Tag: military
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Mayday, Mayday, Mayday in Connecticut! Part II
Here is an update on the ongoing situation in Connecticut from our friend on the scene: Hello All: Things look very gloomy here in Connecticut. Monday afternoon the Governor and his party just released their bill to punish gun owners in this state for the crimes of an evil man. They have mercilessly exploited…
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Gun Control III – Mayday, Mayday, Mayday from Connecticut
We got this in today via another of the Reenactor Yahoo! groups: A call to arms for all re-enactors. We are all being affected by the tragic event at Sands Hook. Unfortunately for WW2 and other Re-enactment here in Connecticut our future looks dim. The governor is overriding the Gun Task Force recommendations and…
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The Gap 2013
As always, my reenacting year starts off at Fort Indiantown Gap during the Battle of the Bulge week in January. So it was again this year, with the additional attraction of initiating my fiancee into the wonders of reenacting/living history. As I had done before, I offered my services to German hospital as a patient.…
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Reenacting and Gun Control II
I picked this up from a reenactor list the other day. The author wishes to remain anonymous, but he has some pretty interesting things to say and helpful hints regardless of your impression: We had a meeting here in (New England) yesterday for area reenactors and unit commanders, it was a positive and productive…
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Reenacting and Gun Control
As many of you know, it is the policy of this blog to avoid political discussions. Frankly, many of us, including myself, are sick to death of politics. However, there are some topics that have a direct bearing on living history and reenacting, and gun control is a primary example. In the aftermath of the…
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Spring Living History Events
January 2013 WWII – Battle of the Bulge Reenactment, January 22 – 27. Ft. Indiantown Gap PA. Contact: http://www.wwiifederation.org February 2013 WWII – Elbe River Event, February 23, 2013, Old Bedford Village, Bedford, PA. regardless of the weather as usual. They still have several buildings available and are currently accepting pre-registrations. The scenario revolves around…
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2012 – A Retrospective
2012 has been an interesting year, with more than its share of ups and downs, to be sure. As some of you know, I have had some personal bumps in the road, including some unpleasant health problems, which have affected my ability to get out to events as well as mind this blog as much…
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Ostfront – Old Bedford Village – Fall 2012
The following is a report on last weekend’s tactical at OBV (sponsored by Grossdeutschland) by our correspondent, Mike Momot. Old Bedford Village – Bedford, PA 9-11 November 2012 “Tactical Soviet-Civilian-German†Romania 1944 Historical Background: The GD Division pulled back to the Dniestr River in the last half of March 1944; by April it was engaged…
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Dennison, Ohio 2012
Here is a post from our Correspondent, Bill Donegan: Dennison, Ohio was named for Ohio Governor Dennison, whom President Lincoln had appointed to be Postmaster General. Located 100 miles west of Pittsburg, Pa and 100 miles east of Cleveland Ohio, Dennison Depot was a stopping point for steam locomotives, which only had a range…
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Gates of Moscow – 2012
On the weekend of October 6, 2012, the 193rd Rifle Division sponsored a 1941 Great Patriotic War event, THE GATES OF MOSCOWÂ at Spiro’s Farm near Gettysburg, PA. The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on the Russian front on a 370Â mile sector west…
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New Oxford 2012
The New Oxford WWII event as reported by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: September 12, 2012, Linda’s birthday. We hop in the car and drive to Gettysburg, PA. We made good time until we reached the MD/ PA border. There I 81 was at a standstill going north. We sat in the same place for…
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A Return to Jollytown
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Tennant and I went out to Jollytown to see how the Jesse Taylor monument was holding up. As some of you may remember, WVRA members and the Sons of Union Veterans teamed up to clean up site and paint the cannon and mortars at the monument. We were quite…
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It Was A Dark and Stormy Night…
Here is an email that I got from our correspondent, Patricia Patterson: Dear Rowelsburg, Just a note to say thanks again. It was a bit rough this year, but as usual you came through. We arrived on Friday, a very warm Friday and after drinking a couple of gallons of water, the tent was up,…
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Sgt. York
The following is a report by our correspondent, Matt Gillespie: With the electricity off in West Virginia and no freezer, gasoline or water, just to mention a few items, I decided to take the family to a place with all the afore mentioned amenities; Pall Mall, Tennessee, the home of World War I Medal of…
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Reading Airshow
The following is a report by our correspondent, Eric Rowan: Reading, Pennsylvania Mid Atlantic Air Museum 22nd Annual WWII Weekend June 1st – June 3rd 2012 For twenty two years, the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania has hosted a WWII weekend. I was able to attend the 22nd annual reenactment, and…
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Philippi Races 2012
Here is Bill Donegan’s account of his weekend at the Blue-Gray Reunion with “The Mighty Stonewall.” God’s predestination and sovereignty were made apparent to me again this week-end at the Philippi Races. The May 31st-June 3rd reenactment of the first land battle of the civil war. I had been asked to guard Maj. General…
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Helmut’s Newville
The following is Bill Donegan’s report on the Spring GWA event at Newville: Newville 2012 For several years my friend and neighbor, Katz, has been inviting me to the WW1 event in Newville Pa. Since I collect WW1 German equipment as well as WW2 I decided to accouter up as an Old Prussian Sgt.…
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Ostfront – Odessa, NY, April 2012
Submitted by Correspondent Mike Momot (Misha) I took part in this event for the first time held annually in Odessa, New York and hosted by Scott Thompson and Fusilier Bataillon 272. I was joined by, 193rd Rifle Division member, Phil Zimmer. He distinguished himself well in his first battle. We fell in under the 9th…
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An Interesting Fellow
Orders had come down to Brigadier General Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov to pull his brigade out of line and begin a withdrawal, which would eventually include the entire army corps. This was probably none too soon, as ammunition was getting low and the enemy had many more troops on the field. As he was leading his…
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Great War – Newville, April 20-21 2012
ВанÑ! Рвот и они! Alexei, the number two man on the Maxim gun yells to his gunner, who is reloading belts. The Huns are once again swarming across no-man’s land. Soon Uncle Maxim is belching fire and death towards the dreaded sausage-eaters. Mortar rounds shriek off into the gathering dusk. Somewhere to the right,…
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Newville – March 2012
It’s February, 1943. The invincible German juggernaut isn’t so invincible now, but it is still dangerous. The Red Army is gathering its forces, setting the stage for what will later in the summer result in the great battle of Kursk. But for now, the lines are static, the nights are cold and the bleak silence…
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Torgau – Meeting on the Elbe
Submitted by Bill Donegan: Torgau 1945 It is good that Linda and I have been working out on the treadmill every day for months, and using the weight room. We do it to keep in shape for tactical. We had no trouble at Bedford last week-end. The only physical problem was that Linda wore a…
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Meeting at the Elbe – Old Bedford Village 2012
On the weekend of February 25, 2012, the 2nd Gebirgs once again sponsored their annual ‘Meeting at the Elbe’ event at Old Bedford Village. This is always a good event and everyone seems to have fun. There was a shortage of Allies this year, as the Germans seemed to outnumber the Americans (and one lone…
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Gap – 2012
Another January, another Gap. It is always one of the few things to look forward to during the deep winter… not that this has been much of a winter. Friday, I ran into a little falling snow on the way, but that quickly dissipated. The skies on Saturday were mostly clear and while walking…
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Events for the New Year
As we enter a new year, let’s take a look at some of the upcoming events for the next couple of months: January 2012 WWII – Battle of the Bulge Reenactment, January 25 – 29. Ft. Indiantown Gap PA. Contact: http://www.wwiifederation.org/index.html February 2012 WWII – Elbe River Event, February 25, 2012, Old Bedford Village, Bedford,…
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Mission to Moscow
Always on the lookout for something new to do, I spent the last two weeks of November in Moscow, Russia. Needless to say, there is some history there. One of my stops was at ‘Victory Park’ which commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in WWII. Unfortunately on the day I was there, the main museum…
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Great War Association Event – November 2011
GWA events are always a hoot and this November was definitely worth the price of admission. When I arrived at Newville on Friday afternoon, the parking lot was full of more cars than I could remember seeing there. With a forecast of good weather for the weekend, a good turnout was probably a sure thing.…
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Troops and Trains II
Here is Part two of Bill’s report on Troops and Trains: Following our train ride with the Federal Generals, we returned to the museum to guard tables for the Nowacks (WW2 Army Air Corp, and Homefront), as well as Greg Hall (Vietnam display). On the walk back we spoke German to some tourists who could…
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Troops and Trains 2011 pt. I
Bill and Linda Donegan attended the annual Troops and Trains event in Strassburg, Pa over the weekend of November 5th. Here is their report: Strasburg, Pa November 4, 2011 had dinner with Dave and Lois Nowack. Saturday November 5,2011 we had breakfast with the Nowacks. Linda and I dressed in Civil War attire and…
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Bulltown II
Here is a further account of the fighting at Bulltown, WV: (On the second day) I was asked to walk guard duty around the fort perimeter as the rest of the garrison was asleep from the party the night before. See attached photo. As I looked out across the hollow through the trees I…
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Logan Civil War Heritage weekend
We recently received this missive from a Union soldier involved in putting down the rebels in the Southern mountains (He has evidently had some schooling, but obviously lacks polish). Jim, There was a rebellion broke out in Logan Sept. 24 and 25th. It was so bad that President Lincoln himself had to come down and…
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Ike Farm 2011
On the weekend of September 17th, I had a lot planned. Some friends had asked me to accompany them to an airshow at Martinsburg in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. This was an opportunity to visit some good friends and take in an attraction that I had not seen before. As anyone who watches…
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Trolly-la-la-la
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum near Washington, Pa. held it’s annual Antique Trucks and Trolleys event on Sunday, August 28. The 28th Infantry set up a living history display as usual and a fine time was had by all. This is a fun event with a lot happening for everyone involved. Naturally, there are trolley rides…
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Tank Farm 2011
The Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles ( aka ‘The Tank Farm’) in conjunction with the American Wartime Museum, held its annual open house August 19-21 at its site near Nokesville, VA. This is an amazing event for no other reason than that it features so many vintage military vehicles in running condition, many of which…
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A New Interpretation of the History Channel
As my regular readers know, I ran out of patience with the so-called “History Channel” a long time ago. However, I may have been wrong…the following is an careful analysis of that channel’s programming which seems to put it all into focus. Thanks to our newest contributor, Justin Eubank: If you’ve ever watched the History…
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Remagen Reenactment – 2011
Bill Donegan (aka. Helmut Heudlass) reports from the front at Tidioute, PA on this past weekend’s reenactment of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge by American forces. I was wounded on the eastern front and was sent to Remagen to the hospital to recuperate. When released from krankenhause I was permitted to stay…
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In the Heat of the Night…and Day…
I believe that I can honestly say that I have never been to a Manassas/Bull Run event that was not hot. This year’s reenactment, however, took the cake (or at least baked it!). When we arrived at camp, we learned that our Lt. Colonel, Kevin Skaggs, had brought a small table-top thermometer which informed…
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Rowlesburg Volume II
Patricia Patterson is one of our most creative and original contributors. Here are her musings on the Rowlesburg event. I was thinking about the standard AAR template, and then ever the curious researcher, I read a variety of reenactor AAR’s just for grins. I read some of the past AAR’s, some of my own, many…
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2011 WORLD WAR II LIVING HISTORY WEEKEND
This report by our correspondent, Matt Gillespie, is the first in a series of impressions on last week’s Rowlesburg WWII living history weekend. Not many would know or even believe that tucked away in the mountains of Rowlesburg, WV would be such a high quality museum as well as a high quality living history. …
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WV’s Real American Hero
The following was submitted by our correspondent, Matt Gillespie: WV’s Real American Hero Recently I attended the WV American Legion Boys State Camp at Jackson Mill WV and met Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, West Virginia’s only surviving Medal of Honor recipient. Mr. Williams is a regular visitor to the Boys State yearly one week long patriotic camp sponsored…
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Reading Volume II
The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s WWII weekend is one of the two biggest events that I attend annually. There aren’t a lot of shows that offer such a combination of lot’s of WWII aircraft, reenactors and militaria vendors. Unfortunately, the show has been increasingly mired in complaints from the reenactors about their treatment at the…
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First Report from Reading
The following is a review of last weekend’s Reading Airshow by our correspondent, Mike Momot: Hello all, Richelle did a wonderful job with the registration process. I felt this worked quite nicely. It certainly would have been better to have later registration hours Thursday and Friday nights for those coming from far away,…
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Col. George R. Latham’s tombstone dedication
The following is a post from our correspondent, Matt Gillespie: The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Buckhannon Camp #49 organized a dedication ceremony for the newly erected tombstone of Brevet General George R. Latham at Heavner Cemetery on Memorial Day. Latham was a prominate officer during the Civil War and a prominate citizen afterward.…
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Mountaineer Military Museum’s Memorial Weekend Vet-together
The following is a report filed by our correspondent, Matt Gillespie: Saturday I traveled to Weston, WV to take part in the Mountaineer Military Museum’s Memorial Weekend Vet-together. There were several reenactors and veterans present who took part in the cook-out in front of the museum. The cook-out was sponsored by the VFW Auxiliary. …
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HARRISON COUNTY CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL 150TH ANNIVERSARY
Here is Nick Korolev’s report on the Civil War doin’s in Clarksburg last week: MAY 13-15TH Despite a weekend of scattered showers, the Harrison County Civil War Sesquicentennial 150th Anniversary went off with hardly a hitch May 13 -15th. Funded by the state and sponsored by local historical societies and business as the kick…