Category: WWII
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Rowlesburg WWII Living History
Just a reminder that the 4th annual Rowlesburg, WV WWII Living History event will take place on this coming weekend, June 26 and 27. This is a fun event and extremely Reenactor-friendly. If you are not signed up as a participant, then make plans to come as a spectator. It’s a small, laid-back, but quality…
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Reading Airshow WWII Weekend 2009
It rained , it got hot, it was big and it was spectacular – it was Reading. The 193rd Rifle Division once again made its annual trip to the Reading Airshow on June 5, 6, 7. This may have been the biggest Reading yet, but it started out rather inauspiciously. Unit members who arrived on…
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Guided Schizophrenia
Here is a nifty little tool for living historians, contributed by Nick Korolev: GUIDED SCHIZOPHRENIA FOR WWII LIVING HISTORIANS This little guide has been adapted from one used at Camp Verde AZ for Indian Wars personas for those who wish to join or already are in the world of WWII living historians. To do things…
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Memorial Day Parades – Coraopolis and Lawrenceville, PA
Several reenactors from the 28th Infantry Division, Co. K, participated in the Memorial Day parades in Coraopolis and Lawrenceville, PA. We met in Cora0polis and drove to Lawrenceville in Dan Evans’ 1942 Dodge weapons carrier. This was actually a very pleasant ride and we were well recieved by the crowds lining the street. The parade…
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WWII Living History – Brownsville Steam and Gas Assn.
This past weekend was National Road Festival weekend for the communities along Rt. 40 in Pennsylvania. I fell in with the local 28th Infantry Co. K for a living history encampment as part of the festival. We set up at the Brownsville Steam and Gas Association’s fairgrounds located 4 miles west of Brownsville, PA. There…
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Gallery: WWII Living History & Reenacting
Various and sundry pictures from reenactments and living history events.
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McCormick Museum seeks WWII / 1950s womens baseball reenactors for demonstration game at June 2009 event Share
I got this from Stacy Roth-Niemiec. Sounds interesting: Hi everyone Im looking for two teams who reenact the All American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s and 50s. We would like to host a demonstration baseball game here in June. I am having no luck finding teams and so am reaching out quite broadly.…
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Hitler rants about Allied Reenactors
Probably a lot of you have seen this on Youtube, but it is still funny (to reenactors especially!). Hitler rants about Allied Reenactors By the way, this clip is from a great movie called “Downfall,” which is about Hitler’s last days and was released in Germany a few years ago amid much controversy. Available from…
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Winter War – Newville February 2009
Last weekend, I once again braved the cold and journeyed to Newville, PA to the Great War Association site for the annual Winter battle to crush the fascist invaders of the Motherland. This is a regular event between the 193rd Rifle Division of the Worker’s and Peasant’s Red Army and Grossdeutschland Division. I’m not sure…
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Event Notice – Odessa Eastern Front Event 09
There will be an East Front event held at the Odessa site on April 24-26, 2009. The event fee is $20.00. There will be no vendors, however there will be blank ammunition for sale. The hosts will be furnishing firewood and Porta-potties. Bring your own food and water. The ground will be too soft for…
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Book Review: War Games
About ten years ago, I read Tony Horowitz’s book, “Confederates in the Attic.” I remember it that at the time, some CW reenactors were upset at the book because they felt it made them look eccentric and a little silly. I didn’t think it was all that bad. After all, I know that I am…
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FIG weekend – 2009
Well, I finally made it to Fort Indiantown Gap for the Battle of the Bulge weekend. Its hard to believe that, after all these years of reenacting, I hadn’t been there before, but driving long distances in snow isn’t one of my favorite things, either. Bill and Linda Donegan generously offered to let me ride…
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Arthurdale Heritage: 1940’s Valentine’s Day “Canteen Danceâ€
1940’s Valentine’s Day “Canteen Dance†On Valentine’s Day, Arthurdale Heritage will be hosting a 1940’s style dance; complete with the swing music from the Big Band era! WWII Reenactors in uniform very welcome! Date: Saturday, February 14, 2009 Time: 7-10 pm Arthurdale Center Hall, Arthurdale, WV Music provided by Freedom & Pride – DJ &…
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Amazing Blend of Soviet WWII Historical Photos and Modern Day images
I came across these photos today on Warren Ellis’s blog (warrenellis.com) and was blown away. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, but these images are especially powerful. Ellis says that a fellow named Sergei Larenkov took old WW2 era photographs, went where they were originally shot – exactly – and then took a…
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28th Infantry Unit Meeting
On Sunday, January 11, I ventured out in the snow to the Pittsburgh area for a winter meeting of the 28th Infantry Division, 110th Infantry Reg. Company K. The primary focus of the meeting was to map out the schedule for the coming year. An agenda covering events from April through December, 2009 was mapped…
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‘Defiance’ Movie Review
Last Saturday, I saw ‘Defiance’ at the Cinema here in Morgantown along with one of my sons and a fellow reenactor. It was money well spent. Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond) and Liev Schreiber head a talented cast in an intense and well-made film. They portray two of the four Bielski brothers, who set…
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A Letter Home, November 1943
This is part two of an ongoing series by Lucy Albright. about her grandfather, Major Paul H Price, a WVU geology professor who went back into the military. – Ed. Following his commission in June of 1943, my grandfather was briefly stationed at several sites around the US prior to going overseas. One of his…
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Movie Review: Valkryie
Alright, I went to Valkryie. I did so with some trepidation mostly due to the casting of Tom Cruise as Claus Von Stauffenberg. Also, I generally expect Hollywood to screw up historical subjects, so I was doubtful about this one. Oddly enough, I found that I actually enjoyed it.
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A Letter Home, June 7, 1944
This is part one of an ongoing series by Lucy Albright. about her grandfather, Major Paul H Price. He was a WVU geology professor who went back into the military. He got caught up in the Ardennes offensive in late 1944. Lucy will be sharing his letters and photos in a series of posts. –…
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WWII Reenactor Shot and Killed by Seattle Police
I saw a reprint of this article in today’s local paper and looked it up on the The Seattle Times online. This was obviously a tragic occurrence for all involved. I felt this would be of interest to everyone who reads this blog. Police kill man dressed as German soldier in U-District Seattle police shot…
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In Winter Quarters – Getting Your Kit Ready for Spring
Okay, the holidays are over and winter yawns before us. What to do with all that time? Freeze your butt off outside? Not me. After you repair your tent loops and replace the glass in that candle lantern, how about working on improving your impression before spring gets here? I submit for your consideration, a…
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Review: The Battle of Shaker Heights
I recently rented a movie titled “The Battle of Shaker Heights” which I had heard was about reenactors. As most of us know, movie companies use reenactors in their productions, but actually making movies which feature reenacting as part of the plot is a fairly recent development. So, I was curious to see what this…
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Skirmish Magazine
Many of you may be familiar with the British living history publication Skirmish magazine. For those who are not, I would like to recommend it as an interesting alternative to your usual reenactor literature. I recently started getting it and have been impressed with the quality. How I got to this point, however is a…
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Old Bedford Village November 2008
The weekend of November 21-22 saw another edition of the annual Fall Eastern Front reenactment at Old Bedford Village near Bedford, PA. As many of you know, OBV, a recreated historic village, is an outstanding location for living history events and reenactments for various time periods. The management at the site has an excellent attitude…
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Cumberland Goes to War
While, for various reasons, my health being foremost, I was unable to participate in this event, I did go over on Saturday November 15, 2008 and visit with the reenactors who did set up for this weekend. Partially due to the rain, there was a light turnout of reenactors for this weekend, however in talking…
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Cumberland Goes to War & Western MD Scenic Trains
In looking at a link about Christmas Trains for my youngsters, I found out that the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad offers historic train rides this month with a WWII theme. Here’s the scoop: This November, WMSR Goes To War! As part of a community tribute to America’s Greatest Generation, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad will…
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1940’s Radio Hour
The 1940s Radio Hour (Find out more on Facebook) Presented by WV Wesleyan College Event InfoType: Music/Arts – Performance When: Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 8:00pm through Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 2:00pm Location: Atkinson Auditorium, Buckhannon, WV Description: The 1940’s Radio Hour takes the audience on a nostalgic trip down memory lane into a…
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Interesting new Book – Hitler Moves East
Hitler Moves East: A Graphic Chronicle, 1941-43 by David Levinthal and G. B. Trudeau is a new book ( or rather a newly illustrated reprint) about the Eastern Front in WWII. The unusual aspect is that the illustrations use dioramas with model soldiers and vehicles to recreate stock photographs of the campaign. Looks interesting. I…
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WWII Reenacting in Europe
Reenacting is hardly just an American pastime. Napoleonic reenacting, for example, has been a huge hobby in Europe for a long time. From the look of these pictures, WW2 reenacting has become very popular in some areas as well. In fact, they are doing it big time! Having all those vehicles at hand must help.…
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Militaria Extravaganza
Do you collect militaria? Trick question – if you are reading this, there is about a 95% chance that you at least would like to collect military collectables. Well, the show of shows is just around the corner. The 2008 MAX (Military Antiques Extravaganza) Show will once again be at the Expomart in Monroeville, just…
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New England Eastern Front Event, 2008 (Submitted Event)
Earl F. Leavitt Jr. & Jim Forster Present: NEW ENGLAND EASTERN FRONT EVENT, 2008 Location: Haydenville, Mass. When: Friday 24 Oct. 3PM/ 1500hrs. Property open for early arrival, Overnight camping. If you are not familiar with the location please arrive before 8PM to insure you are camping in the right place! Saturday 25 Oct. Registration…
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Updated Event Schedule (Sept. 17, 2008)
This Weekend! September 20-21. World War II Weekend Location: Eisenhower Farm, Gettysburg National Historic Site, Gettysburg, PA. WWII Weekend On September 20-21, the National Park Service will sponsor a World War II living history weekend at the Eisenhower National Historic Site. An authentic recreation of both Allied and German army camps, complete with original World…
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Transylvania in Pennsylvania September 2008
This event was held at the Great War Assn. site near Newville, PA over the weekend of September 12-14. The site was harder to get to than usual due a massive Penndot bridge project which is going on the area. Having downloaded the new directions from the GWA website and taking the extra precaution of…
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Living History Pictures – Group I
Our first collection of images. Take a look and let us know what you think!
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World War II living history at the Trolley Museum September 7, 2008
On Sunday, I joined members of the 28th Infantry (Bloody Bucket) Living history Association for an encampment at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum just north of Washington, PA. The guys in the 28th had great displays set up and attracted a continuous flow of curious spectators. The encampment was held in conjunction with an antique truck…
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King Tiger Video
Restored German Mark VI King Tiger tank Youtube site with great Panzer videos. The sound is awesome! The King Tiger featured virtually impenetrable armor on its front and sides, but was vunerable at the rear. The enormous weight of the tank (70 tons) put huge demands on the drive train, resulting in frequent mechanical problems.…
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Old Bedford Village August 2-3, 2008
Old Bedford Village in Bedford, PA held its annual WWII living history weekend on this date. The weather cooperated and the event was, as usual, a fun, laid-back affair. Reenactors present were primarily: German from the Grossdeutschland Division and 9th SS; Soviet, from the 193rd Rifle Division and 150th Guards; and American Seabees. There were…
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Reenacting in West Virginia
Throughout the ninties, Reenacting grew in West Virginia, as it did in the rest of the country. Since the beginning of this decade, there seems to have been a downturn, at least for Civil War Reenacting, which has traditionally been the largest segment of the hobby. Events seem to draw fewer participants and those groups…
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Rowlesburg, WV 2008
On June 29, we exhibited at Rowlesburg, WV. We set up our Soviet exhibit. World War II Reenacting/Living History is a relatively new segment of the hobby in West Virginia, but it is growing in interest in the Reenactor community and also is attracting the interest of the general public. Rowlesburg, WV puts on a…