation than the collector who preserves history in their collection. Sometimes having a person in front of you portraying history makes it a little more real and entertaining......especially children who are bored to death in a classroom by a uninteresting educator.

An excellent response to all the absurd posts.

[MH184]

I don't necessarily object to your avocation, it is however, something I wouldn't contemplate to indulge in. But, as a former professional soldier I have no desire or compulsion to participate in such pursuits.

I do see a difference in reenacting and collecting: you are broadly a representation, and autodidact soldiers; living for moment an illusion however authentic you may dress and follow drills. Reenacting is really your interpretation, and nothing more. And, in a slight contradiction, all due credit to those of you who have lived the animated model, in dare I say, a form of reconstruction.

There has been some intimation of having a perception of combat. Some of you have even been exposed to such in your armed forces careers. And to those of you that haven't, you are deluded to think you have any comprehension of such. The notion of having some idea of the physicality, trauma, emotions and psychological aspects is something that you will never appreciate, nor ever understand to any lesser or greater degree - NEVER.

I know you're all enthusiastic, and have good intentions, but I find it a discourtesy for you to even discuss such sentiments of something that is a very personal episode in your life, and for the rest of your life.

Other than that, just go and enjoy yourselves. It doesn't really matter what I or anyone else thinks.


KR


Marcus

[Klaus1989]

How ironic is it when fat and/or old american, english, polish or russian man reenact Wehrmacht or SS? Hey, they were the enemies! I don`t think this is game, this is a shame! A shame for my grandfathers and all the others who fight in the war! The wehrmacht wasn`t a game, the 2nd ww wasn`t a game! My Grandfathers lost their 2 brothers, many young men were wounded or killed on the battlefields in the east, west, north or south! They bleeded to death in north-africa or freeze to death in Stalingrad.
And what would a american or russian ww2 Vet think if he saw that his grandson wearing a SS Uniform?

Interesting ideas and I agree partly... However, reenactment no worse than all the WW2 board games and video games that exist. Also some war films can lessen horror of war too.

And I am not reenactor, but I would think it difficult to have events if they portray only army they had grandfathers serve. I am ethnic German (culturally German too) in USA at time and grandfathers were not combatants in WW2, although my grandfather had cousins in Wehrmacht (but he in USA at time) and some died. I guess this mean someone like me should not be allowed to portray any impression with no grandfathers in combat on either side!

regards
Klaus

[Daniel.S]

That was at a public event.. At private ones you use original tactics and hand signals. And you sleep outside in the night- even though it's freezing. You eat hot soup two times during a weekend. If you want to eat more you have to eat stuff like bread or dried meat. But you only have limited amount of food.

I cannot comment on other groups, but in the swedish one things are done right. And we do not have over weight folks.

So you portrait the german Soldier as a complete idiot to the public and during private ones you do it right.

lol

[Voldbjerg]

So you portrait the german Soldier as a complete idiot to the public and during private ones you do it right.

lol

I guess you've never been at Möllerröd? Have you? Then you would know that it is not only my group that attends at this public show. I cannot comment on the other groups but it is some times difficult to work with them.

Please ask the ones who saw the show at Möllerröd what they think of it. Instead of making a poor judgement of something you just happend to see on youtube.com.


Let me ask you a couple questions then:

Do you like war movies?

Why do you collect?


Here in Denmark we attended at a public show in september. It was at an army base. All of the officers, including the commander in charge, told us that we were doing a great job in keeping the history alive. And they were already looking forward to see us again. I talked to a man who was old enough to remember what happend during the war. He enjoyed what we were doing.
A sergeant whoes father was in the Totenkopf Division said that it was important that some people were struggling to keep the history of those who died alive.

We didn't have a single negative comment during that weekend. Even the mayor of the city visited our display.


Every single person I've met tells me that they think it's important to keep the history alive. And they think that reenacting is a very good way of doing it.



If we're idiots, then tell me why museums and movie producers ask us to help them?

lol

[deiter]

Well it looks like this has turned into a reenactor bashing thread.......i hope there was at least a little insight given to some collectors........theres lots to say about collectors but i think we can take the high road on this one


Dieter
(reenactor)