A blog about reenacting and living history.
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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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Veteran’s Day
I noticed a post the other day from a friend who noted that this is the first Armistice/Veterans Day in which there are no longer any WWI veterans alive anywhere in the world. Certainly a solemn note and a reminder of the need to remember and thank those veterans who are still among us. To…
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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 1940’s Radio Show
I had big plans for the weekend of August 18th. I was going to head down to Nokesville, VA for the annual open house at the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles, better known as the tank farm. However, as some of you know, I have been plagued with ill health this year and have had…
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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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Sutton 18th Century Event
The following is a report from Bill Donegan on a living history event in Sutton, WV: 18th Century Event Re-enactors’ presentations were revealing at the Braxton County Courthouse last Saturday (7-21-12). Jim and I want to add an 18th Century impression to our repertoire. A friend of ours, who had some 18th century men’s clothing…
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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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Rowlesburg 2012
Everything seemed to bode well for this year’s Rowlesburg event. Reenactor registrations were at an all-time high with some new groups added ( including a special Spanish Civil War display), the dance was sold out, a presentation on the Wereth 11Â was scheduled for the WWII museum. In short, probably the best event we…
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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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Gunfight at the OK Corral
OK, (no pun intended), I recently tried something new…Old West reenacting. Old Bedford Village held a reenactment of the events that took place in Tombstone, Arizona between the Earps and the Clanton-McLaury faction in 1881. Although I didn’t take part in the gunfight itself, I had a good time walking around the town, hanging out…
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The Tenderfoot Diary
The following is Bill Donegan’s report on the OK Corral weekend at Old Bedford Village: Old Tenderfoot They call me old tenderfoot now after just one cowboy event at Old Bedford. I forgot to check my riding boots for plantar inserts so I was a walkin’ gently this past week-end. I told one old cowboy…
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Gun Laws and Reenacting
If you have read this blog for a while, you are aware that we steer clear of modern politics. In fact, that is our policy. There is usually plenty of other venues venting their spleen on political topics. However, gun ownership is one issue that is inextricably tied to our hobby, particularly so for the…
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Grafton Lantern Tour
The Grafton National Cemetery was established in 1867 as a burial site for Union soldiers killed in the recent Civil War. For the last several years, Mark Tennant, with some sponsorship from the Spirit of Grafton committee, has been organizing a lantern tour of the cemetary, and did so again this year on the evening…
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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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Memorial Day
Please take time on this day to remember the service men and women who fell in the line of duty, while protecting our freedom. God bless them, one and all! Picture credit: Wikipedia.
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UPCOMING EVENT: New Deal Festival – July 14, 2012
You’ve read about the New Deal Festival here throughout the years and so you should mark your calendars for Saturday, July 14 and plan to visit Arthurdale, WV this year. The theme this year is “1942 Arthurdale and the War.” The community of Arthurdale was the nation’s first New Deal homestead community and a pet…
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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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Movie Reviews – Something Different
On those occasions that I review movies here, they are generally new releases. This is a little different. A few months ago, while hanging around Walmart to get my oil changed, I saw a DVD collection of war movies in the $5.00 bin. The title was “War Movies (WWII Collection)” Since it had 20 old…
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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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Capital Wing of APS Dinner
Submitted by Bill Donegan: When Linda and I were shopping at the FIG/Gap we ran into Bill and Sharon Krause, who are members of the Capital Wing of the Airmen’s Preservation Society (as the name suggests they are aviation oriented). We have been running into them for half a decade at USO dances and other…
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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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Fort Indian Town Gap 2012 – Another Perspective
Bill Donegan sends us the following report on his activities at the Gap: A funny thing happened this year on the way to the GAP. Jim Barnes picked us up at our motel to take us to dinner. It was dark and Jim was not sure of the best way to exit the parking…
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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 II
The next stop on my trip to Moscow was the Central Armed Forces Museum, which is also known as the museum of the Soviet Army. The former is probably now more accurate, since there are exhibits from the post-soviet period as well as sections being developed that cover the whole history of Russian arms back…
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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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Pearl Harbor
Everyone, please take a moment to remember that ‘Day of Infamy’ as President Roosevelt called it, which occurred 70 years ago today. And remember also the Americans who died in the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, which launched this country into World War II.
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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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Veterans Day
The Reenactor Post would like to take this opportunity to recognize all veterans for their service. We can not adequately express our appreciation for all you have done for your country and for all of us. Thanks to you all!
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Book Review – “Those Who Dare”
A few months ago, I received an email from a publisher’s representative asking if I would be interested in getting an advance copy of a new book about WWII. Naturally, the prospect of getting something for free caught my attention and I replied that I would. After some wait, I got the book and dug…
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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…