Post by Otto Verkaufer on Aug 27, 2014 22:53:12 GMT -6
Our first event as a blank-fire unit was Dakota City WWII days during May Armed Forces weekend 2013. Here is the AAR -
AAR for Farmington 2013
The debut event for the 53. Aufklarungs-Abteilung has come and gone and overall was a positive event with some good lessons learned. We had five in attendance and they are pictured below.
It looks wet because set-up day on Friday was rain and Saturday had rain and Sunday had rain. But the event squeezed in the battles and most of the action during rain lulls and most of Sunday was quite pleasant. Saturday mornings battle was rained out and the weather certainly hurt attendance.
Another shot or the rain, showing our camp and vehicles.
We all camped in an old 40-ft rail car and it came with a tin roof for enjoying the nightly rainfall. Add to that several high speed trains rumbling through at night on the border of the grounds and I was transported back in time. Pretty cool.
The battles went off well enough and no one got hurt as far as I know. We used the truck and cycle for all of them and it was fun speeding off on the cycle with Paul in the sidecar to get the SS to help in the battles. I also gave a batch of cycle rides to kids at the event which started a chain reaction and so I had to stop or I wouldn't have done anything else.
Here we are in enemy territory having claimed our prize.
Matt is absent in this photo as on Sunday (when it was taken) he was packing up from college and couldn't be part of the fun anymore. Terd stopped by as a spectator with his two sons in tow and it was nice to see him. Wilhelm also visited and was there both days.
Here is my favorite photo of the event - Thanks Paul
Farmington will remain on the calender for next year as it is a well run and fun event.
Thanks to Franz for feeding us and to all the attendees who did their part. We learned we needed some things for the kitchen and plan to expand our camping tentage for events when we don't have a nice railcar to shelter in.
Here was a movie taken of this -
m.youtube.com/watch?v=na8xwyN8iUY
Here is the unit with the Sherman.
home.comcast.net/~30thhrs/index.html
Next we attended Trimborn Farms June 14-16 2013
AAR- This event is staying on the list for next year. It is a nice relaxing event with a good group of attendees and good support from the park officials. It also has music and fun and games on Saturday night and that is nice. It had light but steady rain on Friday night and heavy rain on Saturday night but we managed even though I forgot the tent poles. We put together a zelt tent for me on Friday night while the truck was used for the sleeping comfort of the others. I have to say, I slept in the truck on Saturday night and Steve took the cab so it was nice of him to volunteer. The rain got us all a little wet but we figured out how to minimize the roof leaks and then nestled in for some really great sleep with raindrops hitting the canvas and a nice breeze through the netting sides of the truck. It was pretty much outdoors sleeping and because there were virtually no mosquitoes it was a treat.
The crowds on Saturday were really small so we focused on relaxing and visiting the other units and could plan and discuss future events. On Saturday a Journal photographer came through and there were pictures for the Sunday paper local section which really boosted attendance for Sunday. This event is still little known so it might continue to grow next year. The other German groups were Boden's GD unit, Kerwell's 7th Panzer and five members of the 353rd Infanterie who came and displayed with us. It was nice to see them again. I had several Milwaukee area contacts stop by to visit too and was pleasantly surprised by some who I hadn't seen or talked to in years. My highlight however was that two WWII US vets stopped and chatted and both didn't leave before expressing their appreciation for us being there and that means a lot to me. One was a Pacific Okinawa marine vet and the other jumped with the 17th Airborne in Europe. Both looked good and still on top of their game.
Steve handled the food and no one went hungry. I and Troy shared the clean-up duties. It all added to increase our experience for the next one and we've already made some improvement plans. Pictures should be added in a few days as a couple of friends stopped and have promised me copies. Thanks to those who contributed. Couldn't do it without you. See you at the next one at Neillsville Highgrounds in a couple weeks.
To answer Legacy, vendors were only one and with little start up gear. Mostly toys and stuff for the general public.
Here is one of the photos taken but at 6megs per photo, I'm not posting any more. We'll see if the others are smaller. This one shows the new net treatment top.
Jun 2013 had us support Neillsville Highgrounds event for the final Saturday in June. We are allowed arrival on Friday for camping and this is simply a meet and greet the public for an encampment display.
AAR- The Highgrounds WWII display is completed again for this year and was nice again. The weather was perfect for me. Cool and breezy with some rain in the evening and early in the morning but nothing bad at all. No bugs really and that was a big improvement from last year. The park came through with some gas money for vehicle owners and the event has room to grow. Any blank-fire unit that just wants a camping spot for a one day event should consider this event. As the event wound down, we participated in a memorial service in front of the crowd awaiting the fireworks and had a mini-convoy to the pavilion, marched out center stage and were joined by park VIP's the cub scouts and paid respects to the fallen Wisconsin veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I think they number 143 at the time being. We held salutes during the reading of their names and that wrapped up the event. Then we broke camp and had a bite to eat and watched the fireworks. I had a couple of highlights. The biggest was meeting a couple of WWII vets. One gentleman was accompanied by family and made it quickly through the encampments so I didn't catch his name but he fought at St. Vith with the 7th Armored Div and was Armored Infantry. The other veteran was John C. George, a 506th PIR, 101st AB Div soldier who was at Market Garden, and the Bulge. He was attracted to the motorcycle in our camp and treated us to some of his stories and then I bought a book he wrote and had brought along. Entitled "Death Cheaters," It has already impressed me as highly entertaining and informative. He was a writer by profession and knows how to tell a story. He signed my copy and not to me but to my German character and I believe he got a kick out of it. I know I did. A treasured souvenir now. As far as writing is concerned a local newsman also was with us for awhile and I'll be getting a copy of the paper with the story so that should be interesting.
For attendees, Tom and Alex and Troy did American, and Troy's friend Paul and brother Kevin did Russian. Steve, Matt and I did German and Dave Brooks though not in an impression set up an additional impressive display of American stuff.
I've included some photos and I took them late in the day so the spectators seen are small in number but that was not the norm for the day. We all had a pretty steady day of meeting and greeting. I think this one stays on my schedule.
German Camp
Troy's display
Tom and Alex have a nice display too. Tom has expressed interest in joining as German blank-fire operator.
Russian display
Not a posed picture.
Iola 2013
Only as a means of recording the event, I've posted a pic of the three of us who attended this past weekend at Iola Tractor and Military show. This is a scripted battle event and always a good time with a gun show and vendors galore. It is always a place to pick up equipment not found anywhere else at any other event. I found a nice vehicle box for the latest truck project and there were other finds. I can now return Troy's D-ring for instance. We have attended four or five of these now, and they feed you, help defray vehicle costs and are really laid back and friendly. One of my favorite blank-fire outings.
Matt, Steve and I attended and camped with 7th Panzer who we usually set up with and share space with. We picked up a new member, Chance Thill, who will be falling in with us at Rockford. He has experience and I expect him to be a valued addition.
20-22 Sep 2013 was Rockford, IL and here is the AAR for that one.
Just a quick postscript regarding this event. Steve and I showed up for the 53rd and had our first event there with our new campsite. It is located in the village and near our old unit the 353d ID which is nice as we feel like part of that family despite our experiment with the new unit. The camp area is really in the public eye and has lots of spectators passing through. Troy and Kevin attended though not with us. They had committed to their other unit connection with the US team in the woods but we did get a chance to visit a bit and they came by to spell us and watch our camp so we had a chance to visit vendors and see some sights. Thanks! Matt came down with Travis and his unit, 1st SS and spent his time with them except stopping briefly in camp. Understandable as we are two old guys and he wants youth around him. It's for the best and I don't mind too much :angry: But seriously, If we don't have dependable attendance this experiment will be short-lived and Steve and I will blend in with other blank-fire units that are more established and we can live with that result. I will give it a year and haven't given up just yet.
The good parts included my getting to ride Kubie (our former Kooblekar under new Illinois ownership) into a village battle while blazing away with a gas MG-34, a few cycle rides to VIP veteran/veteran connected family members, new dogtags (Erkennungsmarken) were made for Steve, myself, Kevin and Troy which will come in handy. Sorry I didn't get for everyone but it's because of the ID number system we chose being the last four of the SSN and my not knowing them all. 6-years and I finally have a dogtag. That's nice. Matt, I have yours too. Just PM me an address to mail it to please. Now I know how to make others. Steve found his lost canteen (though after we had replaced it). We also enjoyed friendly visits with some friends in sister units. Membership cards finally went out. Let me know if you didn't get one (Chance, I have yours). Finally, some research pictures of some equipment were taken and Rockford is the best event for that type of research. I know Troy was taking measurements for another project he is pursing as well.
Looks like we plan on one more event for this year on the blank-fire side of the house and that will be the Tactical at Wade House. See separate post. We plan to fall in with Boden's GD unit there but that is not definite yet but is my preference.
Here is a PR video for Rockford. Players really need some airsoft experience to improve their tactical portrayals. But nice video if you overlook that.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-crtg_z48&feature=share
2 Nov 2013 saw a tactical at Greenbush, WI.
This tactical was a huge bit of fun for the camping and visiting aspect and fun for the test of the track and MG-34. The actual fighting is always less exciting than the airsoft variety (yawn) but still a good way to pass a day. Highlights included an ambush by Randy Lamers 37mm AT gun after I took a turn in a road, and a two-jeep assault on the track by British Rat-Patrol wanna-be's. That didn't end too well for them. The track gave great performance all day and the gas gun worked at 90-percent. Small electrical troubles but nothing major. They'll be fixed in a second outing and I plan to gas another so that we have one for infantry support or perhaps two armor? (Troy's). Cheaper than blanks. Steve, I, Paul, and Chance were our representatives and 7th Panzer contributed three members which gave us 7-players. The problems were that as the only armor we attracted lots of Allied effort and didn't get additional infantry support till the afternoon. I really think the Allies appreciated the challenge of hunting us. Lots of failed ambushes and missed grenade tosses proved that even for mock combat the adrenaline affects the aim. Mike Boden's GD unit hosted us for living quarters and that was appreciated as was their friendly teamwork and the Allies were all good eggs as well. Bob Blecke, the American organizer put on a good event with nice planning and execution. We'll consider this event for next year. Here are a couple of pics from a professional source that was there. I think Chance did photo ops too.
Hans, Beno, Gerhard and Franz with me driving. Beno and Gerhard were on loan.
Paul showing Hans Thill some MG basics.
I'm realizing that it may be time for a new helmet paint scheme more representative for East Front ops.
Finally have a link for the video that Chance took from his helmet camera. I like it fine at 1:55 - turn your speakers up . This was at the very beginning of event and captures only the opening action. Much more throughout the day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgGYvHY_v9w
22 Feb 2014 was a trip to Iowa and another tactical hosted by 12SS on Scott Steben property.
Well Troy and I attended this and I'd call the mission a success. Scott was a gracious host, and the site very interesting terrain-wise. It is expansive, rolling hills territory but not too steep, with lots of ravines, and creeks. Throw in some buildings, and choke points, and a rail line with a bridge span and you have all the makings of a nice map. The weather cooperated and it was beautiful. Unfortunately the storm the day before caused a bunch of cancelled attendance but there were still 40+ attendees. It was definitely Eastern Front action with a large Russian contingent, one American, and one British soldier against SS and Heer troops. I dialed in the blank restrictor on my G-43 for this event and it worked almost flawlessly (there were some blanks that it didn't like but those I used from Scott all worked great). The interesting thing is this site has Scott's parents on it as they are the owners. I guess I look remarkably like Scott's father's step-dad which suggests again that we all have "twins" even though we don't know it. He must have cut a dashing figure.
I almost didn't make this as I was recovering from a cold but by delaying our departure a few hours, I recovered enough to want to attend and was glad for it in the end. Nothing like fresh cold air to make you feel like yourself again.
Scuttlebutt at the event - The coming Weldon Springs event is supposed to have the PZIII-L (replica) from Colorado coming in. It might have the extra road wheel mod done by then. That's cool. It will be a chance to get a photo with it maybe. The organizers are balking at the reproduction BA-64 however as the event is Western Front (I guess they don't think it could have been there with the ostfront unit) so we might be bringing a truck which they want anyway. In April the Traxler's Hunting Preserve event has planned $5.00 meals and drinks will be sold. I think the club portion will be opened for reenactors. Sounds like it will be very accommodating and the site is reenacting heaven. We should have a great time. They have cabins for rent and as the event approaches we might get one but right now plan to camp. Need to know our attendance numbers in advance for cabin decision so PM me if you are going. Remember we can support some new unarmed MOA attendees if you are interested. In May, the Tiger I from the SPR movie might be green-lighted for Farmington too. That is still in the discussion phase and not finalized yet. I think Mike Lipe, the owner wants to get some exposure and feels that his tank will have a chance to be seen by all the spectators coming to see our new truck. :cool:
As far as using this site for a National airsoft event, we've decided it is better to discuss using it as a local MOA venue and will work towards that end. We don't feel we have enough control to invite more then regular members and keep it MOA family oriented. It is plenty of site for an MOA weekend game plan. More to follow in coming months.
See you all in the field.
28-30 March was the Weldon Springs tactical in Missouri. The event was held this past weekend and we're finally back in the barn. I think it was about 300-participants and 30 vehicles (mostly jeeps) but there was some armor.
We all had a good time. No injuries and just sore muscles. We teamed up with more 3rd PzGR from the State of Missouri so fielded a 7-man squad and fought well together all day. I picked up two German crates (footlocker sized) while there from a vendor which I need for the truck project so that was a win. No action shots because I wasn't going to carry the camera in the field but maybe there will be some other photos that surface and then I'll link to them here. Next event for the blank-burners will be Traxlers in April.
You can go to the link for the event shown in one of the posts above for a full after-action. Here is a nice video of some event action.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I80FHFMwsUc
Here is a nice write-up from a cameraman who went. Looks like they will be producing a 90-minute documentary from this event ready in 2015.
www.fearnet.com/blogs/surviving-cinema/germ-warfare
26 April was another tactical at Traxler's Hunting Preserve in Le Center, MN. That's where Memorial Day was filmed so it felt like a reunion.
Well we are back from the event and all in one piece.
The event was fun. Great weather. It was dry, but breezy and cool. Refreshing. The location is just super. Lots of roads and changing terrain. The hosts provided a pulled pork meal on Friday night for a nominal $10 and drinks were available as well as rest room facilities. Those who obtained beds were comfortable and those braving the outdoors tested their mettle. Steve and I had a farmhouse all to ourselves as 12SS occupied the closer cabin so we had a three-four mile drive in the morning. But the cycle proved capable of handling it.
We had two Texan Trainer aircraft strafe us as part of the event and they made low-level pass after pass. Very cool. Other than that, it was a relaxed atmosphere event. The allies were heavily outnumbered in both manpower and firepower so the axis spent the day hunting and getting ambushed. I went as a sniper and enjoyed using the scope. You really get some idea of how nasty they [snipers] could have been.
We also might get called up in coming months to help with another small movie production being filmed in part at Big Lake. That would be fun. We'll have to wait and see how that develops.
Here is a nice recap in video of this event. Good footage of the strafing attacks and as usual, Travis steals the show.
vimeo.com/97634030
Here are two more videos of same event. You should watch them. THEY ARE FANTASTIC. Both videos show how editing can be used to make the story whatever you want it to be. The first is the German side winning, and then a US morale building film of the same event. Give these a watch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE_WNbhRSOg&feature=youtu.be
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfmZmUNYhUo&feature=youtu.be
16-18 May 2014 was Farmington 2014 and saw the debut or our AT gun. We've formally hooked up with 7th Panzer at this point for events where both units attend.
Finished up at Farmington this past weekend and had a good showing of members and superb weather. Myself, Steve and Troy formed the nucleus, and Alban showed Friday and Saturday in uniform and Sunday as a spectator, while Aldrich put in a Saturday uniformed appearance. Mike Davis, Alban's uncle showed to take pictures and we might see those at some point. Mike is a professional photographer, working on a period camera collection of reenactor photos for a possible book. 7th Panzer had three members join us (Jeff, Curtis and Beno) and we camped as a happy kampfgruppe. Our informal pairing at events is really increasing our footprint. I hope it continues. Our campsite was grand central station amongst the spectators. Pretty good traffic through there. Had a bargain purchase of a camo net too which came in real handy for the new Pak 38 and might have interested some new folks in joining. Time will tell. Finally I got to choreograph the Russian ambush scenario which I thought went well. It was a quick and horrible end to a German column followed by an armored assault on the Soviet defenders in the depot. Not lots of firing and over quickly like it could have been. Here are some images.
Breakfast clean-up
Group shot
Troy pondering his future in the conflict.
A staged action shot - Steve as the gun commander is yelling "do something!"
Moving back to camp after a battle.
Here is some more great footage of the Farmington event.
Worth a look!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HauT1qd0k8A
Thoughtful dedication footage at the end.
Alban (towards the end) and Beno (1:43) star for us. The camera liked the AT gun too.
20-22 June 2014 was Dixon IL event. A public battle and encampment. This is Jon Stevens organized event. Jon is the President of HRS and an American reenactor.
Our Dixon, IL AAR
Steve and I joined three members of 7th Panzer at the inaugural (for us) Dixon, IL event this past weekend. We had a very nice camp set-up which I thought was pretty welcoming to the public that came through. There was 5th Kp. GD there as well with a few other German reenactors and their camp set-up was next to us. They sleep on the ground and presented a more front-line camp style (glad they are the ones doing that). While outnumbered by Allies, it was not ridiculous. I accomplished my main task which was to meet with Charles Roberts, the CO of the 70th Tank Bn and he instructed me on how he gets smoke out of his gas firing guns on his tanks. Pretty cool. I think it will be an upgrade in the coming months. I'd like to have the Pak 38 upgraded for it's next show. There were three public battles and we lost them all. The usual.
Attendance was low I felt. Not much in the way of crowds but that's not my headache. We've been invited back. Maybe we'll be going next time with more equipment but those negotiations are not settled. Here are some pictures of the camp. They might have others on the web too from this event.
Oh, I want to add that Jon Stevens who organized this event and who also wears the hat of President of HRS suggested out of the blue that next year we conduct an airsoft demonstration of some kind for interested parties. We'll have to take some extra gear along next year.
The fellow second from right, Beno, is off to basic training after this for combat infantry. We wish him luck and a speedy return to the unit after training.
Here Curtis is failing at doing a proper Spock greeting with his hand.
Trying to look battle-hardened and like Curtis, another fail.
28 June 2014 was another trip to Neillsville for their Highgrounds event.
Highgrounds 2014 is in the history books (don't ask which ones) and it was squeezed in between some nasty weather but we got lucky.
Troy, Mike, Steve and Kevin formed the MOA participants and Paul and Dave were there fielding questions from those guests asking about the African campaign. We camped on Friday and then did the meet and greet Saturday routine for grounds visitors with a ceremony honoring US dead in Iraq, Afghanistan and at Fort Hood at 8pm on Saturday night before fireworks. Troy, Kevin and I were the honor guard while Steve stayed back to watch camp. They got the fireworks in before it started pouring so all ended happily. Here are three pictures of the camp setup and our members working hard.
8-10 August 2014 was Iola Military and Tractor Show and was a big success as far as I am concerned. The unit had five in attendance and we teamed with 7th Panzer for a total of nine members in camp. There was a respectable showing of GD and 9th SS as well and American representation seemed higher so that is a welcome trend. Weather was great. Crowd was nice with no problems, which is just fine with me since this was my first year as Axis coordinator. We received good comments on the public battles and Randy's 37mm AT gun worked great with it's new diesel oil injection for a smokey fire effect. Chuck Roberts helped with the information for that which we also plan to do with our Pak. The track ran good and the gas MG34 really barked out nicely. Oh, and as usual there were some nice items on hand by vendors. Got a spider sight for the MG-34 I've yet to gas for the rear gun on the track.
Thanks to those who contributed to the success of the event.
The end of a fun weekend.
That wraps up the history of our unit to present 27 Aug 2014. Future events will be listed in the event thread.
AAR for Farmington 2013
The debut event for the 53. Aufklarungs-Abteilung has come and gone and overall was a positive event with some good lessons learned. We had five in attendance and they are pictured below.
It looks wet because set-up day on Friday was rain and Saturday had rain and Sunday had rain. But the event squeezed in the battles and most of the action during rain lulls and most of Sunday was quite pleasant. Saturday mornings battle was rained out and the weather certainly hurt attendance.
Another shot or the rain, showing our camp and vehicles.
We all camped in an old 40-ft rail car and it came with a tin roof for enjoying the nightly rainfall. Add to that several high speed trains rumbling through at night on the border of the grounds and I was transported back in time. Pretty cool.
The battles went off well enough and no one got hurt as far as I know. We used the truck and cycle for all of them and it was fun speeding off on the cycle with Paul in the sidecar to get the SS to help in the battles. I also gave a batch of cycle rides to kids at the event which started a chain reaction and so I had to stop or I wouldn't have done anything else.
Here we are in enemy territory having claimed our prize.
Matt is absent in this photo as on Sunday (when it was taken) he was packing up from college and couldn't be part of the fun anymore. Terd stopped by as a spectator with his two sons in tow and it was nice to see him. Wilhelm also visited and was there both days.
Here is my favorite photo of the event - Thanks Paul
Farmington will remain on the calender for next year as it is a well run and fun event.
Thanks to Franz for feeding us and to all the attendees who did their part. We learned we needed some things for the kitchen and plan to expand our camping tentage for events when we don't have a nice railcar to shelter in.
Here was a movie taken of this -
m.youtube.com/watch?v=na8xwyN8iUY
Here is the unit with the Sherman.
home.comcast.net/~30thhrs/index.html
Next we attended Trimborn Farms June 14-16 2013
AAR- This event is staying on the list for next year. It is a nice relaxing event with a good group of attendees and good support from the park officials. It also has music and fun and games on Saturday night and that is nice. It had light but steady rain on Friday night and heavy rain on Saturday night but we managed even though I forgot the tent poles. We put together a zelt tent for me on Friday night while the truck was used for the sleeping comfort of the others. I have to say, I slept in the truck on Saturday night and Steve took the cab so it was nice of him to volunteer. The rain got us all a little wet but we figured out how to minimize the roof leaks and then nestled in for some really great sleep with raindrops hitting the canvas and a nice breeze through the netting sides of the truck. It was pretty much outdoors sleeping and because there were virtually no mosquitoes it was a treat.
The crowds on Saturday were really small so we focused on relaxing and visiting the other units and could plan and discuss future events. On Saturday a Journal photographer came through and there were pictures for the Sunday paper local section which really boosted attendance for Sunday. This event is still little known so it might continue to grow next year. The other German groups were Boden's GD unit, Kerwell's 7th Panzer and five members of the 353rd Infanterie who came and displayed with us. It was nice to see them again. I had several Milwaukee area contacts stop by to visit too and was pleasantly surprised by some who I hadn't seen or talked to in years. My highlight however was that two WWII US vets stopped and chatted and both didn't leave before expressing their appreciation for us being there and that means a lot to me. One was a Pacific Okinawa marine vet and the other jumped with the 17th Airborne in Europe. Both looked good and still on top of their game.
Steve handled the food and no one went hungry. I and Troy shared the clean-up duties. It all added to increase our experience for the next one and we've already made some improvement plans. Pictures should be added in a few days as a couple of friends stopped and have promised me copies. Thanks to those who contributed. Couldn't do it without you. See you at the next one at Neillsville Highgrounds in a couple weeks.
To answer Legacy, vendors were only one and with little start up gear. Mostly toys and stuff for the general public.
Here is one of the photos taken but at 6megs per photo, I'm not posting any more. We'll see if the others are smaller. This one shows the new net treatment top.
Jun 2013 had us support Neillsville Highgrounds event for the final Saturday in June. We are allowed arrival on Friday for camping and this is simply a meet and greet the public for an encampment display.
AAR- The Highgrounds WWII display is completed again for this year and was nice again. The weather was perfect for me. Cool and breezy with some rain in the evening and early in the morning but nothing bad at all. No bugs really and that was a big improvement from last year. The park came through with some gas money for vehicle owners and the event has room to grow. Any blank-fire unit that just wants a camping spot for a one day event should consider this event. As the event wound down, we participated in a memorial service in front of the crowd awaiting the fireworks and had a mini-convoy to the pavilion, marched out center stage and were joined by park VIP's the cub scouts and paid respects to the fallen Wisconsin veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I think they number 143 at the time being. We held salutes during the reading of their names and that wrapped up the event. Then we broke camp and had a bite to eat and watched the fireworks. I had a couple of highlights. The biggest was meeting a couple of WWII vets. One gentleman was accompanied by family and made it quickly through the encampments so I didn't catch his name but he fought at St. Vith with the 7th Armored Div and was Armored Infantry. The other veteran was John C. George, a 506th PIR, 101st AB Div soldier who was at Market Garden, and the Bulge. He was attracted to the motorcycle in our camp and treated us to some of his stories and then I bought a book he wrote and had brought along. Entitled "Death Cheaters," It has already impressed me as highly entertaining and informative. He was a writer by profession and knows how to tell a story. He signed my copy and not to me but to my German character and I believe he got a kick out of it. I know I did. A treasured souvenir now. As far as writing is concerned a local newsman also was with us for awhile and I'll be getting a copy of the paper with the story so that should be interesting.
For attendees, Tom and Alex and Troy did American, and Troy's friend Paul and brother Kevin did Russian. Steve, Matt and I did German and Dave Brooks though not in an impression set up an additional impressive display of American stuff.
I've included some photos and I took them late in the day so the spectators seen are small in number but that was not the norm for the day. We all had a pretty steady day of meeting and greeting. I think this one stays on my schedule.
German Camp
Troy's display
Tom and Alex have a nice display too. Tom has expressed interest in joining as German blank-fire operator.
Russian display
Not a posed picture.
Iola 2013
Only as a means of recording the event, I've posted a pic of the three of us who attended this past weekend at Iola Tractor and Military show. This is a scripted battle event and always a good time with a gun show and vendors galore. It is always a place to pick up equipment not found anywhere else at any other event. I found a nice vehicle box for the latest truck project and there were other finds. I can now return Troy's D-ring for instance.
We have attended four or five of these now, and they feed you, help defray vehicle costs and are really laid back and friendly. One of my favorite blank-fire outings.Matt, Steve and I attended and camped with 7th Panzer who we usually set up with and share space with. We picked up a new member, Chance Thill, who will be falling in with us at Rockford. He has experience and I expect him to be a valued addition.
20-22 Sep 2013 was Rockford, IL and here is the AAR for that one.
Just a quick postscript regarding this event. Steve and I showed up for the 53rd and had our first event there with our new campsite. It is located in the village and near our old unit the 353d ID which is nice as we feel like part of that family despite our experiment with the new unit. The camp area is really in the public eye and has lots of spectators passing through. Troy and Kevin attended though not with us. They had committed to their other unit connection with the US team in the woods but we did get a chance to visit a bit and they came by to spell us and watch our camp so we had a chance to visit vendors and see some sights. Thanks!
Matt came down with Travis and his unit, 1st SS and spent his time with them except stopping briefly in camp. Understandable as we are two old guys and he wants youth around him. It's for the best and I don't mind too much :angry: But seriously, If we don't have dependable attendance this experiment will be short-lived and Steve and I will blend in with other blank-fire units that are more established and we can live with that result. I will give it a year and haven't given up just yet.The good parts included my getting to ride Kubie (our former Kooblekar under new Illinois ownership) into a village battle while blazing away with a gas MG-34, a few cycle rides to VIP veteran/veteran connected family members, new dogtags (Erkennungsmarken) were made for Steve, myself, Kevin and Troy which will come in handy. Sorry I didn't get for everyone but it's because of the ID number system we chose being the last four of the SSN and my not knowing them all. 6-years and I finally have a dogtag. That's nice. Matt, I have yours too. Just PM me an address to mail it to please. Now I know how to make others. Steve found his lost canteen (though after we had replaced it). We also enjoyed friendly visits with some friends in sister units. Membership cards finally went out. Let me know if you didn't get one (Chance, I have yours). Finally, some research pictures of some equipment were taken and Rockford is the best event for that type of research. I know Troy was taking measurements for another project he is pursing as well.
Looks like we plan on one more event for this year on the blank-fire side of the house and that will be the Tactical at Wade House. See separate post. We plan to fall in with Boden's GD unit there but that is not definite yet but is my preference.
Here is a PR video for Rockford. Players really need some airsoft experience to improve their tactical portrayals. But nice video if you overlook that.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-crtg_z48&feature=share
2 Nov 2013 saw a tactical at Greenbush, WI.
This tactical was a huge bit of fun for the camping and visiting aspect and fun for the test of the track and MG-34. The actual fighting is always less exciting than the airsoft variety (yawn) but still a good way to pass a day. Highlights included an ambush by Randy Lamers 37mm AT gun after I took a turn in a road, and a two-jeep assault on the track by British Rat-Patrol wanna-be's.
That didn't end too well for them. The track gave great performance all day and the gas gun worked at 90-percent. Small electrical troubles but nothing major. They'll be fixed in a second outing and I plan to gas another so that we have one for infantry support or perhaps two armor? (Troy's). Cheaper than blanks. Steve, I, Paul, and Chance were our representatives and 7th Panzer contributed three members which gave us 7-players. The problems were that as the only armor we attracted lots of Allied effort and didn't get additional infantry support till the afternoon. I really think the Allies appreciated the challenge of hunting us. Lots of failed ambushes and missed grenade tosses proved that even for mock combat the adrenaline affects the aim. Mike Boden's GD unit hosted us for living quarters and that was appreciated as was their friendly teamwork and the Allies were all good eggs as well. Bob Blecke, the American organizer put on a good event with nice planning and execution. We'll consider this event for next year. Here are a couple of pics from a professional source that was there. I think Chance did photo ops too.Hans, Beno, Gerhard and Franz with me driving. Beno and Gerhard were on loan.
Paul showing Hans Thill some MG basics.
I'm realizing that it may be time for a new helmet paint scheme more representative for East Front ops.
Finally have a link for the video that Chance took from his helmet camera. I like it fine at 1:55 - turn your speakers up
. This was at the very beginning of event and captures only the opening action. Much more throughout the day.www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgGYvHY_v9w
22 Feb 2014 was a trip to Iowa and another tactical hosted by 12SS on Scott Steben property.
Well Troy and I attended this and I'd call the mission a success. Scott was a gracious host, and the site very interesting terrain-wise. It is expansive, rolling hills territory but not too steep, with lots of ravines, and creeks. Throw in some buildings, and choke points, and a rail line with a bridge span and you have all the makings of a nice map. The weather cooperated and it was beautiful. Unfortunately the storm the day before caused a bunch of cancelled attendance but there were still 40+ attendees. It was definitely Eastern Front action with a large Russian contingent, one American, and one British soldier against SS and Heer troops. I dialed in the blank restrictor on my G-43 for this event and it worked almost flawlessly (there were some blanks that it didn't like but those I used from Scott all worked great). The interesting thing is this site has Scott's parents on it as they are the owners. I guess I look remarkably like Scott's father's step-dad which suggests again that we all have "twins" even though we don't know it. He must have cut a dashing figure.
I almost didn't make this as I was recovering from a cold but by delaying our departure a few hours, I recovered enough to want to attend and was glad for it in the end. Nothing like fresh cold air to make you feel like yourself again.Scuttlebutt at the event - The coming Weldon Springs event is supposed to have the PZIII-L (replica) from Colorado coming in. It might have the extra road wheel mod done by then. That's cool. It will be a chance to get a photo with it maybe. The organizers are balking at the reproduction BA-64 however as the event is Western Front (I guess they don't think it could have been there with the ostfront unit) so we might be bringing a truck which they want anyway. In April the Traxler's Hunting Preserve event has planned $5.00 meals and drinks will be sold. I think the club portion will be opened for reenactors. Sounds like it will be very accommodating and the site is reenacting heaven. We should have a great time. They have cabins for rent and as the event approaches we might get one but right now plan to camp. Need to know our attendance numbers in advance for cabin decision so PM me if you are going. Remember we can support some new unarmed MOA attendees if you are interested. In May, the Tiger I from the SPR movie might be green-lighted for Farmington too. That is still in the discussion phase and not finalized yet. I think Mike Lipe, the owner wants to get some exposure and feels that his tank will have a chance to be seen by all the spectators coming to see our new truck. :cool:
As far as using this site for a National airsoft event, we've decided it is better to discuss using it as a local MOA venue and will work towards that end. We don't feel we have enough control to invite more then regular members and keep it MOA family oriented. It is plenty of site for an MOA weekend game plan. More to follow in coming months.
See you all in the field.
28-30 March was the Weldon Springs tactical in Missouri. The event was held this past weekend and we're finally back in the barn. I think it was about 300-participants and 30 vehicles (mostly jeeps) but there was some armor.
We all had a good time. No injuries and just sore muscles. We teamed up with more 3rd PzGR from the State of Missouri so fielded a 7-man squad and fought well together all day. I picked up two German crates (footlocker sized) while there from a vendor which I need for the truck project so that was a win. No action shots because I wasn't going to carry the camera in the field but maybe there will be some other photos that surface and then I'll link to them here. Next event for the blank-burners will be Traxlers in April.
You can go to the link for the event shown in one of the posts above for a full after-action. Here is a nice video of some event action.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I80FHFMwsUc
Here is a nice write-up from a cameraman who went. Looks like they will be producing a 90-minute documentary from this event ready in 2015.
www.fearnet.com/blogs/surviving-cinema/germ-warfare
26 April was another tactical at Traxler's Hunting Preserve in Le Center, MN. That's where Memorial Day was filmed so it felt like a reunion.
Well we are back from the event and all in one piece.
The event was fun. Great weather. It was dry, but breezy and cool. Refreshing. The location is just super. Lots of roads and changing terrain. The hosts provided a pulled pork meal on Friday night for a nominal $10 and drinks were available as well as rest room facilities. Those who obtained beds were comfortable and those braving the outdoors tested their mettle. Steve and I had a farmhouse all to ourselves as 12SS occupied the closer cabin so we had a three-four mile drive in the morning. But the cycle proved capable of handling it.
We had two Texan Trainer aircraft strafe us as part of the event and they made low-level pass after pass. Very cool. Other than that, it was a relaxed atmosphere event. The allies were heavily outnumbered in both manpower and firepower so the axis spent the day hunting and getting ambushed. I went as a sniper and enjoyed using the scope. You really get some idea of how nasty they [snipers] could have been.
We also might get called up in coming months to help with another small movie production being filmed in part at Big Lake. That would be fun. We'll have to wait and see how that develops.
Here is a nice recap in video of this event. Good footage of the strafing attacks and as usual, Travis steals the show.
vimeo.com/97634030
Here are two more videos of same event. You should watch them. THEY ARE FANTASTIC. Both videos show how editing can be used to make the story whatever you want it to be. The first is the German side winning, and then a US morale building film of the same event. Give these a watch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE_WNbhRSOg&feature=youtu.be
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfmZmUNYhUo&feature=youtu.be
16-18 May 2014 was Farmington 2014 and saw the debut or our AT gun. We've formally hooked up with 7th Panzer at this point for events where both units attend.
Finished up at Farmington this past weekend and had a good showing of members and superb weather. Myself, Steve and Troy formed the nucleus, and Alban showed Friday and Saturday in uniform and Sunday as a spectator, while Aldrich put in a Saturday uniformed appearance. Mike Davis, Alban's uncle showed to take pictures and we might see those at some point. Mike is a professional photographer, working on a period camera collection of reenactor photos for a possible book. 7th Panzer had three members join us (Jeff, Curtis and Beno) and we camped as a happy kampfgruppe. Our informal pairing at events is really increasing our footprint. I hope it continues. Our campsite was grand central station amongst the spectators. Pretty good traffic through there. Had a bargain purchase of a camo net too which came in real handy for the new Pak 38 and might have interested some new folks in joining. Time will tell. Finally I got to choreograph the Russian ambush scenario which I thought went well. It was a quick and horrible end to a German column followed by an armored assault on the Soviet defenders in the depot. Not lots of firing and over quickly like it could have been. Here are some images.
Breakfast clean-up
Group shot
Troy pondering his future in the conflict.
A staged action shot - Steve as the gun commander is yelling "do something!"
Moving back to camp after a battle.
Here is some more great footage of the Farmington event.
Worth a look!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HauT1qd0k8A
Thoughtful dedication footage at the end.
Alban (towards the end) and Beno (1:43) star for us. The camera liked the AT gun too.
20-22 June 2014 was Dixon IL event. A public battle and encampment. This is Jon Stevens organized event. Jon is the President of HRS and an American reenactor.
Our Dixon, IL AAR
Steve and I joined three members of 7th Panzer at the inaugural (for us) Dixon, IL event this past weekend. We had a very nice camp set-up which I thought was pretty welcoming to the public that came through. There was 5th Kp. GD there as well with a few other German reenactors and their camp set-up was next to us. They sleep on the ground and presented a more front-line camp style (glad they are the ones doing that). While outnumbered by Allies, it was not ridiculous. I accomplished my main task which was to meet with Charles Roberts, the CO of the 70th Tank Bn and he instructed me on how he gets smoke out of his gas firing guns on his tanks. Pretty cool. I think it will be an upgrade in the coming months. I'd like to have the Pak 38 upgraded for it's next show. There were three public battles and we lost them all. The usual.
Attendance was low I felt. Not much in the way of crowds but that's not my headache. We've been invited back. Maybe we'll be going next time with more equipment but those negotiations are not settled. Here are some pictures of the camp. They might have others on the web too from this event.
Oh, I want to add that Jon Stevens who organized this event and who also wears the hat of President of HRS suggested out of the blue that next year we conduct an airsoft demonstration of some kind for interested parties. We'll have to take some extra gear along next year.
The fellow second from right, Beno, is off to basic training after this for combat infantry. We wish him luck and a speedy return to the unit after training.
Here Curtis is failing at doing a proper Spock greeting with his hand.
Trying to look battle-hardened and like Curtis, another fail.
28 June 2014 was another trip to Neillsville for their Highgrounds event.
Highgrounds 2014 is in the history books (don't ask which ones) and it was squeezed in between some nasty weather but we got lucky.
Troy, Mike, Steve and Kevin formed the MOA participants and Paul and Dave were there fielding questions from those guests asking about the African campaign. We camped on Friday and then did the meet and greet Saturday routine for grounds visitors with a ceremony honoring US dead in Iraq, Afghanistan and at Fort Hood at 8pm on Saturday night before fireworks. Troy, Kevin and I were the honor guard while Steve stayed back to watch camp. They got the fireworks in before it started pouring so all ended happily. Here are three pictures of the camp setup and our members working hard.
8-10 August 2014 was Iola Military and Tractor Show and was a big success as far as I am concerned. The unit had five in attendance and we teamed with 7th Panzer for a total of nine members in camp. There was a respectable showing of GD and 9th SS as well and American representation seemed higher so that is a welcome trend. Weather was great. Crowd was nice with no problems, which is just fine with me since this was my first year as Axis coordinator. We received good comments on the public battles and Randy's 37mm AT gun worked great with it's new diesel oil injection for a smokey fire effect. Chuck Roberts helped with the information for that which we also plan to do with our Pak. The track ran good and the gas MG34 really barked out nicely. Oh, and as usual there were some nice items on hand by vendors. Got a spider sight for the MG-34 I've yet to gas for the rear gun on the track.
Thanks to those who contributed to the success of the event.
The end of a fun weekend.
That wraps up the history of our unit to present 27 Aug 2014. Future events will be listed in the event thread.