FIG - GIs

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 around in a wool overcoat, I began to get a bit warm by mid-afternoon.

Do to my work schedule, I only went for the Saturday activities this year. Shopping at the various vendors took up about half of that time and visiting took up most of the rest. The British kit that I have put together features a lot of pockets. Very helpful for stuffing your purchases away so you don’t have to carry them everywhere while you cruise through the vendors. Since my time was limited, I didn’t get to visit with many of the folks that I normally would have. For those I missed, sorry -  no snub intended.

The big change this year, of course, was the move to area 13 and the newer barracks. I was concerned about wearing hobnailed Ammo boots into the new barracks, so I put duct tape over them, but that wore through after about a hundred yards, so I didn’t try to go into any barracks. I did drop into the German hospital which was in an old building by itself and ended up as a wounded POW. This afforded a good opportunity to take a load off my feet and recieve attention from lovely nurses!

Saturday evening, I met up with my comrades from the 193rd Rifle Division for our annual winter meeting at the Community Building, which was well-attended and productive. Afterward, several of us retired to the ballroom to observe the dancing and other festivities going on there.

Overall, it was a good weekend and even though I was there for a short visit, I enjoyed the Gap, as always.

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, PA. regardless of the weather as usual. They still
have several buildings available and are currently accepting pre-registrations. As we speak, we have a few more in attendance this year

than last at this time. Just as a reminder, please bring PLENTY of ammo. Attached is the link for registrations and such..  www.freewebs.com/elbe1945 For any questions, call: Roger Bombard at: 703-431-6843.

March 2012

WWII - February 1943 Tactical event. March 9 and 10. Newville GWA site. Sponsored by 193rd Rifle Division and Fusilier Regiment Nr. 90 re-enacting units. Contact John Niemiec at : ostfrontjohn@verizon.net      Download waiver

Timeline – Military Through the Ages, March 17 and 18 at Jamestown Settlement, Jamestown, VA.  http://www.historyisfun.org/calendar.htm

Here is Nick Korolev’s report on the latest installment of ‘The Long Road Home’ event series:

The weekend of April 8-10th Clover Hill Village, Appomatox, VA had the first installment of a special series of events titled “The Long Road Home” which will follow Civil War soldiers on the final campaign leading up to a major reenactment of the 150^th Appomatox. The event this year- Cold Harbor which had those critical of the war labeling Gen. U. S. Grant “The Butcher”. As promised – the first of this series was unlike any event presented so far in that reenactors and living historians worked together to make the experience as real as possible for the public. And unlike any other event the spectators found themselves stepping beyond the yellow tape barrier in an interactive experience with them able to volunteer to help soldiers write home, help medical personnel with difficult patients in a fully set up field hospital and talk directly to the commanding generals. Sponsors are the Appomatox County Historical Society, United Daughters of the Confederacy Appomatox Chapter 11, and the prestigious living history groups Lee’s Lieutenants and the Federal Generals Corps.

Rick Byrd and I left on Thurs to arrive early to start setting up camp in the area designated for the Federal Generals Corps and the Union troops. It was a beautiful day, though scattered thunder showers and cold nights plagued the event until Sunday just before period church services in both camps that were open to the public. Still, no one was about to let wet weather and cold nights get our spirits down.

Many of us had to change the personnas we usually portrayed. Rick’s character for the weekend was Maj. Gen. William F. Smith, commander of the 18^th Corps and mine was Maj. Gen. Phil Sheridan. This of course put us in research mode before the event so we could properly portray our personnas for the public. I had to put up with a lot of ribbing from my friends in Lee’s Lieutenants like “Keep matches away from him.” and got into a bit of a debate on tactics with Gen. Longstreet on “total war” in the Shenandoah Valley that the public enjoyed. In our camp the public also got to witness Gen. Smith complaining about the decimation of his troops to Gen. Grant (Barry Meadows) and Gen. Sheridan arguing with Gen. Meade (Paul Bourget who usually portrays Gen. Green and supplied the photos of this event) over the proper use of cavalry among other scenarios.

There were other changes, too. Because we lacked enough of a showing for Union troops many of the rebels had to “galvanize” and some of the generals went out as privates. And because of this lack of Union troops one of the funniest and most heart warming stories from the whole weekend came about.

For the first part of Cold Harbor presented on Saturday, Jay Vogle who normally portrays Gen. Longstreet for Lee’s Lieutenants became a Union private christened Pvt. Shortroad by everyone. Two two hundred foot trenches were ready for the battle reenactment though a bit soggy from showers and rail fences were set up to be taken down during the battle to add to the trenches. Confederate artillery fired to open the battle. During the battlethat ebbed and flowed between the trench lines, Jay was a casualty near the Confederate trench. When the public was allowed to go out on the field to get the wounded back to the field hospital, Jay who lay unmoving was surrounded by about a dozen kids that ranged from kindergarden to third grade. Now Jay has to be over six feet tall. The action that followed reminded me of a bunch of ants trying to carry off a grasshopper. The kids surrounded him grabbing legs, arms, canteen strap and worked it out to drag him yelling, “One … Two … Three… Heave!” He remained limp through the whole thing, eyes closed yet alert to what they were doing with the canteen strap around his neck. The kids had dragged him about a hundred feet toward the hospital leaving a rut in the field before our nurse came to his rescue. Much to their disappointment, she pronounced Jay dead. One third grade boy protested, “But I took his pulse and he was alive.” Another boy about the same age chimed in, “We went through all that trouble dragging him over hear and now you say he’s dead. Man!” They went off to the hospital to help others. Jay got up once they were occupied, his back coated with dirt. He was quite impressed by their team work and enthusiasm as we all were.

Saturday evening Clover Hill had a meal of pulled pork with all the fixings for all the living historians and reenactors. We had to rush through supper as a thunder storm was on the way. It kept both the talent show and night firing from going on, which was unfortunate. All in all we had a great time educating the public and though we had more living historians than reenactors on both sides, it was considered a successful event with a good public turnout and we all hope more reenactors will show next year in April for the Battle of Five Forks in the Long Road Home series.

For more information on the events or to register for next year check the website: www.longroadhome150.com

Nick Korolev

October 2010

Militaria Show – October 1-2, MAX Show  (Military Antiques Extravaganza) Monroeville  Convention Center, just outside Pittsburgh, PA.  See:

http://www.themaxshow.com

WWI – October 1-3, Newville, PA. Western Front Total Immersion Event. Great War Association.  Invitation only.

http://www.great-war-assoc.org

WWII – 2-3 October 2010 Brentsville (Virginia) WW2 Living History Weekend. Robert Orrison, Historic Site Manager Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, Prince William County Historic Preservation Division . 703-365-7895 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              703-365-7895      end_of_the_skype_highlighting – Office, 571-641-0223 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              571-641-0223      end_of_the_skype_highlighting – Mobile.

www.pwcgov.org/brentsville

WWII – October 9-10, Williamsport, MD, WWII Weekend, Registration available at:

williamsportmd.gov/wwii.

Civil War – October 8-10, Battle of  Droop Mountain, Hillsboro, WV. Sponsored by WVRA. For information, see:

http://www.wvra.org

Civil War – October 15-17, Battle of Cedar Creek, Middletown, VA. Sponsored by Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation. For info:

http://www.cedarcreekbattlefield.org

Timeline - October 23-24, Massachusetts Military Reservation 2010 Open House * Living History Camps, * Tours of Training Facilities, * Military Vehicle Displays, * Weapons Demonstrations, * Musket Drills, * Assault on the MOUT Site (Americans VS Germans), * 101 Field Artillery 105mm Howitzer Salutes, * Vendors. Over 300 Reenactors expected with units representing our fighting men and women from the first muster to today’s war on terrorism. Contact: SSG LAWRENCE F. CLINTON JR., EVENT COORDINATOR, CAMP EDWARDS, MASSACHUSETTS ARMY NATIONAL GUARD. 508-233-6630 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              508-233-6630      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, DSN:256-6630,  http:\\savetheydhq.tripod.com

The following is a report from our intrepid correspondent, Mike Momot:

The Tank Farm” Nokesville, Virginia, 21-22 August 2010.  This event is located on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles.  This event was attended by members of the 193rd and many other reenactment units.  WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, the Cold War, and the Soviet Afghan War were all represented.  Two T-34 tanks were present representing yours truly: the 193rd Rifle Division and the 33rd Guards.  Two other members of our unit also represented a Cold War East German Tanker, and a Soviet Afghanets.

The predominate theme of the weekend seemed to be the WWII battle sequences.  Fighting occurred in a brief battle between the “Yanks” and the “Gerrys” but the most impressive display was the Marine assault on a Japanese installation which included a flamethrower in action.  Yours truly, in an effort to capture the photography, got in as close as I could but had to beat feet and retreat.  The heat coming off that thing was intense!  It was like opening up the door on the oven to check on your meal and that blast of heat hits you in the face…and I was 100 ft away!

The reenactors were treated very well with free food and drink.  The event is easy to get to and easy to get around.  Many visitors attended this very public friendly, weekend event and the weather was fine, save for the latter part of the afternoon on Sunday that produced a bit of rain.  This is an event not to miss.  Where else can one get so close and explore this piece of living history.  Also at this event, one could donate to support the museum and register for rides on some of the armored personnel vehicles.  I understand there was a helicopter ride one could sign up for as well but with the price of fuel, I imagine it was expensive.

Remember, it’s “The Tank Farm”, Nokesville, Virginia.  Check it out.  You can also check it out online at: www.VMMV.org Your support is appreciated.

The next event I will report on is: “The Russian Mosaic Festival” at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, Sept. 19th.

Mikhail Andreyevich Vishnevsky

WWII - Western Front. Odessa, New York. September 10, 11,12, 2010. For information, contact:

odessaevent@gmail.com

Civil War – September 10, McGrew House Living History, Kingwood, WV. For information:

http://www.mainstreetkingwood.org

WWII – September 10, 11, 12. Greenwood Lake Airshow (WWII Themed) 126 Airport Road, West Milford, New Jersey 07480. Large living history area. Allied and Axis groups welcome. Camps will incorporate some static period aircraft. Ice and cold water provided to reenactors. Call 973-728-1143 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              973-728-1143      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email:

greenwoodlakeairportairshow@gmail.com   Website: www.greenwoodlakeairshow.com

Old West – September 11 to October 10, located at 1449 Greenbush Cobb Rd, Williamsburg Ohio, 45176 between Mt. Orab and Williamsburg, Ohio just off St. Rt. 32, just 15 minutes from Cincinnati, off I-275. Authentic Dodge City Old West town. Come in your best period attire. For info, see:

http://www.oldwestfestival.com

WWII – Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In. September 18, 2010, Terrell Municipal Airport, Terrell, TX. The BFTS museum is hosting a Fly-In to honor the WWII British pilots who trained here and the American officers and civilian staff who assisted with that training.

For more information please contact Freda Freeman:

no1bftsmuseum@yahoo.com

WWII – WWII Weekend, Eisenhower Farm. September 18 – 19, Gettysburg, PA. For information:

http://www.nps.gov/eise/parknews/world-war-ii-weekend.htm

WWII – WWII Living History, Old Mill Village, New Milford, PA. All allied and Axis military impressions welcome. Military vehicles welcome, but tracked vehicles can be used for static display only. Contact Chris Kane for details: herc00798@yahoo.com website: http://www.oldmillvillage.org

Timeline Event – CANCELED The American Soldier at War, September 25-26, Corrick’s Ford Battlefield, Parsons, WV. For information:

http://americansoldieratwar.webs.com

Arthurdale Heritage and the New Deal Festival planning committee would like to invite living history hobbyists and reenactors to dress up in their 1930s “Sunday best” and come out to the New Deal Festival in Arthurdale, WV on July 10, 2010.

We’re looking for any New Deal era impression you might be interested in portraying.  Arthurdale was the first New Deal Homestead community in the nation and home to farmers, craftspeople, builders, factory workers, miners and more.  As a federal project, there were also federal employees, teachers, and planners. It was also visited often by politicians and reporters because of its connection to the New Deal legislation.  Not to be forgotten are the families – mothers, fathers, children, grandparents and grandchildren.  This is a unique opportunity for a peacetime impression from a unique period of our history!

We hope that you can come to Arthurdale, July 10 and help us celebrate the New Deal.  If you are interested or have questions, please let us know!

You can find out more about the New Deal Festival and Arthurdale Heritage visit: http://arthurdaleheritage.org

I wanted to give everyone a quick preview of some great events coming up in North Central West Virginia over the next few months. First of all, is the 5th Annual WWII Living History Weekend in Rowlesburg, WV on the weekend of June 19, 2010. This is West Virginia’s premier WWII event. Located in the picturesque Cheat River Valley, enough cannot be said about the hospitality shown to the reenactors at this event. The numbers of unit displays has been growing since the inaugural  in 2006. This year should continue that trend. Put this one on your calendar. The website is below:

http://www.rowlesburg.info/world_war_2_weekend.php

On the weekend of July 9-10 , Arthurdale Heritage Inc. will be sponsoring its annual New Deal Festival commemorating the founding of the community in the 1930′s. This will provide a unique opportunity for living historians to develop a peace-time impression if they do not already have one. You can contact Arthurdale Heritage at:

http://www.arthurdaleheritage.org

On September 25-26, 2010, Parsons, WV will host the first American Soldier at War Historic Timeline. This will be held on the Corrick’s Ford Battlefield. (Historical note-the first general officer killed in the Civil War fell here.) The organizers are looking for authentic living historians to portray units ranging from the French and Indian War up through Vietnam.  This will be one of the first timeline events held in the state and will hopefully become an annual event. See the website for registration details:

http://www.americansoldieratwar.webs.com

Our correspondent, Nick Korolev, recently attended an interesting workshop in Winchester, Virginia, and files this report:

For those who wish to know more about it, living history impressionists belong to the branch of historical reenactment that goes beyond the recreation of famous battles or setting up a historically accurate camp. These living historians brings to life the famous personalities who made history and allow the public to talk to historical personalities as if they had just traveled back in time to meet them. One has to not only study the times and battles, but read biographies and other first hand accounts in order to create as accurate as possible first person impression of the chosen personality. A little acting ability is always handy. Many experienced reenactors often branch of in this direction for a different challenge and it is ideal for historians and history buffs who can not take the rigors of combat reenacting.

With the coming 150th anniversary of the Civil War about to begin next year, my friend Richard Byrd and I, spent Fri evening and all of Sat with members of the Federal Generals Corps for the Eagles Living History Workshop honing our skills. The workshop was for members of both the Federal Generals Corps and Lee’s Lieutenants, two of the top Civil War living history groups that make events through the four state region. Both units have generals who commanded on both sides, the presidents, doctors who present surgical demonstrations of battlefield medicine and other famous personalities like, Belle Boyd, the Confederate spy; Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross and Matthew Brady, photographer. Besides Civil War events many of the members also take part in school and civic programs centered around Civil War history education. I must state at this point at no time do our people take command at reenactments, though they sometimes appear mounted on the field to add a touch of realism at the invitation of the commanders of the reenactments.

Guest speakers at the workshop event included Russ Richards of Historical Entertainment, a production company that provides historical impressionists from all eras for movie companies filming both documentaries and feature films; Judi Flowers, a professional wardrobe director who presented a program on “Dressing the Part”; film and television director Caryn Nowland who talked on the actors role behind and in front of the camera; and actor Patrick Gorman, who portrayed Confederate General John B. Hood in the films GETTYSBURG and GODS AND GENERALS who provided acting coaching and a discussion on character development. We had a great time getting together with friends who braved the storm that really hit points north hard. All the presenters were wonderful to work with being down to earth people easy to talk to. Some filming of short scenarios was done and critiqued. With about fifty in attendance in uniform not to mention at least ten ladies in period dress, they ran out of time, so Rick and I did not do anything though we came up with a short scenario that would have worked. What we learned can be applied to other eras for those who do or wish to do first person impressions. I certainly will be applying it to another era once my house sells and I get settled in my new location.

There are plans in the works to hold another living history workshop February of 2011 , stretch it to a full weekend and open it to non-members for a small fee and many of our presenters plan on returning.

Nick Korolev

We received this notice from Lt. William King, USN concerning an interesting event upcoming in
May. It sounds like a fascinating endeavor and should be of particular interest
to those of the maritime pursuasion. Good luck and Godspeed to all involved:


On May 15-16 2010 a crew of 10 will attempt to row and sail a 26-foot monomoy surf boat
across the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.  The transit, covering 14 miles of open water
skirting the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Henry to Cape Charles, will terminate at Kiptopeke
State Park on Virginia's Eastern Shore.  The park is noted for its sunset vistas and a
line of 9 sunken WWII era ships that form its breakwater.  The crew will land at the
park, camp overnight and then return to Virginia Beach the following day.

This test of traditional seamanship skills is being held in conjunction with local
environmental interests to raise awareness about pollution in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.  It does not commemorate any particular event, but celebrates the historical
use of small boats throughout the Chesapeake and the age-old seamanship and navigation
skills required for long transits over open water.

No modern navigation equipment will be carried, with the exception of hand-held VHF
radios and an emergency locator beacon.  Rather, the boat's coxswain will navigate by
magnetic compass, leadline (a primitive depth finding tool, literally a weight on the end
of a small rope) and a chip log (another primitive device used to estimate speed).

Both the US Coast Guard and Virginia Pilot Association have been consulted and have
agreed to help prepare the crew and monitor its crossing.  Both have said they await the
event with great anticipation and interest.

The boat being used in the crossing was carried aboard US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels
from 1963 to 1974.  It has no mechanical propulsion system, relying on the power of eight
oarsmen or a single large sail to move it.  Boats of nearly identical design have been
used on the east coast of the US for more than 250 years.

For more information, contact LT William King, USN at william.r.king2@navy.mil.