World War II Reenacting

[sgtsaunders]

WW2 Video games lead me to WW2 Reenacting to fill in the gaps between game introductions

This is our parent organization in California, USA

www.chgww2.net

Check out the movie section to see a few clips. Our armor battles have plenty of armor included one, soon to be two Sherman Tanks, one Hetzer, and a group from Colorado comes with their Panzer III. In addition to the tanks we have 2-4 German Halftracks that show up, and 1-3 American Halftracks that show up. Plus lots of trucks and Jeeps, Kubelwagens, and motorcycles. Also 2-3 Stuart tanks, and two M8 greyhounds. Some artillery pieces as well.

As far as weapons we have bazookas, panzerchecks, panzerfausts etc. You see all on the weapons on the CHG site as well as the Armor.

[DavidUpton]

Naturally, I am impressed. I am always pleased to see foreign re-enactment groups, and by the looks of your website you are very diverse and professional.

If you get a moment, perhaps you might check the group I am in, http://www.grossdeutschland.org/, which is a German group portraying the Gross Deutschland Regiment. We might not be quite be on the scale of your group, but we have our own Halftrack, which is better than nothing.

The sort of things we get up to in the UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2M5TyHmAGY&feature=related

[HiddenShadow]

www.chgww2.net




wish there was something so large and soo professional in australia, id soo join up. Ive always had a fancination of WW2 reenactment, i love dressing up in as much WW2 looking stuff as i can, and pretending to be Part of the 101st AB, had fun jumping off the coffee table and stuff, always used to walk the streetz with my friend and my hockey stick pretending it was my M1 garand.

thats as far as i went with my reenacting.

[sgtsaunders]

If you check the CHG site for veterans honored
http://sites.google.com/a/chgww2.net/vets101/Home

We were lucky to have (5) veterans from the 101st come to one the reenactments. Two of them from easy company and three from F company. One of the guys was Don Malarkey who was one of the characters protrayed in Band of Brothers. There are some pictures and some video.

Also a guy from England(UK) who reenacts 82nd Airborne is coming to the USA to study, up in the San Francisco area for a year. He'll be teaming up with the 101st airborne unit, and will be coming to a few events.


As far as australia there are reenactor groups there. Although as you have potinted out they may be more living history than private tactical events

Try Army Group South, may be something up your alley
http://www.armygroupsouth.org/
http://www.west-front.com.au/
http://reenactsa.freeforums.org/

I realize in Australia because of the gun laws you can use firearms. The same goes for Japan, but they use airsoft to stage their events


Our group is a collection of 15 individual units that came together some 30 years ago. So we have several German units, American, Japanese, Australian, Italian, and Red Army. Plus there are two women units who do an American Field Hospital and a German DRK unit.

[Onearmy]

I've always wanted to re-enact, and I probably will when I'm 20 or so.

I've also wanted to just speak to a WW2 veteran(not about combat, it might hurt them to talk about it) But to just be with one of them. Unfortunately, I might never get that wish. They are dieing at a rate of over 1000 veterans a day, and there is only a million or so of them left.

Anyways, If I ever do re-enact, I will do 18th century warfare or WW2. Most likely, WW2.

And by the way, in re-enactments, how do you know when you "die"

[HiddenShadow]

If you check the CHG site for veterans honored
http://sites.google.com/a/chgww2.net/vets101/Home

We were lucky to have (5) veterans from the 101st come to one the reenactments. Two of them from easy company and three from F company. One of the guys was Don Malarkey who was one of the characters protrayed in Band of Brothers. There are some pictures and some video.

Also a guy from England(UK) who reenacts 82nd Airborne is coming to the USA to study, up in the San Francisco area for a year. He'll be teaming up with the 101st airborne unit, and will be coming to a few events.


As far as australia there are reenactor groups there. Although as you have potinted out they may be more living history than private tactical events

Try Army Group South, may be something up your alley
http://www.armygroupsouth.org/
http://www.west-front.com.au/
http://reenactsa.freeforums.org/

I realize in Australia because of the gun laws you can use firearms. The same goes for Japan, but they use airsoft to stage their events


Our group is a collection of 15 individual units that came together some 30 years ago. So we have several German units, American, Japanese, Australian, Italian, and Red Army. Plus there are two women units who do an American Field Hospital and a German DRK unit.


Thanks for the info. thats Awesome that the veterans came, wouldve loved to have been there.

[DavidUpton]

And by the way, in re-enactments, how do you know when you "die"

This is a topic of much debate in re-enacting. The problem is that you get quite a lot of people who decide not to die; because there is no way of telling if you have been hit.

Generally, it just comes down to honesty.

[smith1215]

This is a topic of much debate in re-enacting. The problem is that you get quite a lot of people who decide not to die; because there is no way of telling if you have been hit.

Generally, it just comes down to honesty.

paintball guns woudl do the trick

[DavidUpton]

paintball guns woudl do the trick

I pray that was a joke.

[Onearmy]

I pray that was a joke.

Some groups load their guns with some type of special gel bullet or something. and shoot each other with those.

Considering they are shot with REAL guns, they leave a huge bruise.


Re-enactment just lost my interest, I don't want to play with jerks who wont die.

[Guardian]

Dieing sounds like fun to me in a reenactment.

[Onearmy]

Dieing sounds like fun to me in a reenactment.

You won't die... It's some special bullet. Kinda like paintball, but different. And they wear under-armor stuff under their uniforms.

[sgtsaunders]

And by the way, in re-enactments, how do you know when you "die"

For the most part, guys are just happy to be out there in their uniforms and gear, and to enjoy the whole experience. See real tanks in action. the movement of Germans with their halftracks.

The whole "dieing" thing is part of the process. Most don't care much about it, but there are aways those few who "won't take any hits" which make it bad for the overall feeling of the event.

[SpitFireMarkA1]

The whole "dieing" thing is part of the process. Most don't care much about it, but there are aways those few who "won't take any hits" which make it bad for the overall feeling of the event.

To me, pretending to die is an interesting thing, which I find... awkwardly fun to do. If I was in a re-enactment, I would die (possibly sneak off quietly if possible and die somewhere else as well XD; ) just to add to the feeling that people actually die in wars : |

[DavidUpton]

For the most part, guys are just happy to be out there in their uniforms and gear, and to enjoy the whole experience. See real tanks in action. the movement of Germans with their halftracks.


This.

Of course I enjoy battles, but for me I love the living history part; knowing what it was like to be on the front lines from experience rather than just reading about it.

[Jtb0201]

I'd love to re-enact, i'm currently working on trying to get a 101st uniform from dead man's corner, over the course of our annual trip to normandy in summer :D.. I would like to do some reenacting on the german side too, and speak german at the random people at shows and stuff, that was always cool when i was younger

[DavidUpton]

Got back from a weekend on an old preserved railway line. Was a roasting hot weekend (by British weather standards) and I nearly died in my woolen tunic...

Anyway, heres a vid of the battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZJkf7QxJgM

[Yono]

Very nice David!