T-34

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 get a chance to demonstrate what they can do on a closed course. It also gives the reenactors a chance to examine, camp around and even ride on some of the vehicles which are appropriate for their impression. There was no shortage of ‘photo-ops’!

The Red Army reenactors ( 193rd Rifle Division, 33rd Guards and the ‘ Ангел смерти’ brigade) once again got to ride in and on a T34-85. To say the least, it is a fun and unique experience.

If you haven’t attended this event before, it is set up along the lines of a twentieth century timeline. Each reenactment group is assigned an area to camp in conjunction with vehicles which are appropriate to their impression. For example, the RKKA with with the T34′s, the WWII British were with the Grant tank and the Ferret scout cars, the 1980s Soviets with a BMP and a T-55, the French Foreign Legion with a Panhard…etc. That of course is just scratching the surface. For groups with limited resources, it is a chance to experience the feeling of having the real stuff. Some of the groups were old hands with established organizations and others were newer and sometimes informal groupings. Whatever, the impressions were very good.

The museums and their staffs are to be commended for running such a pleasant and well-run event. The facilities were handy and we were supplied with hot dogs, pizza and cold drinks. Even the port-a-johns were state of the art!

The only sour note occurred Sunday afternoon, when a fairly violent storm blew in and the crowd was dismissed for safety’s sake. We found ourselves tearing down tents and flyes in a driving rain accompanied by brilliant flashes of lightening and ground-shaking thunder. Not something I am fond of. All of my canvas got wet, but I got most everything in the car before the downpour. But, that is the nature of this game.

I highly recommend this event. It certainly is unique and the organizers, some of whom are reenactors themselves, treat you well.  Here are some links:

http://www.vmmv.org

http://www.nmaw.org

This year, I attended my third ‘Military Through the Ages’ at Jamestown Settlement. For those of you who have not attended this event, it is a high-quality, prestigious time-line event. Since it takes place in the environs of the reconstructed Jamestown Settlement and museum, it is doubly interesting. As usual, there were a wide variety of living history impressions on display here.  It is always a challenge to capture them all on film, but I have done my best. There is only a limited amount of time to do so, since we have to man our own displays as well. Again this year, the 193rd was well represented by our membership. This year, we concentrated on representing a Red Army field hospital, which was well-received by the public.

The timeline represented this year extended from the time of the Emperor Charlemagne (around 800 A.D.) though the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, represented by groups from the Hundred Year’s War though German mercenaries from the 1500′s and English privateers preying on Spanish shipping in the late 1600′s. The various conflicts of the eighteenth century were well represented, both in Europe and North America by such groups as Roger’s Rangers and His Majesty’s Detached Hospital in North America.

After a brief stopover in the War of 1812 (Fort Norfolk Garrison) the timeline marched into the American Civil War with a large representation of Yanks and Rebels of various units, including the ‘Nancy Hart Militia’ (imagine women in hoop skirts carrying muskets!)

One of the highlights of this year’s encampment was the British 24th Regiment of Foot from the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. This guys always look sharp, but this year, they upped the ante and brought some Zulus with them. The Zulu reenactors looked great and knew their stuff and this aided the group in netting some of the top awards.

There were several good WWI units as usual and this year included for the first time since I have been going, Imperial Russian (11th Siberian Rifles). Then we had another good display from the Irish War for Independence with the West Cork Flying Column and their nemesis, the Black and Tans. Then on to an extensive WWII array including our group, British Commonwealth forces, Americans and Germans.

The last two displays moved into the Cold War period with a fine Vietnam display (which gets better every year) and the First Company of 154th Independent Spetsnaz Detachment in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1987, who put up an excellent and creative display for their first year. I know that I haven’t mentioned every group here, by a longshot, but there are just too many. Come out next year and see for yourself.

This is a great show, which would be worth the drive, even if your group wasn’t participating.  For me, it is a hoot just to see impressions that I don’t get to see in the usual single time-period events. Apparently the public thinks so as well, given the turnout, which I understand was larger than anticipated. I know we had a lot of people come through our camp and show a great deal of interest. That is, of course, one of the most gratifying aspects.

For the last two years, I have talked about making the trip to Petersburg, WV to see Topkick’s Military Museum, but have not made it. on September 24, 2010, I finally made it. While it is a bit of a hike from my home to Petersburg, the trip was definitely worth it. The owner, Gereald W. Bland, US Army Retired, gave me a personal tour of the facility. While the building is fairly small, it is packed with a multitude of various kinds of militaria, including a surprising number of vehicles – so many, in fact, that they spill over into the surrounding grounds.

The variety is impressive for a small museum. Everything from an Alligator landing craft to slat-grilled jeeps are on display. You can see from the photographs that there is also a large array of small arms and other smaller items of equipment as well. The time periods covered range from WWI to Iraq. Donations of money or equipment are accepted. It takes a lot to keep up a facility like this, so I encourage everyone to make the trip and chip in to help. The hours 9am – dark  Monday to Saturday and 12pm to dark on Sundays.  You can phone ahead at (304) 257-1392.

The museum is located just 1.5 miles outside of Petersburg off Rt. 55 W. There is a map on the link: http://web.hardynet.com/~topkicks/brochure/brochure.htm

As an addtional attraction, situated about halfway between the museum and Petersburg, lies Ft. Mulligan, which was built by the Union Army between August and December of 1863 by troops under the command of Colonel James A. Mulligan and involved the work of soldiers from the Midwest, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Western Virginia. The fortifications are still beautifully preserved. The fort is situated in such a way to command a wide view of the South Branch Valley at this point.

http://www.grantcountypress.com/ft_mulligan.html

Don’t take my word for it…make the trip. It’s worth it!

As some of you may know, I spent a week in Maine last May. Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War knows that Maine made a major contribution to the Union war effort in many different sectors. Maine was one of the first states in the northeast to be aligned with the Republican party (Wikipedia) and was the adopted home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of  Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Lincoln also picked his first Vice-President from Maine-Hannibal Hamlin.

Also, Maine contributed more manpower, per capita, than any other Union state. The most famous of which was the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry which was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Colonel Lawrence L. Chamberlain. Most of you have probably seen the movie, “Gettysburg” which starred Jeff Daniels in the role of Col. Chamberlain, and some of you, like myself, worked as reenactor extras on the film.

So, I was particularly interested in seeing everything that I could about Maine’s Civil War heritage during the trip. One of our first stops was at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor. This is one of America’s first ‘garden’ cemeteries and is the final resting place for many Maine Civil war soldiers. Below you will see markers for soldiers from the 20th and 2nd Maine infantries, for example. There is also an imposing memorial to the Union dead of Maine at the cemetery.  This consists of a large castle tower ringed with crenalation at the top. There was a large gun which appeared to be a 30-pounder Parrott rifle on a an iron naval mounting  gazing out from the battlement.  A semi-circle of grave markers of Civil War soldiers and sailors lay on the uphill side of the monument. At the corners of this area were four smoothbore guns of howitzer length mounted on wooden naval carriages. If anyone can definitely identify these  guns, make a comment below. Near the Civil War memorial is a large Korean War memorial which was bordered by the flags of all the United Nations participants in that war and a listing of the Maine dead.

Later in the trip, we visite the Chamberlain statue in Brewer, Maine, which is just across the Penobscot River from Bangor. This features a large statue of Colonel Chamberlain and below him near the highway is a statue of a freed slave. Chamberlain served as governor of Maine for 4 terms after the war and also as the president of Bowdoin College. He is still a much-admired figure in the state.

In fact, all during the trip, we encountered Civil War monuments in our travels. According to Wikipedia, about 70 thousand Maine men served in the Union military and the impact on the state was deeply felt.  If you are interested in the Civil War, Gettysburg and Virginia aren’t the only places to check out. Take a look at Maine. Just watch out for the black flies!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_in_the_American_Civil_War

http://www.mthopebgr.com/photo-gallery

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

On April 24, Mark Tennant and I drove to Oakland, MD for a scheduled Civil War living history. We were to meet up with some other reenactors at the gazebo by the train station,  however, to our dismay, we learned that there had been a glitch and the event had been cancelled, but no one had called us. While this was disappointing, we took the opportunity to examine some of the attractions of Oakland. First of all there are a number of antique shops around the area and we set about checking out one of those. After making a few small purchases, we started back home when we noticed that the Garrett County Historical Society Museum down the street was open. So, we decided to stop for a look.

We were pleasantly surprised. The museum is clean and well-maintained. Although small, it boasts a number of quality exhibits which mostly reflect local history in terms of what has happened in this area or to the residents of the area. Each room in the museum has it’s own particular theme.  There are some wonderful B&O railroad exhibits including a model engine which was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. An adjoining room showcases items of interest from local hotels. The Victorian Room and the Cabin are set up as actual rooms from their time periods.

However, for me the main attraction was the military room which features as it’s centerpiece a beautiful brass Gatling Gun which was built for the US Navy in 1901. The room is also chock full of artifacts from American conflicts from the Civil War up to Desert Storm.

Our visit to the museum was a bit brief and we could have stayed a bit longer, but it was quite enjoyable and unexpected. It wasn’t what we were expecting, but it was worth the drive. If you are in the Oakland area, you should check this one out. It is definitely worth the quarter to park.

The title says it all. March 20-21 was a great weekend for the annual Military Through the Ages event at Jamestown Settlement. Despite having been out at Newville the previous week and dreading the 7-hour drive, I still felt compelled to attend. I’m glad I did. This was even better than last year. I don’t know if there were more Living History displays this year, but it seemed like it. There were certainly some that I hadn’t seen before. The warm, sunny weather was icing on the cake.

With the recreated Jamestown Settlement as a centerpiece, the living history groups are spread out across the grounds of the museum. Near the Jamestown palisade, there was a substantial Viking encampment. Across the road was their likely nemesis, the Emperor Charlemagne’s troops. I asked one of the guardsmen if the Vikings were a problem and he felt confident that they could handle them.

The Middle Ages encampment included camps from the Hundred Year’s War, the Hussite rebellion and the War of the Roses. It occurred to me that the fifteenth century would have been a miserable time to live. Moving on, there were German mercenaries contemporary with the Jamestown folks and a little later, a couple of groups of privateers. Both crews assured me (tongue in cheek)  that they were not pirates, but honest subjects of the Queen, sailing under letters of marque. A little further down the road were the Sea Rats, who are unabashedly pirates and one of my favorite groups.

Then I came upon a group of Scots who were taking part in the ’45, or the Jacobite Rebellion. While Bonny Prince Charlie was no where to be seen, his loyal followers had a quite nice set-up. Moving into the late 18th century, there were groups representing the British crown and the American colonists. The Continental Army had nice display with a curious field piece which featured a full-sized carriage with a rather small gun. Not being well-versed in the artillery of the period, I was impressed.

The War of 1812 was represented and there was  substantial American Civil War section. As I remember the Union Army engineers won a couple of awards and the Union Navy (USS Aristook) to0k home the reenactor’s choice award. The British army at Roarke’s Drift rounded out the 19th Century.

WWI was represented by the Salvation Army’s Doughnut Dollies as well as the German, American and French armies.  In the postwar period, the Irish-English war of 1920 – 21 was represented by the Irish Republican Army and their opponents, the Black and Tans. Great Display!

WWII saw the Brits at Dunkirk, the German army, our late war Red Army group, British paras of Operation Market Garden and two American GI groups. The Twentieth Century was rounded out by the Vietnam camp which was bigger and more impressive than last year. These guys are mostly Vietnam veterans as well, so this is a particularly poignant display.

The 193rd Rifles won third place for best uniforms in our division, which is an accomplishment given the competition. Being invited to MTA is an honor, so just being here implies that you are good. The final parade of all the units which precedes the honors presentation, serves as the finale of the weekend. This gives everyone a chance to get a good look at the participants in their respective units.

As I have said before, if you haven’t been to this event, you owe it to yourself to go. There are some other timeline events around, but this one is definitely a biggie!

Smart assed Answer: It stars and is directed by Clint Eastwood. While that is the only reason that I need, there is more. Clint plays an aging Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski, who is surrounded by people, family and otherwise, who fail to understand and appreciate him and his experiences. Ultimately, he reveals how his combat experiences have affected his life.

Walt is a crusty and unhappy curmudgeon who can’t get along with his yuppie sons or their materialistic families. He is thoroughly disgusted by the crassness and incivility of a society which seems to value nothing. His main comforts come from an old blonde Labrador retriever named ‘Daisy’, and his pristine 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Eventually, things change for him when a family of Hmung people (refugees from Southeast Asia) move in next door and become his friends despite his best efforts to the contrary.

If Clint doesn’t get an Oscar for this movie, it will be a crime. His characterization of Walt is a marvel. While he says whatever he wants to, and that is usually something to offend (and often amuse) almost everybody, he is still a good and honest man who wins the admiration of all, on and off the screen. This is not ‘the man with no name.’ He is three-dimensional and his name is Walt.