MorgenDautrich.com - WWII Re-enacting

Like clockwork, we got our historically-accurate crappy weather on the 5th [1]. We spent most of the day under canvas [2], except for Phil, who brings too much stuff to worry about rain [3] . Luckily my newly assembled 16-man Zelt turned out to be pretty water-tight and structurally sound, allowing me to wait out the storms until the [indoor] hangar dance at night [4]. I did my part for the Wehrmacht by demoralizing foreign homefronts via dropping as many of their women as possible during the jitterbug. It's no wonder the Nazis hated jazz!


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There were some interesting firsts this year at RAS. A young guy doing his new HJ impression came through camp [5]. He was a little old to pull it off, but he said that it took a while to put together and no one could recall seeing another such impression. We thought it was pretty neat until the real deal showed up. A former member of the HJ, Hans Ginterleitter [6] came for his first Reading Airshow and wandered into our camp. We spoke quite a bit and he told us about being left behind with an MG-42 (as a child he was too small to carry it) and given instructions to shoot the advancing Russians when they appeared. He and his even younger friend did not follow through with the plan, else it is unlike he would have made it through the end of the war. He was a very nice guy and helped out with the translation of some arcane items in our kitchen display [7].


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Another first: my mom came down with my dad to see the show [8]. She had a long talk with Hermann about Östereich before we walked around to see some of the displays.
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It was hot for the tactical, but nothing like last year. More of a harangue to get the armor across the runways though [17], but it took the SS only 25 minutes (...crack troops). We reverted to our usual dog-and-pony act because there was no way they would let the Wehrmacht win 2 years in a row, or ever again, not after the reaction last year. Following the battle, the Gebirgsjäger had a small ceremony for promotions [19] and thank the troops who fought.
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It was also Rachael's first re-enactment and she seemed to have a blast [20]. Chiara helped out a ton with the clothing, hair/make-up and dance moves [21]. The dance was jumping this year and everyone had a great time. We even got threatened by a janitor with a broomstick for taking too many pictures!

Here are some photos from the fighting. The weather was predicted to be warm, but we did get snow flurries in the morning. Not a problem for the Gebirgsjäger! We patrolled [3] for quite some time before making contact with the enemy. Unfortunately, we were overrun by the Americans and most of my Zug was wiped out [4].


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I managed to get a few posed photos during the campaign. The first is me sitting on the blown-out treads of a tank [5]. The second is with a few Jäger enjoying Kaffee over a fire [6] (started by a freak lightning strike) during a lull in the fighting. Another unlikely photo was snapped showing myself, my Hauptmann and Unterfeldwebel [7] at a staging area [8].


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Despite the desperate shortages of Benzin, armor and support were in steady throughout the fighting. My unit was given recon by a SdKfz 222 [9] and supported by a StuG IIIG, [10] and several SdKfz 251's [11,12].


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We were in the field most of the weekend so we weren't in camp much. We did get a hot meal at the mess though [13].

Two veteran Jäger seen here posing in front of their equipment and various personal items. Note that the man on the right sports a bandage on his wounded left foot [14]

In one of the most anachronistic scenes of the war, Wehrmacht HQ was designated to be one of the mock combat villages used for training at FIG [15,16]. It took some door-to-door fighting and air support [17], but finally we cleared all the CONEX boxes of all Taliban resistance. What we didn't know was that a much larger, more realistic, permanent village being construct a short distance away [18,19]. It didn't take much reconnaissance to realize how difficult it would be to take a small town if fortified by the enemy. I suggested that the OKW should implement it into our defensive strategy in the future.


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This event was later in the year than in 2008, which meant no snow, but it was still a good fight. Wehrmacht forces outnumber the Americans 2:1 so we were attacking quite a bit. Photo of our Blitztrupp [2].


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Later in the fighting we went on the defensive and spent some time in the trench system. Even with considerably more firepower, the Allies were hesitant to attack our fortifications [7].
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		I think this event was one of the worst for atrocities so far in the war. I witnessed Panzerfaust fratricide (as the victim), saw enemy POWs executed, wounded knifed [8], and Jäger shot by their own NCO's for cowardice [9].
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One of the attractions at Newville is the night fighting. As if the shell holes, low-hanging telegraphs, collapsing trenches, and kilometers of barbed wire weren't enough, we do the same thing with restricted visibility. The results is a peak in confusion and friendly-fire, but it's worth it for the rush when you're caught in the open when a flare goes up! As usual, there was singing and mass consumption of bier back at the bunker after the fighting [13, 14].


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Neue Ausrüstungen: Gebirgsmütze (GD43), Infanterie Sturmabzeichen (ATF), Swiss Bergstiefel (SMG), Kar98k (Private Purchase)

Everyone was up early [1] and quick to get in formation [2] because today was the day we get to mow down serious numbers of communists. We hurriedly marched out into the field [3] and began to deploy our troops [4] in defensive positions. Fighting the Russian hordes meant that we actually got to fight a defensive battle for once.


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The vegetation was quite overgrown [5], but we used it to conceal trip wires [6], mask entrenched troops [7], and setup ambushes on Soviet-controlled roadways [8,9].


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Before the battle, our division was given special instructions to search out political commissars and eliminate them as quickly as possible. Initially, these Bolsheviks zealots could be heard across the communist line of advance venomously shouting their comrades forwards against the 'fascist invaders' [10], but they were dealt with extreme prejudice [11]. Our superior camouflage [12], defensive positions [13], and Granatwerfer (mortar) support [14] helped us repulse wave after wave of Russian infantry.


[10] Photo by Adam Morse	[11]	[12]	[13]	[14]

After helping to clear out the remaining buildings [15] many of the men were exhausted [16]. My unit found a freshwater spring where stopped briefly [17] before heading back to camp. The day's efforts were successful, but most were grim [18] in the knowledge that the innumerable enemy foot-soldiers would try to overrun us again tomorrow.


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The Reading Airshow was a great time again this year, a bit of everything. The 136. [1] fought in the tacticals, which were hot as hell, especially for the guys in wool. I went with the HBT pants and tropic hemd instead. For the tactical I was AG [2] on the MG-42 so I got to hump all the extra ammo, but that wasn't too bad in cotton. Unfortunately our regiment attacked on the far side so we were behind the armor most of the time. The craziest thing was that we actually won the second [scripted] battle [3,4,5] Despite being choreographed around the journal of an American officer, the crowd seemed confused and disheartened after the Wehrmacht victory. Aside from their reaction, the best part was that I wasn't resurrected to be taken prisoner and abused in the heat.


[1] Photo by Kelly E.	[2] Photo by Kelly E.	[3]	[4]	[5]

The oppressive heat kept re-enactors from all countries in the shade whenever possible, except for some of the Russians, who hadn't finished the laundry [10]. I try to stay out of the Russian camp because they attack you with propaganda and surrender leaflets.


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Plenty of planes on the ground and in the air again this year: Vought F4U Corsair [11], _______ [12] B-25[13,14] and C-47 [15].


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This is the first year I can remember where there was an A-10 flyby [16,17]. The jet engine whine was quite a difference sound than the heavy WWII bombers. Also, a Blackhawk [18] flew by the far runway, but I don't think it was for the show.
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The flame thrower demo was integrated into on of the PTO public battles this year [19]. Nice effect, and as far as I know, no Japs were hurt during the burn. Finally cough a shot of the aftermath of the US 57mm artillery piece firing [20]. Wish the neighboring Wehrmacht unit would have fired their _____ (seen here with anti-tank round) [21 ]. One demonstration I didn't catch was the airborne spiel of one of the 101 groups [22]. They had 3 T-__ chutes, but I'm sure the talk couldn't stand up to 1SG Joe's!


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Speaking of paratroopers, it doesn't get any more airborne than the vets from Band of Brothers. My buddy Brian Domitrovich brought 506 vet Joe Lesniewski [23] down from Erie for the weekend (the organizers were absolute assholes again). My introduction was untimely as he was in the process of initiating a feud with Edward Shames so we didn't get a photo. When I went back to the Valor Studios booth to retrieve my Night of Nights [24], Earl McClung seemed un-phased by my Wehrmacht Ehefrauenschläger and was happy to let me get a photo [25].


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Here are some shots of our Gebirgsjäger, in and around our camp. I got a couple rides in the side-car [26] (almost spilled my bier) because the Kübelwagen is reserved for the officers [27]. Dad came down for part of the day and we got a shot with Phil in front of his DAK display [28]. We didn't play any music, but I had a few biere with the guys from the 6NHV before heading to the dance [30].


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The dance was a major production this year, featuring all the most fashionable people, including these two Italian officers [32]. Our group had a great time dancing and we stayed little dancing [33].


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PS. No late-night antics on the runway this year...and I didn't hear anyone shooting blanks at airplanes either [34].

Spirits were unexpectedly high among Heeresgruppe G while preparing for the last big counter-offensive against the allies [1]. Seventeen divisions would take place in Nordwind, launched against the American 7th and French 1st Armies in support of Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, already successfully underway to the north. Our convoy [2, 3, 4] headed to the Elsass to our assembly point [5] south of Straßburg.


(1) Foto by Jim Hurd	(2)	(3)	(4)

Upon arrival, we deployed [6] to engage the enemy. Our gebirgsjägerregiment was supported by armor from 10.SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg including the Sturmgeschütz (StuG) III [7, 8, 9]. Here is a photo of Hauptmann Spangler and I [10] during one of the rare breaks. I was fortunate to be assigned to our 2.Gruppe, who had captured a US X//X model weapons carrier [11] and thus spared most of the marching [12].


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Unfortunately, we ran low on men and equipment and the offensive broke on Jan 25th when negotiations were many of our troops were forced to surrender [13]. Some of the units involved in the heaviest fighting were the Black Watch (CDN) [14], mixed_Fallschirmjäger [15], and the famed Großdeutschland Division [16]. After all the heavy fighting, we had no choice, but to retreat to German soil across the Rhine [17]


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Despite continued setbacks, Hitler remains optimistic of our victory so I set about squaring away my M40 feldbluse for the eventual parade in Berlin.

Using the feldblusen of Unteroffizier Merryman and _____ (18) as examples, I shopped around for insignia (19) back in the Vaterland. I was motivated until weissbier was served and I ended up standing around in my heereshemd without a fancy schirmmütze (20) looking like a penner.


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Neue Ausrüstungen: Rotthirsch pin for Feldmütze, Spork utensil, 12x striper clips for 7.92mm Mauser, Post-war Italian Mountain Pack

Early recon reported little Allied activity in our sector [1] or the adjacent trenches [2, 3]. The Italian snowfall was heavy, but our standard-issue mountain anoraks are grey-white reversible so we had an advantage over the GIs. After the mission briefing [4] we moved to dig into our defensive position in the Winter Line [5, 6, 7] and waited for signs of the American advance. I was recovering from a mean case of trench-foot and was given stationary look-out duty watching [8] our 8 cm Kurzer Granatenwerfer 42 mortar position [9]. Monte Majo can be seen in the background [8].


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Initial casualties were high so I was re-assigned to a close-quarters assault squad of the 137. GJR [10]. We fought our delaying action were retook several segments of our line, but elements of the American 8th Army made heavy use of fragmentation grenades which were deadly in the confined spaces of the winter line. Command issued a tactical retreat [11] for what was left of the 137. after the first day of fighting [12]. We found a mountain cabin and spent the evening collecting firewood and standing guard [13].


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The weather cleared the following day allowing us to be re-supplied and fresh troops [14] to arrive from the north. We had success early in the fighting and re-took our initial position from the Allied before noon [15]. After linking up with Der Erste Zug [16, 17], we had superior numbers and the battle was quickly won once the American 133rd Infantry Division was caught in the open. Resistance crumbled after a GI atop a fallen clump of trees took a direct hit from a Panzerfaust at 50 meters. It was an incredible shot by our grenadier and we had the area secured by sunset [18].


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We pulled back and celebrated our victory [19] that night with bier and schnapps. Hier ist eine Foto mit Unterofficier Merryman, Jäger Skaar, Walther and Dautrich (l->r) [20]. There was much singing and merrymaking, but we sang Ich Hatt' einen Kameraden [21] for the fallen soldaten who didn't come back von die front.


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