WW2 Reenacting

BlackEdelweiss

Just wondering if anyone on here is involved with any WW2 reenacting groups!

Morlar

I have met a few through militaria collecting & also photographed others but am not involved in re-enacting directly. If no one else replies you might want to try 'Battlegroup South' on the web. I think they are the biggest group in Ireland. They are featured in tv documentaries and quite well known. Also the airsoft forum may have more info on it.

I found this cip this evening which might be of interest to anyone involved in re-enacting ;

kowloon

There's an American group aswell, both groups seem to be large. Your best bet would be to attend some of the events (see events thread in Collectables and Antiques: Militaria) and ask about. You won't see much happen until summer though.

junder

watched an interesting programme a few years ago about 2nd WW en-actors and it said by far the most populer group to be part of are the german re-enactment groups, it also said that alot of these groups were actully fronts for far-right groups

Morlar

junder wrote: »

watched an interesting programme a few years ago about 2nd WW en-actors and it said by far the most populer group to be part of are the german re-enactment groups,

They are - they had the better uniforms and most people find the 'bad guys' more interesting. I doubt there is much more to it than that.

junder wrote: »

it also said that alot of these groups were actully fronts for far-right groups

I think I remember that programme, and if it is the one I am thinking of then it was sensationalised nonsense in my opinion. Making a story out of thin air.

If it is the one I am thinking of there was a massive event in the UK with about 5000 people attending over the course of a weekend. The reporter and camera man managed to capture one drunken guy spouting crap in a beer tent and also one dodgy seller of 'genuine' KZ chairs. Is that the programme you were thinking of ? You could just as easily find a drunken idiot spouting crap at a horse racing or formula one meeting or football match.

junder

Morlar wrote: »

They are - they had the better uniforms and most people find the 'bad guys' more interesting. I doubt there is much more to it than that.



I think I remember that programme, and if it is the one I am thinking of then it was sensationalised nonsense in my opinion. Making a story out of thin air.

If it is the one I am thinking of there was a massive event in the UK with about 5000 people attending over the course of a weekend. The reporter and camera man managed to capture one drunken guy spouting crap in a beer tent and also one dodgy seller of 'genuine' KZ chairs. Is that the programme you were thinking of ? You could just as easily find a drunken idiot spouting crap at a horse racing or formula one meeting or football match.

proberly was and it was more then one drunken idiot, however i am not suggestioning that eveybody who likes to re-enact the germans is a nazi supporter

Morlar

junder wrote: »

proberly was and it was more then one drunken idiot, however i am not suggestioning that eveybody who likes to re-enact the germans is a nazi supporter

Hmm .. . . unless my memory is failing the programme I am thinking of had one very drunken idiot in a tent. Standing with a group of 4-5 men. I can't recall there being more than one idiot so maybe it was a different programme after all.

kowloon

There are some right wing reenactors in the UK for sure, but the Irish lads don't allow that sort of carry on, I was talking to some of them at the shows.

arnhem44

I think in Ireland the re-enacting scene is growing more and more every year,the German re-enactors are probably in the majority but most other countries are well represented,for anyone that may be interested in this sort of thing you should check out this site http://livinghistory.ie/ ,this is what I would call the home base of Irish re-enacting and will point anyone in the right direction that might be interested in taking up the hobby.

BlackEdelweiss

I think most of the groups, even across the water have now tried to distance themselves from nazi idiots but I am sure there are still some refuges for these guys. The Irish scene seems to be fairly well sorted in that respect, from my dealings with them they are just history fanatics like most of us on here.
It is a fairly expensive hobby to get into, I have been trying to get a few bits of kit together for the past year, hopefully some day I will get there. My main complaint about the Irish scene is that most of the German units are based on SS units, it is only recently that I have found a Heer based unit that I would like to join. I personally dont see the attraction of the SS, they may have been better trained but I think the ordinary landser has a much better story to tell than a brainwashed SS guy. If reenacting is ever going to become more accepted I think there should be more of an emphasis on Heer units. One group that is on the go in Ireland is based on the LSSAH, I think this is ridiculous, why choose to base your unit on the division that has Adolf Hitler in the name, this is just going to court bad press and negative feelings. There are plenty of other units worthy of being represented.

Fuinseog

Battle Group South turned up in dublin at a holocaust play, which looked bad.

how does it work with these groups when they have to give the 'German salute', the usual salute for the SS?

kowloon

I gather they were outside lining people up and herding them into the theatre, very effective at getting people into the mindset before the play.
It can hardly be construed to be the act of a bunch of neonazis' unless I'm missing something.

SlabMurphy

junder wrote: »

watched an interesting programme a few years ago about 2nd WW en-actors and it said by far the most populer group to be part of are the german re-enactment groups, it also said that alot of these groups were actully fronts for far-right groups

Yeah I seen that - and it was in England FFS Not much respest for their poor old grandfathers, bizarre. Seems " the Few " etc are forgotten already over there.

junder

in case you not aware of the site

http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/reenactors/select.asp

citizen_p

Fuinseog wrote: »

Battle Group South turned up in dublin at a holocaust play, which looked bad.

how does it work with these groups when they have to give the 'German salute', the usual salute for the SS?

not just the SS, it was done by all germans in the armed forces and workforce and civilians.

Fuinseog

kowloon wrote: »

I gather they were outside lining people up and herding them into the theatre, very effective at getting people into the mindset before the play.
It can hardly be construed to be the act of a bunch of neonazis' unless I'm missing something.

they reenact the Leibstandstarte, a division largely uninvolved with the holocaust(okay i believe there was an incident inn Poland in 39 with burning jews in a barn), yet there they were reenforcing the notion that the Leibstandarte were running the camps.

Mahatma coat

Ah seriously lad, they're historical reenactors partakin in a bit of Street theatre.

I did the 1798 Pikeman reenactments, and sometimes I was a redcoat, its all part of gettin the crowd into the spirit.

kowloon

Fuinseog wrote: »

they reenact the Leibstandstarte, a division largely uninvolved with the holocaust(okay i believe there was an incident inn Poland in 39 with burning jews in a barn), yet there they were reenforcing the notion that the Leibstandarte were running the camps.

I doubt the average theatre going member of the public knows the difference, and even if they did, I doubt there's any other SS reenactors in Ireland to choose from.

Mahatma coat

on the topic of Battle field sout as the call themselves

I found this on a quick google
http://livinghistory.ie/viewtopic.php?t=494&f=18

Looks like they had a fun afternoon invadin Poland :D:D:D

Stovepipe

Hi there,
The reenactors who were on the street in Dublin for that theatre show were there at the specific request of the people putting on the show.I have met a few of them and they do their best to avoid any involvement with neo-Nazis, as they are always at great pains to point out.Quite a few of them "double-job" as British or American troops (especially Airborne) and there are also Old IRA reenactors.Most of them appear regularly in documentaries and public reenactments.Many of them are also very serious vintage vehicle collectors, albeit military vehicles, up to and including main battle tanks and even aircraft.
The guys who portray SS and other German forces do appreciate and understand why people get upset at "reenacting" soldiers with such a bad reputation, but they will tell you that is living history(and also, it's cooler than paintball), and as such, deserves to be relived.
regards
Stovepipe