Airborne Reenactors News

Discovery's "Combat Cash" in Ohio

2012-01-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

Discovery Channel's new series "Combat Cash" follows Bob Chatt and Owen Thornton as they serach for military collectibles. Think of it as an "American Pickers" for people like us.

The episode on January 11th was partially shot at the D-Day event in Conneaut, Ohio which some of us will be attending this year. Here is the episode outline.

Bob and Owen source and fire some WWII guns to add authentic sound to a video game project. They head to a D-Day event to deliver a rare helmet and negotiate a "DUCK" amphibious vehicle. Owen suits up to storm the beaches with hundreds of WWII reenactors.

New photos of the Battle of the Bulge on the 67th anniversary

2011-12-20T11:17:00.000-05:00

Breathtaking new photographs, including several vivid full-color images, offer a never-before-seen look at the war-weary soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge who fought through the frozen Ardennes Forest in a mountainous region of Belgium in the dead of winter.

They show soldiers on both sides battling the frigid weather as they fought each other during Nazi Germany's last-ditch effort to drive back Allied forces between December 1944 and January 1945.

The pictures were released by Life Magazine on the 67th anniversary of the start of the grueling battle.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2075565/Vivid-new-Battle-Bulge-photos-offer-seen-look-war-weary-soldiers-braving-frigid-weather-fight-Nazi-Germanys-major-offensive-World-War-II.html

Information on Camp Atterbury event

2011-12-19T08:51:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Dave Weakley for the information.

LHRA Spring National Battle,2012
Battle for Normandy 1944

The LHRA invites you to our Western Front Tactical Battle to be held at Camp Atterbury, IN., April 13-15, 2012.

Our goal is to provide an authentic WWII Battle reenactment event with the scenarios being played out in a European-like maneuver area. This is an opportunity to test your abilities against your opponents' using field skills and maneuvering. This event will be a 46 hr., Tactical Battle . Participants will not be required to participate in the total immersion if they choose not to. You will be expected to carry into the field all the gear, ammo and rations/water you need for the entire scenario. There will be NO organized break for lunch during the battles. Each unit will be assigned objectives and will be required to work with fellow units to attain them. This will be a fluid tactical event with orders subject to change dependent upon your actions and those of the enemy. Our number one goal is for everyone to enjoy themselves.

DIRECTIONS:
From I-65 South, I-74 East, or I-70 East towards Indianapolis: Take I-465 to the south to I-74. Merge onto I-65 S Exit 53B toward Louisville. Take Exit 90 on IN-44 towards Franklin. Turn Left onto North Forsyth St/IN-44 heading south, then take a right on East Jefferson St/IN-44 heading West. Next take a Left onto South Morton St/US-31 South. Turn right onto East County Road 800 S/Hospital Road for about 3.5 to 4 miles then take a Left onto South County Road 200 E. You arrived at Gate 16 Camp Atterbury, IN.

From I-69 South, I-70 West, or I-74 West towards Indianapolis: Take I-465 to the south to I-74. Merge onto I-65 S Exit 53B toward Louisville. Take Exit 90 on IN-44 towards Franklin. Turn Left onto North Forsyth St/IN-44 heading south, then take a right on East Jefferson St/IN-44 heading West. Next take a Left onto South Morton St/US-31 South. Turn right onto East County Road 800 S/Hospital Road for about 3.5 to 4 miles then take a Left onto South County Road 200 E. You arrived at Gate 16 Camp Atterbury, IN.

Meals: No meal plan is being offered. You may bring your own provisions or eat at one of the many restaurants in the area.
Arrival: You may arrive after 1300 hours, Friday Apr.13th, 2012.
Authenticity & Safety: LHRA rules will be strictly enforced. Please read the LHRA website for details. If you need a written copy, one will be provided for you. ALL participants will be required to sign a copy of these rules before the event. SITE: http://tsginc.proboards98.com
Barracks: NO drinking of Alcohol, Illegal use of drugs, cooking or smoking is allowed in the barracks.

Bunks are provided. Please bring your own bedding/sleeping bags.
All participants staying in the barracks are responsible for cleaning them at end of event!

Units and or participants that do not clean there barracks will not be allowed to return to future events on this site!

Conduct: All unit commanders/representatives will be held responsible for their own unit/people.

Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. The US Army MPs will enforce our rules and the rules of the Military post.
Parking: POV's must be moved to designated areas as soon as unloaded.

Tentative Schedule of Events

Friday, Apr 13th, 2012
1300: Registration for the event opens
1330: Barracks Opens
1600: Total Immersion for the event begins "S+A then German elements move to field"
1800: Unit Commanders, umpires & vehicle owners meeting
2300: Registration for the event closes
Saturday, Apr 14th, 2012
0100: Total Immersion for the event begins "S+A then Allied Airborne elements move to field"
0600: Registration for the event opens
0800: Registration for the event closes (If coming after this time, please contact an LHRA staff member)
0815: Unit Commanders & umpires morning meeting
0830: Safety & Authenticity inspection of ALL troops and vehicles
0900: Main forces deploy to the field
Sunday, Apr 15th, 2012
0600: Reveille
1200: End of Hostilities (time may vary)
1230: Barracks inspected for cleanliness
1300: All reenactors must leave the post by this time

NOTE: It is not required to participate in the total Immersion part of the event.

Waste/Litter: Police all training areas for litter during and after all field-training activities. Do not burn or bury any litter or waste. Trash bags will be available.

Questions? If you have any questions, please contact a member of the LHRA staff.

Keep Informed of updates on the event website at:
http://cpatterburyww2ne.webs.com/
Also at: http://tsginc.proboards98.com

LHRA National Battle April 13,14,15 2012

Name: __________________________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________________
Email:__________________________________________________________
HOME PHONE:__________________________________________CELL PHONE:________________________________
UNIT:__________________________________________________________
ORGANIZATION:__________________________________________________________
Emergency contact person and phone number:__________________________________________________________

For vehicle owners only:
Type of vehicle:__________________________________________________________
Allied:_______Axis:_________
Vehicle insurance information:
Type and State of insurance(required):__________________________________________________________
Phone number contact for insurance company:__________________________________________________________
Drivers License number and state of issue:__________________________________________________________

Vehicle Use/Movement: Obey posted speed limits. Travel on the installation beyond the cantonment area is strictly controlled. Drivers of tracked vehicles MUST stay off paved roads. Vehicle owners will be responsible for ANY damage above normal use to the area. If your not sure, please ask an LHRA staff member for instructions. When off-road maneuvers are necessary, make sure that vehicle damage to vegetation is kept to a minimum. Ground guides will be required for large vehicles and tracked vehicles off road. Stay out of wetlands. Avoid making U-turns, pivot or neutral steer turns with tracked vehicles unless absolutely necessary. Careless driving will be grounds for removal of the vehicle from the event.

For Full Automatic weapon owners only:
Type of weapon:__________________________________________________________
State of registration of weapon:__________________________________________________________
NOTE: All Class 3 owners must file the appropriate forms with the BATF. The address for the event is:
Camp Atterbury Maneuver Training Center, Edinburgh, IN 46124.

Semi-Automatic weapons owners: Any modified weapon that is Semi-automatic must comply with all Federal regulations for said weapon. This applies to Full Auto weapons converted to fire Semi-Automatic only.

Please Check Selection That applies to you

Plan A: $30.00 Battle fee and includes staying in the Barracks.
Barracks: ALLIED:_____AXIS:_____WOMEN'S:_____
Plan B:_________ $25.00 Battle fee (staying off post/arriving day of event).
Plan C: ________ ______STAFF_____UMPIRE All fees are waived for members in this category.
MUST BE STAFF/UMPIRES FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT!
Plan D:__________ Vendor/Vendor Helper. Vendors who wish to participate in battle must pay battle fee.
Vendors. Vendors space for this event is free of charge.

$________ ___________________ TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED

I would like to Volunteer/help with the following:
___Troop Transport ___Check-in/administration ____Help inspect vehicles
___Help inspect reenactors ___Field Umpire ____MP/Provost Company
Make your check/money order payable to the LHRA. DO NOT SEND CASH!" Deadline is April 1st..2012
MAIL THIS FORM AND YOUR CHECK/MONEY ORDER TO:
LHRA, Spring National Event: 3818 15th.St.A, Moline IL.61265

WAIVER OF LIABILITY

I (print your name)________________________________ do hereby forever release from any and all liability the United States Government, Department of the Army, the State of Indiana, and the Living History Reenactors Association also known as, "LHRA" for any and all injuries to myself or any damage or loss to my property which may occur while I am involved in the activities or events held by the LHRA on the dates of April 13-14-15, 2012.

I hereby acknowledge that there may be certain dangers and risks which can be associated with a WWII Battle reenactment of any military maneuver or combat encounter such as the event indicated on the dates above and I hereby accept these dangers voluntarily, my participation being of my own free will. In signing this Waiver of liability, the undersigned person acknowledges that they have read and fully understood the rights waived herein and that a copy of this form has been offered to them. The above signed also agrees to follow the rules and regulations for the LHRA, posted on the forum website located at http://tsginc.proboards98.com. The above signed also states he or she has read the rules and regulations of the LHRA as well and agrees to abide by them at all times during the dates of the event. If a copy of these rules and regulations are required, the LHRA will provide a written copy for the above signed.

Name__________________________________________________________,Date:______________________
Address__________________________________________________________
Signed__________________________________________________________,Date:______________________

If participant is a minor, Parent/Guardian must sign below
Parent/Guardian
Name_____________________________________________
Signed____________________________________________
Date______________________________________________

Authorization of Emergency Medical Care

I (print name)________________________________ do hereby authorize the Living History reenactors Association also known as the "LHRA" or any of their agents to authorize emergency medical treatment on my behalf in the event that I should suffer any injury or any medical distress while participating in this event for the dates April 13-14-15, 2011. It is understood that this is not a transfer of liability or responsibility to the LHRA or any of their agents arising from said treatment, but is intended to authorize medical care on my behalf in the event that I am unable to provide for myself.

In signing this authorization below of medical care, I hereby acknowledge that I have read the above statement and that a copy of this form has been offered to me if so asked for.

Name__________________________________________________________
Date Signed______________
Signed__________________________________________________________
Person to Notify in case of an Emergency
Name_________________________________________________
Phone number__________________________________________

Please note any medical conditions below above normal
__________________________________________________________

If participant is a minor, Parent/Guardian must sign below
Parent/Guardian
Name_____________________________________________
Signed____________________________________________
Date______________________________________________

Digging in for the Winters Leadership Project

2011-12-15T12:17:00.001-05:00

Cambridge, Minnesota resident Scott Schmitt is digging in for the World War II Foundation.

Beginning on December 16th (the 67th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge), Schmitt will be digging a foxhole in his backyard and living in that foxhole as long as he possibly can, braving the cold of Minnesota nights in honor of all those American 101st Airborne paratroopers who braved the misery of nights spent outside of Bastogne.

Schmitt will be eating army rations and living the existence of a paratrooper as long as he can physically hold out. He will also be wearing authentic 101st Airborne clothing.

Scott will be going about his normal life during the day and move into his foxhole at 11pm and remain there until 6am.

Why is he doing this? To benefit the WWII Foundation and its mission of telling the stories of the veterans of World War II and educating a new generation. He also wants to bring attention to our Richard Winters Leadership project, which includes a leadership statue in Normandy, France and a documentary film on Major Winters direction of men in combat in WWII.

For information on the Winter Leadership Project, visit http://wwiifoundation.org/current-projects/richard-winters-leadership-project/

Membership Challege for Military Vehicle Preservation

2011-12-10T16:30:00.001-05:00

Hello troopers,

We are being called to service to help preserve and educate once again. This time we don't have to sit in a foxhole and shoot blanks at other reenactors. However, this call to duty is equally as fun!

In 2002, the membership of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) peaked at 10,360 members. Since then, the membership has declined to around 8,000. The reasons are varied, and many collector groups are faced with the same dilemma.

My family and I have been a member of the MVPA since the late 1970s. We have had many enjoyable experiences as part of a large international organization of like minded hobbyists dedicated to the preservation of historic military vehicles.

You don't have to own or be involved in a military vehicle restoration. Many members enjoy the exclusive award winning publications which are filled with articles and photographs dedicated to our mobile military history. When you join, you receive four big issues of ARMY MOTORS, and six big issues of SUPPLY LINE. Plus, pre-registration and first entry to the MVPA's annual international convention, a voice in Washington DC on legislation that may impact the military collecting hobbies, and access to the "members only" sections of the MVPA website which includes a searchable directory of members and their collections.

I am calling on members of our reenacting hobby to consider joining the MVPA. You can sign up online by going to: https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/shopping/shopping.aspx?site=mvpa&cart=0&shopsearchCat=Membership

This link takes you directly to the membership sign up page at the MVPA web store. MAKE SURE to enter Chris Smith or WWII reenactors in the box marked "Referred By" so we get credit for supporting the organization.

Thanks for your consideration and I will personally be grateful for your support.

Chris "Bulldog" Smith
1st Allied Airborne Reenactors

Half of German City to be Evacuated as Massive WWII Bomb Defused

2011-12-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Bomb experts in the German city of Koblenz are working out how to defuse a massive World War II-era bomb that surfaced in the Rhine River due to low water levels.

Almost half of all the residents in the western city -- about 45,000 residents -- will be evacuated from their homes while the bomb is made safe Sunday, Der Spiegel reported.

Two hospitals, seven retirement homes and a local jail will also be emptied.

The bomb measures 10 feet long and weighs 1.8 tons.

Unexploded bombs from World War II often turn up in German cities, forcing authorities to evacuate areas while the bombs are defused or destroyed. But they rarely involve such a large number of local people having to leave their homes.

German authorities said further bomb discoveries along the riverbed were likely due to the unexpectedly low water levels caused by an unseasonably dry November.

NewsCore

Say thanks to a Vet

2011-11-11T16:50:00.000-05:00

On behalf of the 1st Allied Airborne Reenactors, we want to remind everyone to take a moment to stop and thank someone you know who has served, or serves, in uniform today. We owe them a debt that can never truly be repaid.

Annual Baker Company Meeting in November

2011-10-24T16:20:00.000-04:00

The annual Baker Company and 1st Allied Airborne planning meeting will be held on 12 NOV 2011 from 1000 to 1200 hrs. The unit will be discussing events for 2012 and other operational plans. Uniform of the Day will be M42s or wool shirt and trousers (your choice).

The location will be the briefing room at the MAPS Air Museum at 2260 International Parkway, North Canton, Ohio.

Beer will be consumed after the meeting at the 356th Fighter Group.

C-47 Display Photos

2011-07-13T17:39:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who came out to the MAPS Air Museum for the C-47 display. Check out some of the photos from the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65113657@N05/show/

C-47 Christening and Display

2011-06-30T09:57:00.001-04:00

9-10 JUL 2011 - 0900 to 1700 hrs each day

The Military Air Preservation Association (MAPS) will be christening their restored (non-flying) C-47 Douglas Skytrain. Members of 1st Allied Airborne WWII Reenactors will be on hand for photo ops and to talk about Airborne operations. There will also be military displays provided by the Marlboro Volunteers.

This event is open to the public and the MAPS museum is available for tours with a small admission fee. Visit their website for more information: http://mapsairmuseum.org/

Five-O-Duce T-Shirt

2011-06-27T10:36:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend, there was some discussion about the 502nd PIR Widow Makers t-shirt we designed last year and sell through Cafe Press. This is the shirt seen in the Mark Bando book on the 101st being worn by a trooper during training under his M42 jacket.

You can order this shirt on-line at www.cafepress.com/tinywarriors/6565981

Photos from Dennison

2011-06-27T09:06:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who turned out to the event at Dennison Depot this past weekend. Absolutely top-notch stuff! Perfect weather and hot fighting.

We also want to welcome Victor Cabrera who just relocated back to Ohio from California where he served in Fox Company, 506th. Victor is a hard-charger so he fits right it.

Check out some of the photos from Andy Donaldson HERE and watch for Bill Krause's pics going up on our Flickr Group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/alliedairborne).

Dennison Warning Order No. 2

2011-06-16T12:05:00.001-04:00

All U.S. Forces Commanders -

Like I said, there will be more warning orders. Some additional information:

While in the foxholes during the day, troops should be cleaning weapons, writing letters, reading (Yank, Stars & Stripes, etc.), and for the 101st - laundry/sewing. I will be bringing up the baseball stuff, but that will be for the cantonment area, as I'm sure the Germans will not let us have our recreation time. There will be a roadblock to keep the public from entering on our end of the field, and it also be the entry point for the 83rd when they come onto the field. It will be manned by MP's throughout the day, which will be troops selected from all the commands. I have 2 MP helmets to use, but only one armband. If anyone else has one they can bring, please let me know. If not I will try and pick one up prior to the event. Finally, for US food available - Spam; Van Camps Pork & Beans; 8 oz. Coca-Cola; Hershey Bars & Kisses; Baby Ruth candy; Milky Way candy; Life Savers; Hires Root Beer; of course K and C rations; and if you want beer, Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life were national then. If you can find Ballantine Ale, that was available too, especially for New Yorkers. But again, as with the wine and hard cider - this is a field commander's decision, so check with Mike Felmlee.

Bo Johnstone
LTC, Cavalry

Dennsion Warning Order No. 1

2011-06-15T10:17:00.000-04:00

To All U.S. Unit Commanders -

I will try to be brief with this, but there is quite a bit of information to relay to you. I am sending this out as Order No. 1 so that you and your personnel will have enough time to make any adjustments or acquisitions necessary. This is primarily for the units in combat, so please don't be offended if I leave you out.

I. Scenario

The scenario is this: It is June 24, 1944. The 101st AB has been holding the line south of Carentan so that VII Corps can focus on capturing Cherbourg. The 101st has the 1st Bn, 66th Armor Regt, 2nd AD attached. The paratroopers are about to be relieved on the line by the 83rd Infantry Division. The armor boys will then be attached to the 83rd. The 83rd is new to the continent, and have not been in combat yet. They will come out to the battlefield from town and move into the 101st fighting positions.

II. Unit Assignments

Co. F, 329th Regt, 83rd will be playing themselves, as will the 83rd I and R platoon. The 88th will be a detachment from the 83rd Signal Co. The 90th will be a detachment from Co. F, 329th weapons platoon. 100th will be part of Co. F, 329th. 101st Airborne will play themselves. 106th Cavalry will represent HQ and Recon Platoon, 1st Bn, 66th Armor Regt, 2nd Armor Div.

III. Uniforms

A. 101st Airborne - has been fighting since 6 June, or 18 days. Dirty uniforms, unshaven (within reason), messy foxholes ok. (Ed Note - Uniforms for the 101st are to be M42s and configured for D-Day. This means helmet nets and scrim, shoulder padding on gear if you have it, jump boots. No head cover other than helmets while on the battlefield. BASIC gear that you would have brought in on a jump).

B. Recon Plt, 66th Armor - has been fighting since 12 June. Same as 101st.

C. 83rd ID - This will be all remaining troops as assigned. Wools preferred, if HBT's, need to be worn over wools. Helmets and jeep caps only while on the battlefield. NO helmet nets, because of newness to front. NO campaign hats, overseas caps or HBT ball caps in the battlefield area - you are on the front line. Service shoes or roughouts with leggings. NO double buckle boots! Need to have D-Day type appearance. Everyone else should have a general infantry impression, check with LT Felmlee if you need any info. M1941 or M1943 field jackets, no tankers (which depending on the weather you may not need anyway). Bring ONLY period personal items for use in battlefield area. No M1911's except for weapons crews, drivers. Do not bring any pyro, smoke, grenades, etc., it will be provided at the event. Rifle grenades ok if approved prior to event. Make sure you have a mess kit, and period water vessel (other than canteen) are ok. Remember though - the 83rd hasn't been in France that long, so they haven't yet picked up all the junk GI's used to make life a little more comfortable. Keep non-period items like medicine, sunscreen, etc. out of sight. We do have an encampment area to set up shelters where you can keep these items during the day. Troops will be rotated in and out of the foxholes during the day to make life a little more bearable. I recommend a shelter half for sun cover on each foxhole too.

IV. Ammo

Bring plenty of ammo, or bring money to purchase. Robb will be there from Atlantic Wall.

V. Food

There will not be a mess line this year as in the past since we are trying some new things. If it is really wanted, we will look at bringing it back next year. Because of this, make sure you have period rations for in the field. K or C rations, or D bars ok. The type of local food items available in Normandy were:

melons (cantaloupes for you with dirty minds)
bread
milk & butter
duck or pork (if you want to cook!)
carrots & leeks
apples (like Gala type)
pears (Bosc ok)
cider (regular and hard)
camembert or neufchatel cheese
[wine - a white Vouvray is appropriate, or red Fillatreau - please remember though that this is a family event, so you may only want to use the bottles to hold water. The field CO will have final say over whether this item will be allowed in the field]

Bring money for food in town too, as Saturday morning the new troops will be cleaning up and can eat there prior to field events. I will check with the Museum and see if there is a restaurant that can hold a large number at one time.

Be advised that there will be follow up orders, including final uniform orders. This HQ will be monitoring weather forecast, and appropriate uniform to wear in town will be designated (this means possibly khakis if it is really hot).

If you have specific questions, make sure you contact either myself or LT Felmlee.

Bruce "Bo" Johnstone
LTC, Cavalry

Roll Call for Dennison

2011-06-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

This year's WWII reenactment in Dennison, OH is almost upon us (24-26 JUN). As some of you know, the scenario this year will be the relief of the 101st in Carentan by the 83rd Infantry Division.

At this time, I need a head count of 101st who are attending ASAP as I need to turn in our roster.

Please email me at chris@ddayquartermaster.com For more information on the Dennison event, go to http://www.dennisondepot.org/

Alaska MV Convoy Recon Team Rolls

2011-05-20T09:23:00.001-04:00

Only a year and a few months from now, members of The Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) will roll down the famous Alaska Highway in a convoy of restored historic military vehicles. The 3,500 mile trip will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the building of the ALCAN Highway.

Currently, the AC12 Route Recon Team is driving the course. They will be checking on road conditions, meet with contacts at towns and stopping points and confirming fuel availability, camping and lodging commitments.

Facebook members can CLICK HERE to follow the Recon Team. You can view their daily postings, including photos and video.

Members of the 1st Allied Airborne Reenactors will be attending the National MVPA Convention in Dayton, Ohio, August 5-6, 2011.

Ed Bearss to Speak at Dennison Event

2011-04-06T17:09:00.000-04:00

Soldiers Fest 2011 at the Dennison Depot will be hosting Ed Bearss as a speaker. A former Chief Historian for the National Park Service, and winner of the Harry S. Truman Award and the Nevins Freeman Award for Civil War scholarship. He supervised the raising of the Ironclad Cairo, now on display at Vicksburg National Military Park. He has written over a dozen books, numerous articles, and is the editor of Gettysburg Magazine. Mr. Bearss is a combat veteran of the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. Ed will be speaking at three different times on the Civil War and on his own experiences in WWII. Come to the Soldiers Fest June 24, 25, 26 to hear him and many other great speakers! http://www.dennisondepot.org/

Training Day Video

2011-03-21T20:50:00.003-04:00

On the 12 March, Baker Company held a training exercise focusing on patrolling and enveloping a target. Bill "Smokie" Krause shot some footage and edited together a real nice video that makes wet feet and slick mud look so dang dramatic. Enjoy

WWII Reenacting Organization T-Shirts

2011-03-17T09:01:00.001-04:00

Bulldog here. I have expanded a section of the WWII T-Shirt Shop to include more organizational Ts. If you don't see your group here, let me know and we can design a shirt for your members.

Click here to check it out.

War Enthusiast Recreates D-Day Experience

2011-03-14T12:54:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE to watch the video

COLUMBIA - John Brueck is more than your average World War II enthusiast. He created his company, Normandy Drop Zone Tours, to offer others the chance for a re-created tour of the Invasion of Normandy.

Bruecks passion for war history began as a child, looking through items in an army surplus store.

"What's the story that this helmet tells, this uniform tells, and who wore it? What happened to them, what did they experience?" asked Brueck about the items.

As an adult, he began his own World War II collection, bringing relics back to Columbia from multiple trips to France. He houses his collection in his basement "War Room." Everything in the room is either authentic or an identical replication. Some he found, and others were gifts.

Brueck realized others shared his passion for war history, and the idea for Normandy Drop Zone Tours was born.

"We give them the opportunity to immerse themselves into exactly what it was like for the D-Day drops on June 6, 1944," he said.

Tour participants become the paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st American Airborne Operations. Brueck offers a simulated night drop operation in Normandy, fully equipped with the right uniforms, the right vehicles, and the right weapons. Soldiers must reach their objective and avoid the "Germans."

"This is not your third grade air-conditioned bus trip to the zoo," he said.

Brueck explains the trip isn't easy.

"The element of fear is there. Trust. you don't know where you are. You think you know where you are -- you aren't with the people you were with earlier. There's a sense of helplessness."

Brueck created Normandy Drop Zone Tours as a way to honor and respect the men and women who sacrificed their lives.

"It's about respect. It's to try and put yourself into the shoes and experience just one-one-millionth of what these brave heroes that have given us freedom, experienced, every day, every moment from the time that they landed to the time that they ended up coming home," he said.

Brueck will be leading four tours this summer. For more information, visit http://normandydropzonetours.com/

Baker Company concludes successful training

2011-03-13T14:57:00.004-04:00

Members of B/502 conducted their annual field training in Navarre, Ohio on 12 MAR 11 in preparation for the upcoming tactical at Ft. Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. Cpl Bob Penix led member of the squad on a series of exercises focused on patrol formations, attack and envelopment.

Members of Baker company will team with elements of the 83rd and 90th Infantry Divisions to encompass the Information and Recon Platoon at The Gap.

Training day in Zoarhoven

2011-02-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Baker Company will be holding a field training day in Zoar, OH on 12 March 2011 at 1000 hrs to work on patrol formations and hand signals primarily. If time permits we will go over manual of arms and close order drill.

Uniform of the day will be M43s if you have it or M42. Web gear and weapon if you have them. Dress for the weather as needed as we will be outside most of the time.

We will meet at Pvt Mark Gaynor's house and march to the shelter at the Arboretum for drill and instruction. If this date is not convenient for all or most that are attending FIG I suggest you read over the instruction manual that is available on our web site. We need to know patrol formations and hand signals to do our job at FIG.

Lets all try to make this drill and learn while having a little fun. For more information, contact Cpl Bob (Kirby) Penix, nubbin54@yahoo.com

Information on the 2011 MVPA Convention

2011-01-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

The 36th Annual Military Vehicle Preservation Association Convention will be held on August 3-6, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. Home of the United States Air Force Museum.

The largest MVPA Convention in the history of the organization was held in Dayton in 2006. This year promises to be even bigger!

For advanced information, visit http://www.mvpa.org/.

Immersion experience in Normandy

2011-01-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

The new website for Normandy Drop Zone Tours has just launched. Founder John Brueck and his team have created a one-of-a-kind excursion as you experience the historic French countryside as paratroopers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne.

Check out the website and photos! http://www.normandydropzonetours.com/

Internet Radio Tribute to Dick Winters

2011-01-12T09:13:00.001-05:00

This Wednesday (12th January) Black Sky Radio program will be a tribute to Major Dick Winters.

Easy company veterans Bill Guarnere, Babe Heffron, Buck Compton and Brad Freeman will be joining us, as well as Band Of Brothers cast members Captain Dale Dye, Ross McCall and Richard Speight Jr. Two-time Emmy Award winning producer and writer Tim Gray will also be joining us to pay tribute to Major Winters.

http://blackskyradio.com/
1.30pm PST - 3.30pm CST
4.30pm EST - 9.30pm GMT

The Men of Easy talk about Winters

2011-01-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

"'Band of Brothers" inspiration dies at age 92

2011-01-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Richard "Dick" Winters, the Easy Company commander whose World War II exploits were made famous by the book and television miniseries "Band of Brothers," died last week in central Pennsylvania. He was 92.

Winters died following a several-year battle with Parkinson's Disease, longtime family friend William Jackson said Monday.

An intensely private and humble man, Winters had asked that news of his death be withheld until after his funeral, Jackson said. Winters lived in Hershey, Pa., but died in suburban Palmyra.

The men Winters led expressed their admiration for their company commander after learning of his death.

William Guarnere, 88, said what he remembers about Winters was "great leadership."

"When he said 'Let's go,' he was right in the front," Guarnere, who was called "Wild Bill" by his comrades, said Sunday night from his South Philadelphia home. "He was never in the back. A leader personified."

Another member of the unit living in Philadelphia, Edward Heffron, 87, said thinking about Winters brought a tear to his eye.

"He was one hell of a guy, one of the greatest soldiers I was ever under," said Heffron, who had the nickname "Babe" in the company. "He was a wonderful officer, a wonderful leader. He had what you needed, guts and brains. He took care of his men, that's very important."

Winters was born Jan. 21, 1918 and studied economics at Franklin & Marshall College before enlisting, according to a biography on the Penn State website.

Winters became the leader of Company E, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division on D-Day, after the death of the company commander during the invasion of Normandy.

During that invasion, Winters led 13 of his men in destroying an enemy battery and obtained a detailed map of German defenses along Utah Beach. In September 1944, he led 20 men in a successful attack on a German force of 200 soldiers. Occupying the Bastogne area of Belgium at the time of the Battle of the Bulge, he and his men held their place until the Third Army broke through enemy lines, and Winters shortly afterward was promoted to major.

After returning home, Winters married his wife, Ethel, in May 1948, and trained infantry and Army Ranger units at Fort Dix during the Korean War. He started a company selling livestock feed to farmers, and he and his family eventually settled in a farmhouse in Hershey, Pa., where he retired.

Historian Stephen Ambrose interviewed Winters for the 1992 book "Band of Brothers," upon which the HBO miniseries that started airing in September 2001 was based. Winters himself published a memoir in 2006 entitled "Beyond Band of Brothers."

Two years ago, an exhibit devoted to Winters was dedicated at the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society. Winters, in frail health in later years, has also been the subject of a campaign to raise money to erect a monument in his honor near the beaches of Normandy.

Winters talked about his view of leadership for an August 2004 article in American History Magazine:

"If you can," he wrote, "find that peace within yourself, that peace and quiet and confidence that you can pass on to others, so that they know that you are honest and you are fair and will help them, no matter what, when the chips are down."

When people asked whether he was a hero, he echoed the words of his World War II buddy, Mike Ranney: "No, but I served in a company of heroes."

"He was a good man, a very good man," Guarnere said. "I would follow him to hell and back. So would the men from E Company."

Arrangements for a public memorial service are pending.

"Band of Brothers" leader Major Dick Winters passes

2011-01-09T15:51:00.002-05:00

This information was just released today from the editor of Dick Winters website. Our prayers are with the Winters family.

I regret to inform you that Major Winters passed away earlier this week after a long illness.

Please do not contact the Winters family and respect their privacy.

Mrs. Winters will release the news to the public shortly.

Band of Brothers AFC Divisional Playoff Raffle - Patriots vs TBD

2011-01-07T15:42:00.001-05:00

Win 2 Premium Tickets to the AFC Playoffs (Patriots vs. TBD) plus 2 pregame Field Passes, Hotel & Travel, and more.

With the success of HBO's "Band of Brothers", then Lt. Richard Winters became the face of the young officer corps that hit the beaches of Normandy on D Day. Similarly, and also as a result of the HBO Series, the men of Easy Company became the faces of the thousands of American enlisted men who hit the beaches that same day. With the now 92 year old Major Winters (Retired) in failing health, the remaining men of Easy Company, who themselves are not much younger than Major Winters, wish to honor him, and the many officers and enlisted men who fought along side them, but who did not receive the same recognition that Easy Company did. The goal of the Richard Winters Leadership Project is to erect a statue of Lt. Winters in Normandy that will honor all of the officers that lead the troops on D Day, with a list of all of the Military Divisions that partcipated in the battle inscribed in the base of the statue to honor all the men who served America on D Day. The people of France have generously donated the land for the statue and are paying for many of the costs associated with construction. Easy Company just needs to raise the funds for the statue itself. If you would like to join the men of Easy Company in honoring Major Winters and the many officers and enlisted men who fought on D Day, please enter the raffle and in turn you could be enjoying a great AFC Playoff Series Experience.

Entry Deadline: 11:00 AM EST Thursday, January 13, 2011
Drawing Date: Thursday, January 13, 2011

Grand Prize:

Winner and guest will enjoy 2 tickets to the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium where the N.E. Patriots will take on the (TBD); (January 16, 2011, Kickoff at 4:30 PM)

Winner and guest will enjoy 2 pregame field passes to game (Valid only for pregame access to the above referenced game)

Winner will receive 1 night hotel accomodations at the Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel (January 16, 2011, single room, double occupancy)

Winner will receive 2 round trip coach ticket vouchers on Southwest Airlines (Valid for one year from date of issue)

Winner will receive a $250 allowance for ground transportation and other expenses

Winner will receive a football autographed by NFL Hall of Fame Guard and Patriots Legend John Hannah

Winner will receive an autographed photo from Patriots running back Kevin Faulk

Winner will receive a Band of Brothers baseball bat autographed by legendary Easy Company veterans Wild Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron

Winner will receive a cash prize in the amount of $605.00 to mitigate the Winner's tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the Winner, directly to the IRS ($600.00) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ($105)

CLICK HERE to order raffle tickets for just $2.00 each (minimum order, 5 tickets)

For more information, go to http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/Band-of-Brothers-AFC-Divisional-Playoff/

NORDWIND Registration and Waiver Forms

2011-01-05T08:51:00.001-05:00

The registration form and waiver for this year's NORDWIND event being held March 24-27 at Ft. Indiantown Gap PA are now available. B/502 has committed to this event. We will be registering as "I&R PLT". Please use that as your unit designation on the form.

The registration this year is $50.00 and it must be postmarked by FEBRUARY 21st - NO EXCEPTIONS! There is a cap on attendance for this event and anyone attempting to register late will be turned away.

Please email chris@ddayquartermaster.com to request a copy of the forms and if you have any questions.

More information to follow regarding barracks assignments, scenarios and etc.

Geraldine Doyle, an Iconic Face of World War II, Dies at 86

2011-01-04T09:13:00.000-05:00

NY Times:

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, who was believed to be the unwitting model for the “We Can Do It!” poster of a woman flexing her biceps in a factory during World War II — an image that later became a symbol for the American feminist movement — died on Sunday in Lansing, Mich. She was 86.

The cause was complications of arthritis, said her daughter Stephanie Gregg.

Mrs. Doyle was unaware of the poster’s existence until 1982, when, while thumbing through a magazine, she saw a photograph of it and recognized herself. Her daughter said that the face on the poster was her mother’s, but that the muscles were not.

“She didn’t have big, muscular arms,” Mrs. Gregg said. “She was 5-foot-10 and very slender. She was a glamour girl. The arched eyebrows, the beautiful lips, the shape of the face — that’s her.”

In 1942, when she was 17, Geraldine Hoff took a job as a metal presser at a factory near her home in Inkster, Mich., near Detroit, to aid the war effort, Mrs. Gregg said. One day, a United Press photographer came in to shoot images of working women.

The resulting poster, designed by the graphic artist J.Howard Miller, was used in a Westinghouse Company campaign to deter strikes and absenteeism. It was not widely seen until the early 1980s, when it was embraced by feminists.

She quit the factory job after about two weeks because she learned that another woman had damaged her hands while using the metal presser, and she feared that such an injury would prevent her from playing the cello, her daughter said.

At one of her next jobs, at a soda fountain, she met her husband, Leo H. Doyle, a dental student. They had been married for 66 years when he died this year.

In addition to Mrs. Gregg, she is survived by four other children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

Operation Nordwind WWII Tactical Reenactment

2010-12-31T10:58:00.002-05:00

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&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.

Band Of Brothers Vets Work To Honor Their Commanding Officer

2010-12-09T10:42:00.003-05:00

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

All Airborne event in Indiana

2010-12-06T14:03:00.002-05:00

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

Tom Ridge for The Richard Winters Leadership Project

2010-12-03T10:05:00.004-05:00

Reenactor Channel

2010-12-02T15:02:00.001-05:00

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.

1st Lt Richard Winters Leadership Project

2010-12-01T08:29:00.003-05:00

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/

Baker Company sets 2011 schedule

2010-11-14T10:43:00.004-05:00

B/502, one of the Ohio chapters of the 1st Allied Airborne WWII Reenactors, held their annual planning meeting for the 2011 reenacting season at the MAPS Air Museum in Greensburg, Ohio.

In addition to having the chance to tour the C-47 currently being restored in the storage yard, members of the squad reviewed last years activities, weapons and equipment issues, recruiting, improving our impression, and elected unit officers for the next two years.

Patrick Eddy will continue to serve as the squad sergeant and Chris Smith will continue as the organization chairman, also overseeing the coordination of the 1st Allied Airborne on behalf of all of the member units around the country. Bob Penix was elected to serve as the squad corporal.

The key order of business was to set a schedule for the 2011 unit activities. Here is a breakdown.

24-27 March: Operation Nordwind Tactical - Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA
This is an invitation only event and is separate from the Battle of the Bulge event held at the Gap in January. The event features some of the highlights of the the January Gap (shopping, barracks life, etc) but is more focused on the military engagement between Allied and German forces. There is greater period vehicle participation as well, including armor. The squad also wanted to continue to work as part of the combined I&R platoon comprised of our counterparts in the 83rd and 90th IDs.

30 April: Civil War and Military Show - Mansfield, OH
B/502 will be doing some recruiting at the annual collectors show which is attended by thousands of military history enthusiasts. Last year, we picked up several new members.

21 May: Armed Forces Day Show - Findlay, OH
Day trip for the unit. Lots of shopping, living history encampment and demonstration battle.

25-26 June: Dennison Railroad Depot WWII Reenactment - Dennison, OH
New dates for the annual reenactment at the old Dennison Railroad yard. This is a max-effort unit event.

15-17 July: Ride Through History - Alliance, OH
Another new date for this timeline event. Features a living history encampment and demonstration battle. This past year, we had some great rotating scenarios.

6 August: The Military Vehicle Preservation Association National Convention - Dayton, OH
Day trip to the annual convention of the MVPA. Three years ago the event was held in Dayton and was the largest MVPA convention ever held. The 2011 convention promises to be even bigger. For more information visit http://www.mvpa.org/.

Is Captain America a paratrooper?

2010-11-01T08:51:00.005-04:00

With the release of "Captain America: The First Avenger" coming to theatres in June of 2011, Entertainment Weekly has published some of the first photos from the film (the initial part of which is set during World War II). This begs the question. Is Captain America a paratrooper?

Check out the photos below where you can see several clues. First is the Airborne helmet chin straps including the leather cup. In the shot from behind, he is clearly wearing a pair of M42 jump trousers and horse hide gloves. In the photo of the dress uniform, we can see a pair of jump wings over his ribbons.

Of course it is all Hollywood and they have been known to mix and match wardrobe. Either way, it spells bad news for the krauts!

Baker Company Annual Meeting

2010-10-19T15:38:00.003-04:00

B/502 will be holding it's annual planning meeting on 13 NOV, 1030 hrs at the MAPS Air Museum at Akron-Canton Airport (see their website for directions - http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/). We will be discussing our event schedule for 2011 and other activities for the next year.

The meeting will be held in the "Briefing Room" that is in the same building as the restoration shop across from the main museum. After the meeting we have been invited to tour the museum. There is an admission fee of $6.00 per person.

Uniforms are NOT required but if you plan to wear one, the M42 or wool trousers and shirt (with tie and garrison cap) is recommended.

Wreaths to honor veterans

2010-10-15T15:15:00.002-04:00

Here in Ohio every year, Wreaths for the Western Reserve solicits donations for the placement of wreaths at headstones of our fallen heroes laid to rest at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Please visit their website to help honor our those who have served our nation.

http://www.wrcwreaths.org/

Photos from 2010 Ride Through History

2010-09-30T14:18:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who turned out at this year's Ride Through History. Thanks also to Bill Krause for some graet pics. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/alliedairborne/pool/show

AAR: Rockford, IL

2010-09-29T09:52:00.002-04:00

Packed in at 1330, 23 SEP.

1000 + reenactors participated this last weekend. Unit had a slight issue with registration however the host of the event (HRS) was very helpful.

The organizers put on one hell of a show. There were 4 Airborne Divisions represented on the Allied side and 1 Fallschrimjager group on the Axes side.

We as a reenactment organization lived true to 1944!

Packed out 1700, 26 SEP.

Capt. A. Christensen
Commanding
D-2/505thPIR, 82nd ABRN (Pathfinders)

Warning Order for Alliance - 24-26 SEP

2010-09-21T10:03:00.004-04:00

ALL UNIT PERSONNEL:

This weekend will be our annual event at the old Taylorcraft Aircraft plant in Alliance, Ohio (better known as "Ride Through History"). On behalf of Sgt Eddy, please refer to the following details.

1. There are two phases of the event. The living history camp and the battle scenario (Saturday and Sunday). These are in two separate locations. Members of the organization will be portraying troops in Holland during Operation Market Garden. You will receive further orders for the scenario on site.

2. UOD will be M-43s with helmet nets (no scrim). Jump or two-buckle boots are both acceptable. Weapons will be our standard. The event supplies some blanks in .30-06.

3. The unit will be billeted in the M-34 squad tent. Please bring a cot and appropriate sleeping gear (it will be cold at night). We have space for 12. A couple of our pals from the 90th will be in with us as well.

4. Set up time will be between 1800 hrs this Friday. We will be in the WWII camp in the woods so ask for directions or look for signs.

5. Meals are provided on site. The meal pass for the entire weekend is less than $20 and the chow is great! There is also a vendor area with a variety of military goods.

6. The location address is 16123 Armour Street NE, Alliance, OH. The event is behind the factory on the old runways (now overgrown).

If you have any questions, please email me at chris@ddayquartermaster.com. Looking forward to a great weekend. See you there.

SUBMITTED:
Pvt. C.L. Smith
B/502

2010 Ride Through History

2010-09-13T12:56:00.002-04:00

Don't forget that the Marlboro Volunteers "Ride Through History" show is 25 & 26 SEP with setup Friday evening (pyramidal). At this time, I have received information that these personnel will be attending: Eddy, Gaynor, Krause, Oakley, Penix, Smith. If anyone else is attending and is not on the list, please let me know. We may have a couple members of the 90th billeting with us so I need to make sure I have a slot for everyone in the squad tent.

Please remember the Marlboro Volunteers will have the mess trailers set up again this year. You get 2 meals on Friday, 3 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday for less than $20.00.

Show also features vendors and is open to the public.

Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm
Adults - $6.50 Kids 12 & under - $3.50

16125 Armour St, Alliance, OH.
Turn on Armour St. just north of Alliance, off St Rt 225.

WWII train comes to Cuyahoga Valley

2010-09-02T08:44:00.003-04:00

During World War II, the BIG train engines used to transport troops and war materials within the United States were the Berkshire models. These were manufactured by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, just a stones throw from the Lima tank plant where the M4 Shermans were being built.

During the month of September, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will be pulling a variety of routs with some special steam engines including a 1944 Berkshire. What a great opportunity to see a rare piece of equipment used during the War.

Information on rides can be found at www.cvsr.com/steam-in-the-valley.aspx and there are many good spots along the route to take photos and video as the train passes by.

Zoar Living History a success

2010-08-09T14:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to thank everyone who helped make our first WWII Living History Weekend in Zoar a success. I especially want to thank Mark and Kristy Gaynor for their huge efforts and hospitality, without which none of this would have happened. Also, a big shout out to our friends with the Marlboro Volunteers for bringing the half track and jeep on Saturday. They were a big hit!

Looking forward to seeing all of you at Dennison in two weeks.

Bulldog

Christopher Smith, Chairman
1st Allied Airborne Reenactors

Help a fellow reenactor out - used reenacting gear now listed

2010-07-17T20:42:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned last week, I am helping a fellow reenactor and Freemason who has fallen ill. He is also a 30 year veteran of the US Army.

There is a wide variety of items for Rev War, F&I, Civil War and WWII reenactors. More will be going up next week. Especially the Rev and F&I goods. There will also be some weapons going up in the next few days. There is also a number of original items.

Please visit http://www.ddayquartermaster.com/ and click on the link for USED REENACTING ITEMS.

Thank you!

Christopher Smith

Welcome B/307th!

2010-07-11T13:41:00.002-04:00

The 1st Allied Airborne would like to welcome Lt. Christian Barlow and the members of Baker Co., 307th Engineers Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division to the ranks. The organization is based out of VA, NC and SC.

Check out their website at http://www.82nd.us/. Looking forward to meeting up in the field!

AAR Findlay Armed Forces Day

2010-05-21T12:39:00.003-04:00

After we arrived and checked in with Lt. Felmlee's people we spent a couple hours walking through the vendors checking out all the great stuff for sale. Eric and I were able to find a few things we couldn't live without but Mark wasn't so lucky.

Around 10:30 we geared up and moseyed over to the Ground Pounder's camp to see what our assignment would be for the upcoming battle. When asked to volunteer for a flank attack ( in a jeep) I quickly accepted for all three of us. We were assigned to man a jeep complete with a driver, a trooper from Able Co 506th P.I.R. manning a 30 Cal. MG and three riflemen in the back (Mark,Eric and myself).

We made a couple passes,along with two other jeeps, on the right flank and in front of the Germans to draw there attention. The Germans also had a scout car and a motorcycle/sidecar that were also causing some mischief in our immediate front. The other two jeep crews were put out of action quickly forcing us to pull back out of range.

The Infantry hit the German front in a rush that surprised them but they were able to regroup and hold their ground. Then we hit their left flank with our jeep squad blazing away with three Garands, a Carbine, the 30 Cal and a Thompson. Once we got their attention, they couldn't cover both lines of defense and started taking casualties and falling back.

Once the shooting stopped , our Medic and theirs started looking after the wounded while the Infantry rounded up prisoners.

The fight lasted about twenty minutes and was HOT ! We did this scenario twice on Saturday and I had a blast both times even tho my M-1 didn't work in the first round. I helped man the 30 Cal and my ears rang for a while after...it was worth it!

This is the second time I've done this event and it's a keeper. Great people, great vendors, great Military Vehicle show and they have a parade downtown on Saturday morning. But we seem to keep missing the parade because we're too busy shopping at the Military vendors.

I plan to attend this event next year and I hope you can join me.

Submitted 19 May 2010
AAR Findlay AFD
Pvt Bob Penix

Military show in Findlay

2010-05-13T11:42:00.002-04:00

Members of the 502nd will be camped at the Armed Forces Day show in Findlay, Ohio this weekend. If you are looking to hook up with the unit or are interested in World War II reenacting, please check with us in the reenactor's area at the event.

AAR - Mansfield Tactical 2010

2010-04-05T10:20:00.002-04:00

After Action Report-27 March, 2010. Nine miles west of Mansfield, Ohio.

Privates Mark Gaynor and Bob “Kirby” Penix arrived at Lt. Mike Felmlee’s Headquarters at approximately 0740 hrs Saturday 27 March 2010. We discovered Major Bo Johnstone, Lt. Felmlee, Sgt Mike and two enlisted men finishing up with breakfast and helped ourselves to some coffee as it was quite cold that morning.

As we enjoyed our coffee we had a look around and observed we were smack in the middle of what appeared to be the GERMAN CAMP! They were everywhere, carrying every type of weapon imaginable plus three motorcycles with side cars. We just hoped Mike and Bo had a plan!

Thankfully, some more GI’s and one Tommy showed up bringing our squad up to ten
men, including the Lt and the Maj. We weren’t worried since there seemed to only be around thirty or so Germans.

The Germans headed up into the woods and bunkers and machine gun nests to dig in and wait for us to find them. We split up into two squads sending 1st squad out to find the Enemy. After trying the middle then right flank, 1st squad found the German outpost equipped with an MG-34s and reported back to the CP as quickly as possible.

I then took 2nd squad out to probe the left flank and immediately walked up on a three man German outpost. We were able to flank and push them back easily but had to report back to the CP with our information.

We were ordered to probe both flanks with both squads. 2nd squad was to push forward to good ground and hold the enemy there while 1st squad moved in from the other end to flank the German Command Bunker. German outposts were pushed back quite rapidly but rallied at their Command Bunker where we came to a stalemate.

These types of scenarios were played out all day with one side or the other probing or defending entrenchments or bunkers. Each scenario ended much the same since there were just too many “Krauts” with way more fire power than us.

Even though we were out gunned and out numbered we had a blast running around in the woods shooting at Krauts and I’ll go again.

At the end of the day, about 1430 hrs, both armies formed up and paid tribute to one of our members, Gary, who was unfortunately killed in an accident last February while doing his job. There was a memorial to him built on the top of the hill with a lantern mounted in it to be lit when ever we hold an event on that battlefield. There were few dry eyes when it was done.

We slogged back down to the HQ area, de-coutered and pealed out of our Jump pants and muddy boots for the trip home. The rest of the reenactors were planning to do another ceremony at the house where Gary’s parents, widow, and daughters could be present. Mark and I said our goodbyes, planning to see all again in Findley , and headed for the home front where the REAL Commanders were waiting for us.

This AAR is faithfully submitted 3 April 2010 at 1830 Hrs by Asst Squad Leader Bob “Kirby” Penix.

Military Vehicle Show and Swap Meet

2010-03-04T20:09:00.002-05:00

June 18, 19, 20 - Alliance, Ohio

FUNDRAISER FOR THE MARLBORO VOLUNTEERS, INC.
A NON-PROFIT (501C3) MILITARY HISTORY GROUP

The Marlboro Volunteers will hold a Military Vehicle Show and Swap Meet at Sancap Factory, 16125 Armour St. NE - half-mile north of Alliance, Ohio - site of the former WWII Taylorcraft Aviation airfield and factory.

Our mess kitchen will be set up for on-site meals and meal tickets available for purchase. Free primitive on-site camping will be available for participants.

A Motor Pool will be set up (like the one we set up in Wooster for the trans-continental convoy) and any military vehicle owner can have their vehicle checked and serviced for a $10.00 donation.

Spacious outdoor vending areas (25'x25') will be available for $20.00 each. This fee includes one vendor and one helper per site. Twenty-four hour security will be provided. NO PETS, LIVE AMMO, FIREARMS OR FIREWORKS SALES ALLOWED.

All participating vehicles will be escorted on the grounds by an MVI Ground Guide – NO EXCEPTIONS!

Admission:
All military vehicle drivers and one guest - Free Admission
Veterans – Free Admission
Adults - $3.00/day or $5.00/weekend
Children 12 and under – Free with a paying adult

Contacts for Show and Swap Meet:
Denny Davis – 330-645-1994
Don Shaffer – 330-935-0200

DON'T FORGET – OUR RIDE THROUGH HISTORY SHOW IS SEPTEMBER 25 & 26, 2010.

For more info on the Marlboro Volunteers, Inc., go to www.marborovolunteersinc.com

Marlboro military show in June

2010-02-22T09:49:00.005-05:00

Our friends at the Marlboro Volunteers will be hosting a military vehicle show and swap meet in Alliance, Ohio on 18-20 June. This is not to be confused with the Ride Through History which is in September.

For more information, check out www.marlborovolunteersinc.com

Photos from The Gap

2010-02-05T09:13:00.002-05:00

Here is a slide show of pics from our recent trip to the Ft. Indiantown Gap event. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5thovi/sets/72157623228837093/show/

After Action Report - Ft. Indiantown Gap - 2010

2010-02-04T14:59:00.004-05:00

Our group departed Akron, Ohio on THURS, 28 JAN, 0830 hrs. Along with myself, the group included Pvt Mark Gaynor (also of B/502) and Frank Artino who would be portraying Canadian Home Guard. The weather was extremely windy with snow drifts blowing across the road. This changed drastically for the better once we crossed a mountain range in Pennsylvania.

We arrived at Ft. Indiantown Gap and quickly found the registration building. Frank’s experience in attending the event over the last few years, and the information passed along by other reenactors prepared us for smooth sign in and ammunition check. Within minutes we were on our way to our assign barracks. FIG is a US Army base that houses tank and helo units. There is even an Air Force Reserve unit operating C-130s down the road. The base loves to have us there and opens the PX to reenactors while they are visiting.

Members of B/502 had been assigned to the 4th Squad of the Information and Recon Platoon attached to HQ Company (46 personnel in the platoon, 10 in our ssquad). We drove to barracks 12-45 where the platoon was housed and looked for Lt. Felmlee. As he was at a Company meeting, we checked in with the platoon clerk and looked for an open set of bunks. At that time, we could only find a pair on the main floor and not upstairs with the rest of the squad.

The barracks are the perfect accommodations for this type of weekend. These are the original World War II barracks that have been maintained over the years. Once the bunks were made up to reg, and many period foot locker displays were laid out, it I really put you in the right frame of mind. I would like to point out that the thing we heard about FIG over and over is how HOT the barracks are. The boilers are either on or off. My recommendation is to get a bunk on the first floor. If it is 78 degrees on the first floor, it will be 83 on the second!

Once we made up our bunks and stowed our gear, we put on our uniforms, found a keen parking spot of the truck and started to look around. First on the list was the “flea market” which was six buildings of reenactor gear and militaria of a variety that would boggle the mind. It didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for and soon I was able to get what I needed to complete my dress uniform. One building of note was really packed full. Within were a half dozen plasma TVs running full tilt, and hundreds and hundreds of DVDs for sale featuring military movies and programs from around the world. It would have been so easy to fill up your arms with cool stuff you have never seen before.

After a good dinner in town, Mark and I came back to look around some more. There was so much stuff going on, you couldn’t take it all in. Period training films and movies were being shown on 16 mm in one of the buildings. There was a “media center” that was taking portraits and displayed period still and film cameras, along with other correspondent gear. The Germans had set up a café in another building. I heard through our pal Frank that “our kind” was NOT welcome in there (3PO, you and R2 better wait by the speeder). All and all, there wasn’t enough time on base to see everything.

A number of people had ordered items from my web store and were to be personally delivered at FIG. After we decided it was too cold to keep wandering around, I warmed up and went in search of one of my customers. Heading over to Regimental HQ, I entered a barracks where many GIs were coming and going. I approached the HQ clerk’s desk inside the door and asked if they knew where I could find the First Sergeant of Headquarters Company. The clerk shrugged and said, “I don’t know anything. I got this job because no one else wanted to do it.” Somebody else pointed upstairs. After delivering the package, I stepped outside. There in the cold, I lit a Lucky and chatted with the other GIs standing around the ash can. With the barracks street void of modern vehicles, and now filled with WWII jeeps and trucks, I had “that” moment. For just a few seconds, it was the winter of 1944. Then somebody walked by with their cell phone, and it was gone. Thanks pal!

Back in 12-45, our Squad Leader, SSGT Salay inspected us for the following day’s engagement. Along with checking ammunition, required items were jeep cap, extra socks, gloves, scarf, water, and a k-ration. We also held a briefing on our tactical objectives. Reveille was going to come early. Time to hit the rack.

Friday morning. 0530 hrs. Lights on in the barracks. Bodies slide off their bunks. Some head to the showers. The rest of us start layering up into our uniforms. Outside it is 13 degrees. The boiler is still working. Inside it is 78. The local Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol squadron runs a mess hall at the event and keeps food coming from sun up to sun down. A very professional job. Hot coffee and a good breakfast was welcome as we had no idea when we would eat again.

Outside 12-45, the platoon formed up for weapons inspection. Our squad was made up of guys from the 82nd Airborne, the 83rd ID, and us from the 101st. A great group of guys and were lucky to have this assignment. We marched over to the road and loaded up into the restored period trucks and jeeps. Our home for the ride was a beautiful 1943 WC-63 named “Eddie”. Here is where we started separating the men from the boys…

From the time we loaded on the vehicles and waited. Drove twenty minutes with one stop to pee. Waited some more. Had vehicle breakdowns, and then arrived at the jump off point. All told, we spent about an hour and a half packed into the trucks. Trying to stay warm was a chore. Hands and feet got numb. Welcome to Bastogne.

Once on the ground and moving, feet and hands warmed up and life was tolerable again. Our squad was to secure a bridge over the creek to keep a clear path for the battalion in case the Krauts pushed us back. And they would be pushing! It wasn’t long before things opened up. I swear, every German must have had a machine gun! A half track came up to support us but one minute they were there, and the next they were gone. The battalion came flooding back over the hill and we covered their withdraw. Suddenly the Germans were on us like sauerkraut on pork. I turned to look down the road and a Jerry stepped out. With one motion he flung a grenade in our direction. It landed at the feet of Sgt. Mike and myself. Helmets off. We were out of the game for the moment. Pleased with himself, the German soldier turned around and Mark dropped him were he stood. War is hell Hans!

Back that the rally point, we resurrected and were given our next assignment. The platoon crossed an open field that had recently been a forest, and finally moved into the cover of trees and brush probing for the Germans. It didn’t take long and they were punching us in the nose again. They moved so fast there wasn’t time to withdraw. Helmets off. Shit.

Back at the rally point again. Our platoon had been taking a beating all day. The Company CO sent us across the open ground again into a wooded area that commanded the whole field. There we hunkered down behind logs and in shallow holes. From there we could watch the Krauts exchanging fire with our men in the valley. Right in front of us was a hundred yard patch of open ground. On the other side were more Germans behind mounds of earth. Just walking back and forth having a good old time. After about forty five minutes, one of their officers finally noticed our platoon in the trees. It was then that they started pouring across open ground right at us! Open ground!! Now this was a situation that Mark and I could relate to as we took down one target after another. It even prompting one member of our platoon to chant “Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg.”

After five hours in the field (not including the truck ride), the tactical concluded and in the trucks we went and back to the base. Those 78 degree barracks were wonderful!!

Out of our combat clothes and into M36 wools. With a dust off of the boots we explored more of the market and headed to the mess hall for a great spaghetti dinner. Then it set in. Somebody had beaten us with a baseball bat and we didn’t get the number of the truck they were driving either! It was a good time to relax in the barracks to BS with new friends, have a Grape Ne-Hi, and reflect on the day. Oh man, it’s only 1900? Can we go to bed yet? Another squad inspection and mission review. Then a hot shower and it was indeed time for bed (at least for us old men).

Saturday. 0530. Lights on. Slide out of bunk. Layer up. Were we just here? Sgt Mike tells us to forget the CAP breakfast. He’s got something we are going to love. The ladies with the British reenactors run an out of the way real period café with hot coffee and all kinds of breakfast goodies.

With Friday’s truck-a-thon as our learning experience, the transport to the field was much quicker. Our half-way pee break even included a galloping deer that weaved its way between vehicles and urinating men. Not a live round in the group!

We offloaded at the point we left off the day before. The squad huddled together between trucks to get out of the wind. Another thirteen degrees plus wind chill. The platoon was given a more appropriate I&R assignment today as we probed into the woods. Mark was tasked to be the radio op and stick with Lt. Felmlee. He reported after the day was over that is was interesting hearing all of the traffic from around the battlefield including and officer screaming that he was being over run with the blast of gun fire in the background.

It wasn’t long before everything opened up again. Man did it get hot fast. The battalion moved up into place as the platoon fell back to regroup. They sent the Jerrys down into the valley and it gave us a chance to take a breather. We knew better from the day before not to get to comfortable. When it looked like we might be there a while, I reached in to grab my k-ration (the same one we never had a chance to eat the day before). “Alright. We’re moving out.” Damn. That ration is STILL in my musette bag!

Through the woods and across the road, the land opened up into a rolling devastated terrain. As the shortest legs in the squad, I did my best to keep up. Germans kept popping up on the ridges in the distance and the exhaust from a German Sturmgeschütz tank drifted above the trees down the road. Thank goodness for Old Smokey. We always knew where she was. The platoon moved from cover to cover finally stopping in high grass fifty yards off a road. We saw a German troop truck drive up the road but it was empty. The entire platoon shifted to the left of where the truck had come from and there they were. All the Krauts that had off loaded were just standing in the road enjoying a smoke and water from their canteens. The word went out to open up and you should have seen them fall over themselves trying to find cover or run into the woods. Today was going much better than Friday!

The next hour or so was a fox hunt as we moved to press the German lines and keep them from flanking the battalion. Plus stay away from Old Smokey (which was eventually retired by a recoilless canon). After another five hours, we loaded up in the vehicles and headed back to base.

Out of combat clothes. Realize the guy with the baseball bat and truck had been to visit again. Put on the M36 wools and neck tie. Now, here is the rule of thumb to remember. Stick with the GIs that have been coming to the event for years. They know the best places in town. Make a note: Frog’s Hollow, beer and a steak dinner for under $20.00. Also, if you go into town for a drink, they say stay away from “The Stallion” and “The Man Hole”. Need I say more?

Though Mark and I didn’t attend the official event dinner at the Club on base, we did want to check it out. It was great to see the veterans and everyone else dressed in their best. The bands was setting up but the guy with the baseball bat had taken his toll and we didn’t stay long enough to hear the music. Looked like a good time though. Might be worth attending next year.

That wasn’t the only place for evening fun though. On Friday and Saturday there were parties every where. I think Mark and I were so saturated by the whole experience, and not being hooked up with the party crowd, we did what most soldiers do and hung out at the barracks with some of the guys for a few laughs. After a hot shower. I hit the rack and only flipped to roast the other side.

Sunday. We slept in… until 0600. Then it was asses and elbows as everyone packed up to get out by 0700. That is when the US Army facilities manager at Ft. Indiantown Gap comes to throw you out. We finally met back up with our traveling companion Frank though we had not seen all weekend.

Back on the road, it was nice to get home in the early afternoon. It was a great trip and a great experience. This is my first time to a large WWII event in years. There will be a lot of good stories to tell from this one and I encourage the other members of Baker Company to register for next year. The leadership was fantastic Our Platoon Leader Mike Felmlee, and Squad Leader Mike Salay did a really bang up job. They made it look so easy and created a great experience for the GIs under them.

The only feedback I can give overall is very minor. I am not sure why the event is labeled as a reenactment of the Battle of the Bulge. The actual battle saw a lot of airborne infantry (especially the 101st) in the center of the action as we all know. I don’t think I saw more than a dozen guys from US Airborne units in the field. We fought along side Canadian paratroopers and many other units that weren’t even there. The Allied Commander was British. Those are just a few examples. Aesthetically, it might make more sense to dub this event Winter 1944 and make it a general campaign. Did it really affect the experience? No.

SUBMITTED:

Pvt. Christopher L. Smith
101st Airborne Division
502d PIR, Company B

Welcome to new troopers!

2010-01-22T08:57:00.004-05:00

The 1st Allied Airborne Reenactors would like to welcome two new units to our family of silk jockeys and glider riders. Both are Dog Company, 505th of the 82nd Airborne.

D/505 commanded by Ryan Gray are basked in Tiffin, OH and also portray the 5th Rangers.

Aaron Christensen of Dartmouth, MA commands a stick of 16 troopers portraying D/505 Pathfinders.

Glad to have all of you on board. Let's hope we can work together at an even this year!

Report from 2010 Planning Meeting

2009-12-13T14:39:00.009-05:00

On 12 DEC, members of the 1st Allied Airborne’s B/502 held their 2010 planning meeting at the Military Air Preservation Society Museum in Akron, Ohio. The minutes are as follows:

1. Pvt. Penix gave a debriefing on the field exercise conducted by the 83rd ID. A very enjoyable and educational activity. We did a lot of close order drill, attack and patrol formations, as well a live firing of weapons. Our thanks to Lt. Mike Felmlee and Maj. Bo Johnstone for allowing us to participate.

2. The 65th Battle of the Bulge reenactment at Ft. Indiantown Gap was discussed. It looks as if we will not have as many troopers attending unless some logistics change for some of the other guys. Doc Bottomley gave us a run-down as to what to expect at the event. We also discussed proper equipment, uniforms, and travel arrangements.

3. Our 2010 event schedule was discussed and fleshed out. We do not have specific dates for everything but more information will be forth coming.

29 -31 JAN: 65th Battle of the Bulge. Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA (www.wwiifederation.com)

27-28 MAR: Spring Tactical, Mansfield, OH

1-2 MAY: Military Show, Mansfield, OH*

15-17 MAY: Armed Forces Day Show, Findlay, OH

20-22 AUG: Dennison Railroad Depot, Dennison, OH (invitation only)

24-26 SEP: Ride Through History, Alliance, OH

POSSIBLE OTHER EVENTS

4-6 JUN: Reading WWII Weekend (http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html)

4. Blank manufacturing. Pvt. Gaynor will be setting up shop to produce more .30-06 blanks for the season. We currently have 500 pieces of brass to de-prime, clean, and size.

5. This year, the unit plans to make a concentrated effort to recruit new members. We will be setting up recruiting information at the D-Day Quartermaster booth at the Mansfield Military Show.* We noticed in Gettysburg for the Remembrance Day weekend this past November, many of the Civil War reenactment sutler shops are featuring a WWII reenacting section. This means that many of the WWII reenactors are coming from the Civil War reenacting community as an additional hobby.

SUBMITTED:

Pvt. C.L. Smith
Chairman
1st Allied Airborne Reenactors

Airborne meeting reminder

2009-12-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder of the meeting this Saturday to brief on Ft. Indiantown Gap and discuss events for 2010. Again, the meeting information is as follows:

TDG: 1000 hrs / 12 DEC 09

LOC: Military Air Preservation Society (MAPS) Museum - http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/
2260 International Parkway, North Canton, OH

Following the meeting we will get a personal tour of the museum by one of the former combat pilots that volunteers there. Discount cost for the group is $6.50 per person.

If anyone is interested, after the tour we can grab a bite to eat.

2010 Planning meeting

2009-12-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

This will be our annual meeting to plan for WWII reenacting events in 2010. We will also be conducting a briefing of uniforms, equipment and assignment for the 65th Battle of the Bulge reenactment at Ft. Indiantown Gap (FIG).

The meeting will be held at the MAPS Air Museum. Following the meeting, there will be a personally guided tour for the group by one of the volunteers who is a former military pilot.

Cost is $6.50 per person which is a discount over the normal $8.00 rate. Please RSVP to chris@ddayquartermaster.com.

REMEMBER!!! Registration for FIG MUST be postmarked no later than December 4th. That is THIS Friday!!

PRIORITY MESSAGE: Battle of the Bulge 2010

2009-11-16T22:16:00.003-05:00

TO: All Personnel
MSSG FOLLOWS: Priority

During the training weekend in Centerburg, we were able to gather some information on the unit's involvement at the Battle of the Bulge reenactment at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA.

Dates and Registration

The unit will be deploying to the event on Thursday, January 28 and returning in the morning on January 31st. The battle scenarios are on Friday and Saturday.

Registration is $50.00 and MUST be postmark BEFORE 7 DEC 10! You must send this in your self. The link to the registration is as follows:

http://wwiifederation.com/files/RegistrationForm.pdf

Please READ the entire package. There is important information for you to know. MAKE SURE to check the box next to "option B event no Dinner" AND next to "Regt HQ" on the form as this is who we will be attached to. It will also make sure you are assigned to the correct barracks.

Again, you MUST have this post marked NO LATER than 7 DEC 10!

Duty Assignment

Baker Company will be merged into a combined Info & Recon platoon for the regimental headquarters, headquarters company. Specifically the S-2 section. The platoon will consist of the personnel from the 83rd and 90th ID with a total of at least 35 men. This is a pretty sweet assignment and details will be communicated to the squad at an up-coming meeting.

Pre-Event Planning

As mentioned above, we need to plan a Sunday in December and January to accomplish two things. First, so that Sgt Eddy can cover our duty assignment in detail, logistics of attending the event, and impression with regard to uniforms and equipment. The second meeting will specifically be to load ammunition and cover any other items.

Head Count

For the sake of getting an idea of our numbers, those who are planning to attend should reply to this email along with a few Sundays in December and January when you would be available to attend a meeting.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact myself at chris@ddayquartermaster.com, or Patrick Eddy at patrick51st@yahoo.com.

Submitted:

Pvt Christopher Smith
B/502
Chairman, 1st Allied Airborne Reenactors

Ride Through History a good time

2009-10-01T11:27:00.003-04:00

For those of you who missed it, the Ride Through History event in Alliance was a hoot! About 6 members of the Baker Company squad attended and we mixed in pretty well with the guys from the 4th Armored and 1st ID.

Check out some of the photos posted by our own Bill "Smokey" Krause.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/alliedairborne

Remembering Market Garden

2009-09-17T14:59:00.003-04:00

Today, on 17 September 1944, thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up to 150 km behind enemy lines. Their goal: to secure two bridges across the rivers in Holland so that the Allied army could advance rapidly northwards and turn right into the lowlands of Germany, hereby skirting around the Siegfried line, the German defence line. If all carried out as planned it should have ended the war by Christmas 1944.

Unfortunately this daring plan, named Operation Market Garden, didn't have the expected outcome. The bridge at Arnhem proved to be 'a bridge too far'. After 10 days of bitter fighting the operation ended with the evacuation of the remainder of the 1st British Airborne Division from the Arnhem area.

Remember those you gave all to fight tyranny.

Outstanding photos from Europe

2009-09-10T20:18:00.002-04:00

Facebook Friend Jenny Hutchinson writes:

Hello to everyone! I'm an American living in England and as of yet I don't re-enact but I do take photos of those great moments that you recreate of long ago!! It is always a fantastic experience!!

To see some of her fantastic reenacting photos, go to http://www.candaimages.com/

Teams Seeking Remains Dig Back to World War II

2009-09-07T10:57:00.002-04:00

By ELISABETH BUMILLER - NY Times

BAULER, Germany — At the start of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, an American bomber was shot down by German fighter planes and sent into a fiery, nose-first crash in a cow pasture here. The pilot’s body was never found.

Almost 65 years later, on a recent late summer day, a 10-member Defense Department team was in the same pasture, searching through mounds of excavated mud for a trace of the airman. The group had already unearthed shreds of a parachute and part of a leather glove when one of the team's forensic anthropologists, Allysha Powanda Winburn, found a crucial clue to the mystery: a small piece of what she called "possible osseous remains," or potential human bone.

The real mystery, at least to the 77-year-old farmer who witnessed the crash at the age of 13, Hermann Reuter, was the group of Americans who had turned up in the pasture near his home in search of the pilot.

"Why after such a long time?" he asked, perplexed.

As nearly 200,000 United States troops fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, a little-known unit is engaged in the herculean and at times quixotic task of trying to account for more than 84,000 Americans still missing from the nation’s previous wars. Most of the effort has focused on those lost in Vietnam, but under pressure from families, the military has paid new attention in the past two years to a vast majority of the missing — some 74,000 — still unaccounted for in Europe and the Pacific during World War II.

The effort is a powerful part of the military culture to "bring everyone home," no matter how elusive the goal. "We maximize the resources we have, both personnel and money," said Johnie E. Webb, the deputy commander of the 400-person unit, called the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, based at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. "That's the best we can do until somebody says, 'We’re going to give you the resources to do more.' "

The new focus on World War II comes after years of attention to soldiers who were unaccounted for in the 1960s and 1970s in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

"Vietnam had advocates," said Lisa Phillips, the president of the four-year-old World War II Families for the Return of the Missing. "This was an older generation, and they didn’t know who to turn to."

Now, time is running out in Europe, where many elderly witnesses and local historians, crucial in helping to locate crash sites, are dying or already gone. There are other hurdles in Washington, where the Pentagon devotes a sliver of its annual budget, $55 million out of a half trillion dollars, toward the search. Although the teams identify more than 70 of the missing each year, at that rate it will take 500 years to find all of the 35,000 whom the Pentagon classifies as potentially "recoverable." Many thousands of the others were lost at sea.

To the Defense Department teams, staffed by anthropologists and military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, the meaning of the mission lies not in the numbers but in individual lives. "I think that goes toward answering, 'Well, you'll never get finished so why bother to start at all?'" said Andrew Tyrrell, the other anthropologist working in the cow pasture. "It's not necessarily all about finishing. While it's important to have that as an ultimate goal, what's also important is that the stories of all of these people get remembered.”

The Pentagon would not reveal the name of the lost pilot because his relatives were unaware of the search, Mr. Webb said, and there were fears of getting their hopes up. But if any remains are identified - in many cases through advances in DNA testing that extract samples from shards of bone - the family will be contacted and the pilot will be given a full military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

For now, the Defense Department will say only that the pilot died in a Martin B-26 Marauder on a terrible day for the Allies. The plane was on its way from a base in France to bomb a viaduct in the German town of Ahrweiler, but was ambushed and never reached its target. There were six on board: two crew members who parachuted out and were captured by the Germans and released after the war; and four who died in the crash, three of whose bodies were recovered. The plane was one of 39 B-26s lost in the area on that day alone. In all, an estimated 19,000 Americans died during the six-week Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes, the bloodiest fighting of the war.

The military team has been searching the pasture since early August and is to remain until mid-September. They are surrounded by wooded hills and volcanic lakes in this idyllic hiking region on the border with Luxembourg, but they spend their days pouring buckets of thick mud onto quarter-inch screens, then hosing them down to catch their finds: molten bits of aircraft, a piece of a boot, hundreds of .50-caliber bullets for the plane’s 11 machine guns. At sites in the Pacific, some have found family photographs and wedding rings.

The work is monotonous, but members of the team, who have had multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and expect in many cases to return there, say they have developed a kinship with the pilot they never knew. "It's the same family essentially going back for our own," said Capt. Melissa Ova, the team leader, who served in Iraq in 2007.

At times the work is maddeningly slow. Last week in another village in what was once East Germany, a different team was trying to locate a B-24 bomber with nine Americans aboard, six still missing, which had been shot down in February 1944.

An elderly witness said the plane sank in a boggy field near a river, so Staff Sgt. Kurtis Witt, a Marine who had three tours sweeping roads for explosive devices in Iraq, spanning 2004 to 2008, spent two hours tromping through tall grass with a magnetometer — only to be told afterward by Kristina Giannotta, the historian leading the team, that she had just spoken to a 90-year-old woman in the village who said the plane had gone down in a completely different field. By day's end, four more witnesses had put the bomber in four other areas.

"You can ask people two hours after they saw something and they'll have different stories," Dr. Giannotta said. "After 65 years it's like they saw a purple rainbow."

But to Captain Ova the frustrations are worth it. "For me, it's a comfort to know that if something happens, somebody will come get me, eventually," she said.

Field Training Exercise for November

2009-08-31T13:42:00.002-04:00

Members of the organization will participate in a weekend field training exercise on 13-15 NOV 09 being conducted by the 83rd. The location is Centerburg, Ohio (just northeast of Columbus). There will be a nominal fee for barracks accommodations and chow.

In addition to the standard training cycle, there will also be live fire marksmanship training. Ammo will be issued by the NCOIC at the range under very controlled, monitored conditions. This is your chance to see how good you really are or aren't with your M1.

Please contact Patrick Eddy at patrick51st@yahoo.com if you plan to attend. More orders will follow.

SITREP: Ride Through History

2009-08-22T21:49:00.002-04:00

EVENT: 25-27 SEP 09 - Alliance, OH

I had a very good meeting with the folks from the Marlboro Volunteers who host Ride Through History here in Ohio. I was given a tour of the facility and layout. We also discussed the various activities at the event. My report follows.

LOCATION: RTH is held on the property of the old Taylorcraft factory in Alliance, Ohio where the L2 Grasshopper spotter planes were built and tested during World War II. The runways behind the plant are now overgrown with woods and brush. This is the area where the living history and history "vignettes" are held for roughly 2000 spectators over the weekend.

CAMPS: Throughout the woods, various areas have been cleared to feature living history camps from the Revolution, Civil War, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

The WWII camp area is split between the German and Allied set ups. In addition to our Allied Airborne personnel, the 4th Armored will also be there with an M20 Armored Car and Halftrack.

Our camp will be very simple. We will have a US wall tent as a CP. This will give Robert a chance to come up with a really cool set up for his Warrant Officer impression. Supporting the CP, we will be able to construct several above ground fighting positions using logs, dirt and sandbags. The reason for no fox holes is demonstrated by the German trenches from last year. The water table is so shallow at this location that the trenches continually fill with water. We will be able to use our camo net and additional canvas to build out our fighting/living positions. As we get closer to the event, we can discuss the arrival time of our personnel so we can work together to build our camp.

VIGNETTES: The RTH actually takes place on the other over grown runway. Spectators board several military troop trucks and travel down a trail progressing through a Revolutionary War redoubt where soldiers are engaged, a Civil War artillery firing supported by Federal cavalry, a WWII Market Garden period engagement between Germans in bunkers and Airborne in a building (finally with support of US armor). A Korean period US engineering unit working on a project, and finally a Vietnam era US infantry squad engaged in a rice paddy. Each of theses "vignettes" last about 10 to 15 minutes (the total spectator ride runs about 45 minutes). Just think of watching your favorite scene from Band of Brothers, and then going back to the beginning of the chapter on the DVD to watch it again. That is what we will be doing. Over and over.

The actual rides run from 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs Saturday and Sunday. Those not engaged in the vignettes will be in the living history camps talking with the public. If we have enough personnel, we can do a rotation to give everyone a bit of a break and a chance to have chow.

OTHER ACTIVITIES: There will be a lot to see and do for those who have friends and family wishing to attend. In addition to the aforementioned, there will be a military vehicle display and motor pool where personnel will be performing field maintenance on vehicles from various periods and talking to the public. A stage area will feature programming including a demonstration of military small arms from flint locks to current weapons. There will also be vendors selling militaria.

REENACTOR AMENITIES: There is NO registration fee for participants. A complete field kitchen and mess tent will be set up. If you wish, you can buy a $15.00 meal ticket good for the entire weekend and includes two breakfasts, two lunches, and dinner. All participants with have 24 hour access to water, lemonade, iced tea, and coffee at no charge.

The event will be providing a limited amount of blank .30-06 ammo, as well as some .30 carbine rounds to the US reenactors.

ROLL CALL: I will need to provide the event organizers with a head count by the beginning of September. I would like to request that all Airborne participants (para and glider) please email me with confirmation of your attendance no later than 5 SEP. Please provide your name, rank, and the unit you represent. You do not need to be a member of our organization to participate. We are happy to have you!

If you have any questions or comment, PLEASE do not hesitate to drop me a message.

SUBMITTED:

Christopher L. Smith
Chairman
1st Allied Airborne Reenactors

Airborne photos

2009-08-12T08:31:00.001-04:00

There are some great Airborne photos posted to our Facebook Group from other reenactors around the world.

Check it out! 1st Allied Airborne Facebook Group

Dennison AAR

2009-08-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

This past weekend 5 of our group took part in the reenactment at Dennison, and in my opinion it was by far the best event that we have been to since we started our group.

The Germans had a very strong defensive position with 4 log and earth bunkers all connected by trench works,and surrounded by barbed wire. It was impressive to see!! We spent the weekend in pre-dug foxholes using anything we could find for cover, and were under mortar attack most of the weekend. We attacked from those positions 3 times, the last being a successful attempt. A photographer from the times reporter was there and has pictures posted on there web site...even has a few of us.

CLICK HERE and HERE

I hope next year we can get a better turn out..it was a blast. I wont be missing it!

Patrick Eddy

Ride Through History

2009-07-31T11:03:00.002-04:00

Our organization has been requested to set up at an invitation-only event on September 26-27 in Alliance, Ohio for the Marlboro Volunteers' "Ride Through History".

This is part living history and part battle. As you know, spectators board military vehicles and make their way through open and wooded terrain coming across a Civil War battle and camps. Further down the trail they witness a World War II battle and trenches. Finally, they emerge from the woods at a Vietnam fire base.

I am coordinating with them on what kind of set up we will need. This may be a Market Garden scenario (M43 uniforms). We will be in the woods and we can get them to set up fox holes for us. I will have parachute and drop container we can string out in the trees. This set up is where we will live for the weekend as well.

Between our jump jockeys and glider-riders, I would like to have at least be at squad strength. Please let me know if you plan to attend by emailing me at chris@tinywarriors.com. I need to know how many of us will be there so we know how much room we will need. I would like to see some of our Airborne brothers from Michigan and PA attend.

You can visit the event web site at www.marlborovolunteersinc.com

Night Patrol and compass course after action report

2009-06-27T12:40:00.002-04:00

Okay, I'll make this short. The compass course was a good first start at learning land navigation. We were all able to follow our compass azimuth heading and arrive at the designated way points without any difficulty. Finding the tokens at the way points was another story. With that said I would judge this exercise as a success simply because we were able to move to the designated points. We learned several things during this first exercise and will schedule a second compass training course with modifications that were discussed later in the year, date TBD.

The Night patrol training finished up exposing several areas we need to work on. I gage it a partial success and we must remember that is why it is called training, so we all learn. We will also schedule a training day and second night patrol exercise for later in the year, date TBD. We will incorporate what we learned and expand on it for the next training.

Muddy

Dennison, OH event August 7-9

2009-06-27T12:05:00.002-04:00

Come in Kickoff, over,

The Dennison Railroad Depot Museum in Dennison, OH is hosting their annual WWII living history and public display battle August 7-9. They have installed replica WWII trench works for the battle and will have living history areas set up for the public to see. Several of you have expressed interest in going and we have been extended an invitation from one of the hosting units, the 83rd Division. See their email (Warning Orders) below. If you are planning on attending please reply by no later than July 6, so we can get a count and forward the number to the 83rd Division CO Mike Felmlee. Registration is at the gate and according to the schedule, events on Saturday August 8, start at 0900 and run through 2100. There are two skirmishes scheduled for Saturday, one at 1100, the other at 1600. Everyone we have talked to says this is an excellent event and we will hopefully put some of our training to good use.

Uniform of the day for Dennision will be the M43 Market Garden time frame. Some from the 83rd have requested we bring our 1919A6, do we have any volunteers to crew it?

More information will follow as we get closer to the event and as it becomes available.

Muddy out

83rd Division Warning orders below;

Attn. 3rd Platoon,

Alright, let's not forget that we have committed to the Brunswick, OH event July 17-19, 2009. Here is a link: http://www.brunswickhistory.com/events_ww2.html
Let's go light campaign-style to this one. Shelter halves and live out of our pockets. We will be participating in the "ride through history" part of the event where we are the entertainment. We will be the display as the public is brought through. This is the opportunity to just be us and live in the field for a couple of days.

The weekend after (July 25-26) is the final work weekend for the Dennison event. If at all possible, try to come out for one or both days to help put the finishing touches on our foxholes and weapons pits. Bring modern or period sleeping/camping gear wear work clothes, bring food and water.Link to Dennison: http://www.dennisondepot.org/

We are putting in an all out max effort for the Dennison event (Aug 7-9). The people in the town and the museum really want us there, so let's give them a good show. This is shaping up to be the big Ohio event in the future. It has all of the elements it would need to be a great event. It is up to us to make that happen.
I hope to see you all soon.

Thanks,

Mike

Things to remember for this Friday

2009-06-25T12:47:00.003-04:00

Please remember for tomorrow's exercise:

1. The weather will be warm. You will only need to wear a white t-shirt or your undershirt beneath the uniform jacket.

2. Bring bug spray.

3. Bring extra water! A couple of bottles to put in your pack or rigger pockets his a must in addition to a full canteen. Hydrate!!

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Airborne history website

2009-06-22T10:27:00.003-04:00

Fellow trooper John Brueck has been in contact and shares his wonderful web site with lots of photos and video. John gives tours of the drop zones in Normandy and has found some interesting goodies laying about.

Check out his web site at: http://normandy1944.multiply.com/

Shifty Powers passes

2009-06-19T08:14:00.002-04:00

Veteran a part of ‘Band of Brothers’
Darrell “Shifty” Powers, who died at age 86, was a hero on the battlefield and to his family.

By Neil Harvey

In a 2001 interview with The Roanoke Times, Darrell “Shifty” Powers talked about some of his experiences during World War II.

Powers, a United States Army paratrooper and sharpshooter, belonged to Easy Company, part of the legendary 101st Airborne Division. He recalled a bitterly cold day in the Ardennes when he was able to draw down on a German sniper, sighting his target by the misty cloud of the man’s breath. He killed him with one shot.

“Right there,” he said, touching his forehead. “Between the eyes.”

But Powers, of Dickenson County, who died Wednesday of natural causes at age 86, was also reflective about such matters.

In the second-to-last episode of “Band of Brothers,” an HBO miniseries that documented Easy Company’s wartime exploits, Powers spoke on camera about the soldiers he fought and also hinted at the intrinsic tragedy of combat.

“We might have had a lot in common. He might’ve liked to fish, you know, he might’ve liked to hunt,” Powers said. “Of course, they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I was doing what I was supposed to do.

“But under different circumstances, we might have been good friends.”

Powers, who got the nickname “Shifty” playing basketball as a youngster, served three years in the Army during World War II and later worked as a machinist for Clinchfield Coal Corp. He found renewed notoriety when his military experiences were depicted on film and in the Stephen Ambrose book of the same name.

“He actually hadn’t talked about it, his war years, until the book came out,” said his daughter-in-law, Sandy Powers. “He gets fan mail from all over the world, and calls.”

“For me and my kids, it’s just amazing that our regular, sweet uncle was such a hero,” said his niece, Cheryl Gilliland of Roanoke. “It sure changed his life in later years. He went places and met people he never would have otherwise.”

Darrell Powers met a German soldier in 2005 who had fought against him at the notoriously brutal siege of Bastogne during the winter of 1944.

According to his son, Wayne, he had in September been scheduled to travel to Iraq to meet with U.S. soldiers, but health problems prevented it.

“He was so disappointed. He wanted to meet with the soldiers so badly,” Sandy Powers said.

One of his closest friends, Earl McClung, of Colorado, in 2001 called Darrell Powers “a heck of a good soldier and a heck of a good shot.”

“And he was there every time I looked up,” he added.

“Our family had four boys and one girl, and I’m the only one left,” said Powers’ sister, Gaynell Sykes of Roanoke, on Wednesday. “He was a great brother. I know he was great at a lot of other things, too — great father, great son, great husband.”

The Roanoke Times

B/502 at the MVPA Convoy

2009-06-17T13:03:00.002-04:00

Members of the unit attended the MVPA Transcontinental Convoy as it was layed-over in Wooster, Ohio on its way to California. A great time was had by all and we even met a vet who served with the 17th Airborne during World War II.

Click here to check out some of the photos.

MVPA Convoy Layover UPDATE

2009-06-13T09:08:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder that this Tuesday, 16 June, members of the 1st Allied Airborne will be traveling to the Wayne County Fairgrounds to visit with the participants and vehicles of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's Transcontinental Convoy as they have a lay-over in Wooster, Ohio.

Unit members will meet starting at 1700 hrs at the Fairgrounds parking area. Uniform of the Day can be either M42 (as it is still June) or M43. Weapons are permitted but NO AMMO. Family members are encouraged.

After our stay, we will find a place for chow and more jocularity.

Click here for the location of the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

Night Patrol Exercise

2009-06-11T14:01:00.002-04:00

26 JUNE 09: 1800 - 2300 hrs.

Our next training date will be composed of two parts. A compass course (we will split up into small 2-3 man groups using our compasses and maps to locate and move to and from designated points and then meet at a rally point).

The second part of the training will be night patrolling, this is critical for achieving success in the upcoming POW event later this year or spring of next year.

If you plan to attend, please email chris@tinywarriors.com or visit our Facebook events page.

This is open to any and all Allied WWII reenactors.

Repro 502nd T-Shirt

2009-06-08T17:08:00.002-04:00

As seen in Mark Bando's book on the 101st Airborne Division, some members of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment wore a white t-shirt with the "Widow Maker" emblem under their M42 or M43 field uniforms.

We have reproduced the shirt just for reenactors portraying members of the Five-O-Duece. Click here to place your order.

Unit photos

2009-06-07T23:02:00.002-04:00

Please bookmark this link to get to the unit photo web page as it is updated on a regular basis.

http://photobucket.com/alliedairborne

D-Day training after action report and proposed new training date

2009-06-07T13:06:00.004-04:00

B Co, 502 PIR

6 June 2009,

Subject: After action report

To: B Co, 502

We started the day 0800 with breakfast at a small Cafe on the outskirts of Saint Mer-Zoar. At 0930 we formed-up and advanced to our assembly area where we were instructed in basic compass and map reading by Bulldog Smith. This was very informative and critical learning for our upcoming mission.

At 1230 we briefly reviewed hand signals and the basic squad formations and their respective strengths and weakness are. Formations reviewed were squad column closed, column open, column with scouts out and flank guards posted, forming into a skirmish line and skirmish line right and left, squad wedge and the diamond formation for patrolling. A brief demonstration was given on the crawl, low crawl, getting up from a crawl position and observation.

We moved out to take our objective, the Saint Mer-Zoar Bridge of the Tuscany Canal at 1300 in simulated night patrol formation, closed up column. Our former Marine, Robert Eddy played the role of hidden observer/enemy. The critical observations and recommendations given from this observation were extremely helpful and useful. After taking the bridge form the local fishermen we rested and regrouped for our second mission, the log pile. We assembled for our second mission at 1400 and moved out in extended open column formation. We moved our way through narrow paths and dense growth in near perfect formation. Our movement was quite and deliberate so much so that our scout was able to kick out a hiding deer only 20 yards away. The deer didn't run very far acting confused at what it was actually seeing.

We stepped of with our assault on the log pile at 1430 breaking up into three teams, Able (Scouts) Baker (base of fire) and Charlie (assault team). We were a little slow in getting into position for the attack and were spotted by our observer. Our observer's recommendation will require more work on this part.

Next training date;

Our next training date is scheduled for late afternoon and the evening of 26 June, 2009. Start time to be determined, but I would like to propose 1730 - 1800. The training will be composed of two parts, a compass course (we will split up into small 2-3 man groups using our compasses and maps to locate and move to and from designated points and then meet at a rally point). The second part of the training will be night patrolling, this is critical for achieving success in the upcoming POW event later this year or spring of next year.

I would like to thank everyone who attended for their professionalism and dedication to this unit and hobby. We have an excellent group and it is an honor to serve as your commander. From current observations, feedback and past experience we are on our way to becoming one of the better if not the best unit in the WWII reenactment community. With that said I promise you all too work on and improve areas that I am not as proficient in as others. Thank you all for your faith in me; it is a responsibility I do not take lightly.

Muddy
Sgt Co B

D-Day Airborne Facts

2009-06-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

The U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, numbering 13,000 paratroopers and delivered by 12 troop carrier groups of the IX Troop Carrier Command, were less fortunate in quickly completing their main objectives. To achieve surprise, the drops were routed to approach Normandy from the west. Numerous factors affected their performance, but the primary one was the decision to make a massive parachute drop at night (a tactic not used again for the rest of the war). As a result, 45% of units were widely scattered and unable to rally. Efforts of the early wave of pathfinder teams to mark the landing zones were largely ineffective, and the Rebecca/Eureka transponding radar beacons used to guide in the waves of C-47 Skytrains to the drop zones were a flawed system.

Three regiments of 101st Airborne paratroopers were dropped first, between 00:48 and 01:40, followed by the 82nd Airborne's drops between 01:51 and 02:42. Each operation involved approximately 400 C-47 aircraft. Two pre-dawn glider landings brought in anti-tank guns and support troops for each division. On the evening of D-Day two additional glider landings brought in two battalions of artillery and 24 howitzers to the 82nd Airborne. Additional glider operations on 7 June delivered the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment to the 82nd Airborne, and two large supply parachute drops that date were ineffective.

After 24 hours, only 2,500 troops of the 101st and 2,000 of the 82nd were under the control of their divisions, approximating a third of the force dropped. The dispersal of the American airborne troops, however, had the effect of confusing the Germans and fragmenting their response. In addition, the Germans' defensive flooding, in the early stages, also helped to protect the Americans' southern flank.

Paratroopers continued to roam and fight behind enemy lines for days. Many consolidated into small groups, rallied with NCOs or junior officers, and usually were a hodgepodge of men from different companies, battalions, regiments, or even divisions. The 82nd occupied the town of Sainte-Mère-Église early in the morning of 6 June, giving it the claim of the first town liberated in the invasion.

D-Day

2009-06-05T08:51:00.001-04:00

Our brother trooper Dave Strichko said is best...

Tomorrow June 6th is the 65th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Take time to remember all those who served, fought, bled and died on that day. They embarked on a great quest to remove the stranglehold the Nazi’s had on Europe; many of young men would find their final resting place under a white cross in France never to see home again.

Thank you to all our Veterans and thank you to all those who are fighting today.

D-Day Training details

2009-06-03T21:15:00.005-04:00

Just a reminder that this Saturday is our D-Day training exercise. We will be meeting at the Zoar Breakfast Haus and Inn (next to the Zoar Tavern) at 0800 hrs sharp. After breakfast and some remembrance of those who made that jump 65 years ago, we will depart to the training area.

Please review the details of the training requirements below.

We will see you there troopers!

Hand signals

2009-06-01T10:30:00.004-04:00

To review prior to our training exercise this weekend, below are the standard hand signals used in squad operations. It is important to learn these in order to use non-verbal communication in the field.

MVPA Convoy in Ohio

2009-05-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

Over 120 vintage military vehicles will be laying over in Wooster, Ohio as they travel from Washington DC to San Francisco, California from June 10th to July 28th. The over-all event recreates the famous 1919 Convoy as a 90th Anniversary celebration of the achievement and in conjunction with the nation's President Lincoln Bicentennial celebration.

Ohio reenactors and military history enthusiats who wish to view the vehicles and talk to the participants are gathering at the Wayne County Fairgrounds on the evening of June 16th.

Click here to visit the event on Facebook.

D-Day Training Exercise

2009-05-30T22:26:00.005-04:00

We are planning a unit training activity for 6 JUNE 09 (yes... D-Day) in Zoar, Ohio. We will be conducting a class on map and compass work (including a practical compass course). We will also continue our training on squad tactics.

This is open to other Allied reenactors as well.

Please mark this on your calendars and I will have more information in a
few days. Please email Chris Smith if you plan to attend. You can also visit the event Facebook page by clicking here.

Orders are as follows:

ATTN: Co B, 502 PIR,

Subject: D-Day June 6, training day orders

Tentative agenda subject to change;

0800 Breakfast in Zoar.

1000 Compass and map reading class presented by Bulldog Smith.

1200 Lunch. Pack your own or we can chip in for carry out?

1300 Squad exercises Sgt Muddy. Be prepared to get dirty.

1500 Scouting and recon Cpl McCheap.

Note; The above agenda is provided as a rough outline for the day's activities and is not yet finalized so subject to chage.

502 PIR Uniform;

Since training will take place on June 6, it is only fitting that the M42 jump suit with jump boots be the uniform of the day. For those of you who do not have your Normandy kit yet the M43 uniform is perfectly acceptable.

M2 or M1C helmet with or without net and scrim, and overseas cap.

Web gear appropriate for D-Day is prefered. Rigger ammo pouches would be correct as well as standard issue gear.

327 GIR Uniform;

Standard wool uniform with M41 field jacket or HBY jacket and trousers. Rough-out ankle boots with canvas leggings. For those of you who do not have your Normandy kit yet the M43 uniform is perfectly acceptable.

M1 helmet with or without net, and overseas cap.

Standard issue infantry web gear.

Firearms;

M1, 03 & 03A3 rifles, M1 and M1A1 carbines, Thompson SMG, Grease Gun, 1911A1 pistols are acceptable. BAR for 327 GIR only. Okay maybe someday we'll have a BAR!

NOTE, Do not bring any ammunition period.

Authenticity standards

2009-05-20T14:38:00.000-04:00

Come in Kickoff, over,

Just FYI, the 502 radio call sign was "Kickoff".

We have received a number of very positive comments on our impression form others in the WWII reenactment community. As a follow on to these comments and to refine our impression I have on order and picked up several books on the 101st during Market Garden and later. There are quite a number of excellent original period photographs showing 101st and 502nd combat gear/uniforms. The material needs to be reviewed for us to be able to set correct authenticity standards for our unit. Any of you who would like to get together one evening, weekend, etc. to review the material please let me know and we can schedule a time. After review we can update our uniform/equipment requirements list.

Muddy out

Findlay AAR

2009-05-18T12:45:00.001-04:00

Hello troopers:

I just wanted to thank everyone from the 1st Allied Airborne that came to Findlay for the Armed Forces Day weekend. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. There was so much stuff to buy that we didn't have the cargo room or bank account capacity to handle it. Let's just say we did some damage.

We really enjoyed working with the 83rd ID and 5th Rangers. The battles were short but a hell of a lot of fun. We also got some news on a variety of other events. More on this later.

Submitted"
Pvt. Christopher "Bulldog" Smith