Our first event for 2011 will be the World War II tactical at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA on 24-27 MAR. This scenario is based around Operation Nordwind which started on 1 JAN 1945 in and around Alsace and Lorraine, France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nordwind).
Members of the 1st Allied Airborne's 502nd Baker Company will be participating as part of the I and R Platoon under Captain Mike Felmlee of the 83rd ID. Nordwind is an INVITATION ONLY EVENT. Other members of the 1st AA who wish to apply for participation should contact Pat Eddy or Chris Smith via the contact page at http://www.firstalliedairborne.com/.
Similar to the "Battle of the Bulge" event at FIG in January, Nordwind caters more toward those attending specifically for the battle scenarios. Billeting is still in the original WWII barracks and there will be a number of vendors selling reenacting goods and militaria. A greater number of period vehicles usually participate than in January as well.
More information will be posted on the 1st Allied Airborne Facebook Page.
December 31, 2010
December 9, 2010
Band Of Brothers Vets Work To Honor Their Commanding Officer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — This might be hard to believe, but World War Two veterans Bill Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron generally don’t like Veterans Day.
You see for them, it can be a lot of work.
“We’re not teenagers any more,” jokes Guarnere. But a lot of people like stopping by to talk to these two vets, especially on this day.
During the war, Guarnere and Heffron served in Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. If that company doesn’t sound familiar, it’s probably because you know it as another name: the “Band of Brothers,” now made famous in a Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries.
“We’re just like any other person, two kids from South Philly,” says Guarnere. “I’m no hero.”
It’s been 65 years since the two fought their way across Western Europe with E Company, but this year, they find themselves fighting again: a race against time.
The pair, along with filmmaker Tim Gray and baseball great Curt Schilling, are trying to raise enough money to build a statue of their commanding officer, Major Dick Winters, at Utah Beach in Normandy. It was there that E Company, under Winters’ leadership, parachuted behind German lines and captured four big German guns above the beach, saving many lives.
The statue of Winters will be a tribute to leadership on D-Day.
Winters pulled off the attack with only about a dozen men, famously calling “Follow me!” as he led the assault. Winters, who lives now on a farm in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, is in failing health.
“That attack was so good, it was, it’s taught today at West Point,” says Guarnere. Winters “deserves it [the statue]. I think he deserves something before he dies. I don’t think he’ll be here next year, I doubt it.”
Heffron is flying to Rhode Island this weekend to attend a fundraiser for the project.
“I know that it’s deserved,” he says. “And I know he [Winters] would welcome it, but he’s too modest to tell you that.”
If you ask Heffron and Guarnere what made Winters such a great leader, they will tell you all sorts of stories. One incident came on the road to Carentan, France. The company came under heavy machine gun fire, forcing the men to take cover in trenches alongside the road.
“You couldn’t move,” says Guarnere. But “Dick’s out in the middle of the road yelling ‘Run! Attack!’ … Not a soul moved in the company. They stayed in the ditches. He got shot. Dick Winters got shot.”
No doubt, Winters is loved by the men who followed him. Heffron calls him “the greatest guy in the world.” And he says it’s easy to explain why he had such effective leadership abilities: “He took real good care of his men.”
If you’d like to donate to the statue project and accompanying documentary about Winters, you can go to this website: http://www.timgraymedia.com/donate
You see for them, it can be a lot of work.
“We’re not teenagers any more,” jokes Guarnere. But a lot of people like stopping by to talk to these two vets, especially on this day.
During the war, Guarnere and Heffron served in Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. If that company doesn’t sound familiar, it’s probably because you know it as another name: the “Band of Brothers,” now made famous in a Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries.
“We’re just like any other person, two kids from South Philly,” says Guarnere. “I’m no hero.”
It’s been 65 years since the two fought their way across Western Europe with E Company, but this year, they find themselves fighting again: a race against time.
The pair, along with filmmaker Tim Gray and baseball great Curt Schilling, are trying to raise enough money to build a statue of their commanding officer, Major Dick Winters, at Utah Beach in Normandy. It was there that E Company, under Winters’ leadership, parachuted behind German lines and captured four big German guns above the beach, saving many lives.
The statue of Winters will be a tribute to leadership on D-Day.
Winters pulled off the attack with only about a dozen men, famously calling “Follow me!” as he led the assault. Winters, who lives now on a farm in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, is in failing health.
“That attack was so good, it was, it’s taught today at West Point,” says Guarnere. Winters “deserves it [the statue]. I think he deserves something before he dies. I don’t think he’ll be here next year, I doubt it.”
Heffron is flying to Rhode Island this weekend to attend a fundraiser for the project.
“I know that it’s deserved,” he says. “And I know he [Winters] would welcome it, but he’s too modest to tell you that.”
If you ask Heffron and Guarnere what made Winters such a great leader, they will tell you all sorts of stories. One incident came on the road to Carentan, France. The company came under heavy machine gun fire, forcing the men to take cover in trenches alongside the road.
“You couldn’t move,” says Guarnere. But “Dick’s out in the middle of the road yelling ‘Run! Attack!’ … Not a soul moved in the company. They stayed in the ditches. He got shot. Dick Winters got shot.”
No doubt, Winters is loved by the men who followed him. Heffron calls him “the greatest guy in the world.” And he says it’s easy to explain why he had such effective leadership abilities: “He took real good care of his men.”
If you’d like to donate to the statue project and accompanying documentary about Winters, you can go to this website: http://www.timgraymedia.com/donate
December 6, 2010
All Airborne event in Indiana
Where: Ft. Ben Harrison State Park , Indianapolis , IN.
When: 08 – 10 April 2011
Host: Museum of 20th Century Warfare www.m20cwinfo.org
This event will be a Normandy scenario conducted in a wooded area with many natural ravines which covers 150-200 acres. This event is intended to be a 36 hour immersion beginning early on Saturday morning (0300) with both Parachute and Glider elements being inserted by truck (truck jump) into assigned DZ/LZ's and then into assigned Assembly Area's.
There will be a hot food vendor on site and plenty of POV parking, water will be available. It is understood that many unit members, especially GI, who do not normally portray Airborne would like to participate, we highly encourage them to do so at this event as the more the better. For those of you in this category you or your unit commander should contact the Liaison Officer of either the 82d or the 101st Airborne Divisions which are listed below for more info. German and British unit commanders please do the same.
TSG/HRS Authenticity and Safety Rules will be used with the unit commanders to be responsible for their units. Unit commanders please contact the appropriate Liaison with your unit strength for the event or any questions or concerns. Registration forms can be found at the Museum website which is listed above.
For more information, contact one of the following personnel:
German Liaison - Chuck Young, openseasprod@yahoo.com
82d Airborne – Dave Weakley, dwweakley@yahoo.com
101st Airborne – Alan Jones, atj53@att.net
British 6th Airborne - TBD
When: 08 – 10 April 2011
Host: Museum of 20th Century Warfare www.m20cwinfo.org
This event will be a Normandy scenario conducted in a wooded area with many natural ravines which covers 150-200 acres. This event is intended to be a 36 hour immersion beginning early on Saturday morning (0300) with both Parachute and Glider elements being inserted by truck (truck jump) into assigned DZ/LZ's and then into assigned Assembly Area's.
There will be a hot food vendor on site and plenty of POV parking, water will be available. It is understood that many unit members, especially GI, who do not normally portray Airborne would like to participate, we highly encourage them to do so at this event as the more the better. For those of you in this category you or your unit commander should contact the Liaison Officer of either the 82d or the 101st Airborne Divisions which are listed below for more info. German and British unit commanders please do the same.
TSG/HRS Authenticity and Safety Rules will be used with the unit commanders to be responsible for their units. Unit commanders please contact the appropriate Liaison with your unit strength for the event or any questions or concerns. Registration forms can be found at the Museum website which is listed above.
For more information, contact one of the following personnel:
German Liaison - Chuck Young, openseasprod@yahoo.com
82d Airborne – Dave Weakley, dwweakley@yahoo.com
101st Airborne – Alan Jones, atj53@att.net
British 6th Airborne - TBD
December 3, 2010
December 2, 2010
Reenactor Channel
Chris Smith from B/502 has put together a YouTube channel just for video clips from reenactors, their family and friends. This includes clips from all living history time periods. We want to feature videos taken at the events where the 1st Allied Airborne and other partner units participate.
To watch the videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/ddayquartermaster. To submit your videos, email a link to your YouTube upload to chris@ddayquartermaster.com.
To watch the videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/ddayquartermaster. To submit your videos, email a link to your YouTube upload to chris@ddayquartermaster.com.
December 1, 2010
1st Lt Richard Winters Leadership Project
This project has been formally approved by Major Richard and Ethel Winters and the Men of Easy Company Association Herb Suerth, President.Narrator of film: HBO actor (Maj. Dick Winters in Band of Brothers) Damian Lewis.
The Project: A statue will be dedicated in Normandy (Ste. Marie-du-Mont) recognizing (then) First Lieutenant Richard Winters and the leadership abilities of all US Army officers of all divisions and corps during the Normandy phase of Operation Overlord. The statue will be designed by internationally known sculptor Stephen Spears of Fairhope, AL and be the likeness of Lt. Winters. Mr. Spears is the sculptor of the United States World War I Doughboy statue in Cantigny, France and the U.S. Navy World War II monument, dedicated in 2008 outside the Utah Beach museum, Ste. Marie-du-Mont, France.
The Statue: Will be a selected and approved likeness (by the Winters’ family) of (then) 1st Lt. Winters. The statue of Mr. Winters will be positioned in a leadership position (as a leader of men). The statue will be identified as 1st Lt. Richard Winters, E-Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, but will also be representative of ALL the Army officers of all the divisions who were responsible for leading soldiers into combat in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and will showcase all the division insignia of those who fought in Normandy in the very early stages of D-Day. The monument will prominently feature the words Leadership 6-6-1944 and a quote from Major Winters below his likeness.
An HD Documentary Film is also part of the project. It will focus on (Major) Winters’ leadership abilities in Europe in WWII, his ability to motivate, inspire and lead men when initial planning has broken down, all principles that are still important today to those who lead and set the stage for others to succeed. Interviews with E Company men alive today and interviews with Major Winters will be utilized.
National Spokesperson for project: Former Major League All-Star and 3-time World Series winner, Curt Schilling.
For more information on the documentary, go to http://www.timgraymedia.com/
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