World War II Reenactment is the historical reenactment of the various combatants involved in World War II. Additionally, it has grown to involve the portrayal of civilians on the various Home Fronts, as well as services involved in home front activity - such as ambulance crews, fire brigades and police units.
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While some dramatic recreations of wartime events had been staged for theatrical purposes (the movie Theirs is the Glory, for example, was filmed on location in Arnhem using veterans of the battle) and for military purposes (the last days in Adolf Hitler's bunker were recreated by the actual participants at the insistence of their Soviet captors), the reenactment of World War II as a hobby traces its roots to the Historical Reenactment Society (HRS).
Not long after the first HRS event in 1975 — an offshoot of American Civil War reenactment — World War II reenactors began to form permanent groups, each adopting the designation of a specific military unit that had served during the war. Some of the earliest organizations were the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler reenactment group in Missouri and the 352nd Infanterie Division 916th Grenadier Regiment II Bataillon 5 Kompanie reenactment group in New England. Since that time hundreds of units have formed across the world, representing nearly every nationality involved in the conflict. World War II reenactments also began in Canada around the same time, though evolving independently of their American counterparts.
In the UK, one of the longest running groups is the Second Battle Group - formed in 1978 - and also portraying 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.
Centered on specific types of historical interpretation, participation within the hobby has usually focused on one of two different aspects of the lives and appearances of the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen that were involved in that conflict.
The first, known as living history, sometimes called a "barracks impression", emphasises the garrison life of the average serviceman or servicewoman. Within this impression various types of gear are displayed in a static manner for example, in a 1940s or war period setting.
The other form of reenactment, tactical events, involve simulated combat operations within predesignated urban or rural areas. These tactical events are usually held on large tracts of private land, although events are sometimes held on military bases.
Participating units often bring restored original or reproduction World War II-era vehicles and heavy weapons to these events. These vehicles and weapons include German manufactured Hetzer self-propelled assault gun, Sdkfz 251 armoured personal carrier, PaK 40 anti-tank guns, as well as many others from various countries. These vehicles and equipment can be costly to operate and maintain, and represent a significant investment for the organizations that use them. Initial costs for uniforms and personal gear are usually around US$1000 (£640/€750) per person, and much higher depending on the nationality that is being portrayed.
In World War II reenacting there are three general event types; Private Tactical Battles, Public Living History Events, and Community Events. A number of reenactment groups only attend Private Tactical Battles, whilst others attend Living History Events with the public admitted. Lastly there are Air Shows which are predominantly a feature of the US reenactment events calendar.
These battles are large scale events, usually held on national guard bases, boy scout camps, or private land/estates. A smaller event will average 50 to 100 participants, and large-scale battles will average 250 to 300 participants. The large-scale battles involve full armor, which includes both Allied and Axis tanks, halftracks, trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, and artillery pieces.
These events are put on by community organizations or individual reenacting units. These events typically find the units putting up a tent and creating some sort of encampment. The objective of these events is to interact with the public and educate them on who they are portraying, when in the war the portrayal is from and the history surrounding that particular unit. These events may also involve a public display battles.
In the UK a large number of 1940s events take place on preserved steam railways, museums and National Trust properties. However, a large number now only allow the portrayal of Allied service personnel or only lower ranks of Axis forces.[1]
Two major events in the UK that include a large number of reenactors from World War II are the War and Peace Show and Military Odyssey.
These events included Air Shows, Parades, Public Service events, and Gun show displays. In the case of Parades, they typically only have Allied units attending.
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