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General guidelines for re-enacting and living history impressions

Discussion in 'Living History' started by Stefan, May 27, 2003.

  1. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    General Guidelines for Re-enactors

    I am by no means an expert on re-enacting and living history, but what I would like to do is explain a few things that I feel that re-enactors often forget but which add to ones ‘impression’. These are based on my own experience in re-enacting in the UK and my impression of re-enacting in the US (based on conversations with US re-enactors and articles I have read elsewhere) and are, for the most part, quite simple things that many people fail to do and which to my mind mess up an otherwise excellent impression. If anyone reading this has anything to add feel free to do so in however much detail you believe to be appropriate.

    Part one: Think soldier

    At an event a little while ago I was talking to a couple of chaps from another unit about improving impressions and one piece of advice that was offered to any re-enactor was ‘think soldier’. Basically this refers to the way one moves and acts when in uniform and to my mind is one of the most important things for any re-enactor. All too often I will see re-enactors who are wearing perfect uniforms but have their hands in pockets or pens in their top pockets, something you will hardly ever see soldiers do. There are several areas of ones deportment, which a re-enactor should consider:

    Headdress:
    In most militaries soldiers wear their headdress essentially all the time when outside or in a vehicle and only take it off when inside for an extended period of time or eating. It is also worth remembering that in the British army at least one does not salute unless one is wearing ones headdress. Take time to think about what head dress is appropriate, for example NCO’s and officers in the German armed forces often wore the ‘crusher’ cap, a service cap with the shaper removed so that the sides flopped down, this would be appropriate for a field uniform but not so appropriate for ‘walking out’ dress or a formal dress uniform. Then again at certain periods the regulations on headdress were ignored so essentially one should often look at photographs and so on to figure out what is appropriate and when. Helmets, however clumsy they may be, appear to have been used in combat whenever possible in every army except the Japanese and Soviet, where they were often left off and a soft cap was worn instead.

    Buttons:
    No, I am not going to ask you to polish your buttons (not yet anyhow), rather I would recommend that you bear in mind that items of clothing are either worn or carried, preferably in a haversack or other pack, never just ‘thrown on’. Coats should be either buttoned up or not worn at all, they should not be worn half open or carried over ones arm. Uniforms are designed to look smart, something that is rather difficult when you have a sloppily worn tunic or a coat slung over ones arm. Obviously this does not apply to combat uniforms where comfort is a higher priority.

    Polish:
    If it should shine, polish it. When wearing walking out dress, boots and buttons should be polished if appropriate, badges should be clean and correctly applied to uniforms. You should also be relatively clean yourself, clean-shaven, washed, as tidy as you would be when going out in civilian life. Essentially when not wearing a combat uniform you should be scrubbed up with an appropriate amount of ‘spit-shine’.

    Make sure kit is appropriate:
    Take not of what uniforms would be appropriate for different occasions, learn what walking out dress is, how it would differ from fatigues etc and try to wear the right uniform for the right occasion. Also look at photographs to see how clothing was worn, military units often reveal ‘fashions’ and ‘trends’ in how uniforms are worn, for example in the Red Army it was fashionable to wear ones side cap almost on the side of ones head, god knows why as it is uncomfortable and tends to fall off, whilst in the 12th SS it was fashionable to wear short tunics and have your trousers bloused around your boots (which was strictly against regulations).

    Posture:
    Stand like a soldier. At least in the German armed forces for the most part soldiers did not lean, they either sat or stood, they rarely were to be seen leaning against walls or resting on things, either standing or sitting. Admittedly after weeks in the field or when generally tired obviously soldiers would take whatever opportunity they could to rest on a wall or whatever, but since most re-enactors go to events looking as fresh as a daisy, there is no real reason to lounge.

    Movement:
    Similarly, the way you move will influence how much you look like a soldier. When in combat you should be alert, your mode of movement should reflect readiness to respond to a threat, use of cover and stealth (when appropriate). When not in combat you should move like a soldier, if moving as a group try to be orderly, whilst marching is not always appropriate (in fact my unit does not do drill) when moving you should try to be in some sort of formation and move as a group rather than as a gaggle of individuals. This is the epitome of the ‘think soldier’ logic, try to move as you think a soldier would move, not as a civilian in a uniform.
     
  2. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    Part two: Think about others

    A vital part of any impression is the way you interact with others, act as a group in and out of combat, the way NCO’s and officers act and so on. Obviously to a great deal this will depend on the attitude of your unit but if you want to look like real soldiers there are several general guidelines that are worth remembering:

    Paying Respects:
    As an SS re-enactor it is not advisable for us to salute our officers, however in many units soldiers pay their officers the appropriate respects. Different armies have different attitudes to this but generally the rule is stand to attention and salute officers, just stand to attention for NCO’s. Officers are referred to as ‘Sir’, the German armed forces tended to use either ‘sir’ or ‘herr (whatever rank the officer was)’.

    Interaction:
    Once again this depends on the attitude of the unit and the event. Bare in mind the difference between officers and men, try to find out about the relationship in the army you portray. In most units ranks hold responsibilities, try to remember that if you are representing an NCO, you should act like one. You should set an example, uniform should be near perfect and your impression should be of very high quality. You should also try to take an active role in things, earn the respect your rank entitles you too. The position of NCO’s is different in many armies, once again try to find out about this relationship and take it into account. Obviously at public shows this is more important than at private events and to my mind shouldn’t stop people being friendly and sociable, it is just worth keeping this stuff in mind.

    The Public:
    The public can be really irritating at times but they are essential to living history, after all, our role is to educate them. Talking to the public can be very interesting, I have met numerous veterans at events and really enjoy interacting and discussing what we do and their experiences. One has to be careful not to offend or to ask too much of veterans. The other thing that re-enactors, particularly in German units, must beware of, peoples misconceptions. I have only once had a member of the public who reacted very adversely to our presence as an SS unit, but he at least appeared to be suffering from a severe case of ignorance. Try to be careful when people like this turn up, I have seen two methods of dealing with them. One is to make a joke (for example our response to ‘do you know you killed six million Jews’ was to say ‘Christ, do I look that old?’) and try to diffuse a tense situation. Another is to explain to the person that your unit is not political and what your role is. A third method a friend of mine demonstrated was to thump the chap, though this is not advisable.
     
  3. Tommy Atkins

    Tommy Atkins Member

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    Hi
    Enjoyed the post,couple of questions for you.
    1)What div.do you portray ?
    2)Obviously you cannot salute in public,do you do this in private ie training ? Can see a very strong argument why you wouldn't ;) ,but it is historically accurate.If you don't do you use the standard salute ?
    one last question,do you attend any of the shows like war and peace,never been,are they any good.I remember seeing a site where one german unit had a Panzer III,J i think at a show.
    Cheers
     
  4. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    Hi there Tommy, I portray a Sturmman in the 25th Panzergrenadier Regiment 12thSS Panzer Division 'Hitlerjugend'.

    We do not salute at all, ever. As a mid 1944-1945 SS unit it would only be aaccurate to use the 'Heil Hitler' salute (even the army were ordered to use it after the bomb plot) and frankly I do not feel the need to salute.

    I was at a Military Vehicle show last weekend run by the Solvent MVT in the Portsmouth area, the show was ok but Beltring War and Peace show is fantastic. I would definatly recommend going to one but bring money as they can cost a bit, the amount of stuff you see on stalls it is hard not to spend something. Actually, dont bring money that way you can't spend it. Where abouts do you live? If you are interested in re-enactment or public shows where you can see living historans in action let me know and I can send you some details. By the way, my units web page is web page (www.kompanie1.co.uk) if you would like to see images etc, I have a web site with images on it as well if you are interested.
     
  5. Tommy Atkins

    Tommy Atkins Member

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    One of Panzer Meyers boys :D
    I live in Essex,would like to find some time to go to one of the shows sometime this year.Have a very big interest in the Waffen SS,but don't have the time to get involved in this type of thing,unfortunately :( .If you could give me some dates i would be grateful,cheers.
     
  6. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    Panzermeyers lads indeed. We have a few events this year, we will be at beltring from the 16th of july until the 23rd. Our next event is on the 28th and 29th June at the severn valley railway at Kidderminster. If transport is possible this event is fantastic.
     
  7. William

    William Member

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    I'd like to make a small point in your rules Stefan. Personally, I think no matter what you do, you should put it into the context of where you are. For example, if you are playing the part of a combat soldier, and you are trying to show the public a bit of what they went through (knowing full well that unless you were actually there you can't do it full justice), you should look the part. Maybe the things that should be shined that you mentioned aren't shined, and in fact scuffed up. Maybe a tired lean against a tree (if you are like me-an EXTREMEMLY light sleeper- by Sunday afternoon the weariness isn't a put on).

    On the flip side, if you are doing a garrison soldier, perhaps that scuffed pair of boots needs some shining, along with those brass buttons.

    Just take into account WHERE the event is, and the impression you are trying to portray to the public.
     
  8. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    William, that is what I was trying to get at, maybe a little more explantion was needed. I was trying to get at the fact that all too often otherwise excellent 'walking out' dress or even 'full dress' uniforms are spoiled because someone could not be bothered to polish their boots. Obviously it is mainly down to the cituation, I tend only to polish my boots to cover up the mud and because it makes them more waterproof, but then again my uniform is not walking out dress, I m always going for the 'combat soldier' look.

    Had a little personal tragedy recently, I had to stitch up a tear in my cammo trousers because it was gonna get bigger, damn, they don't look uite so tatty now :(
     
  9. William

    William Member

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    Hey there Stefan,
    I figured we were on the same page with what we were thinking, just wanted to throw my views out, see where we stood.

    Sorry to hear about the tragedy. Oh well, a nice field repair is always a nice touch (as long as you don't have "buddies" heckling you as you try to sew-DOC RAIDER!!!)
     
  10. Doc Raider

    Doc Raider Member

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    Good thing you had GI boxers.
     
  11. William

    William Member

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    Amen brother. And pretty near everyone out there that sunny Sunday morning saw 'em too. :rolleyes:
     
  12. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    I think there is something I am missing. I guess as a German re-enactor it is hard to get hold of authentic underwear so we have to make do with what we can find. Then again, I wear two pairs of trousers so rips are not going to show my lack of authenticity ;) . Actually I am after some German socks at the moment, can't find any for a reasonable price but they would be damn useful as I could use them for my Russian impression (I am putting together a guardsmans kit so I can be a Russian too, two impressions are a bit much but hell, you can never finish one so I may as well have two unfinished impressions).
     
  13. William

    William Member

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    Trust me Stefan, you didn't miss anything :eek:

    No, we wear original items (as long as we have at least one other in our "it stays at home" collection) in our displays, and that includes original underclothes.

    At an event a couple years back, a group of us decided to raid the town (a little anachronistic as the town is an 1836 reproduction Prairie Village) during the time line event. Before the public got there of course. All was going well until I dove behind the corner of a building.

    All in attendence heard a rather loud ripping noise and turned to see what I can only assume was a look of surprise on my face. Back at our "camp" I discovered that luckily only the seam ripped out, and not the material.

    So, I drop trousers just as the public started streaming in, showing off my 1943 dated undies (which have no closure at the fly which caused no end to a draft), my knobby, fish belly white knees, and my sewing ability.

    Our buddy Doc Raider, being the wacky cat he is, decided it would be HI-LARIOUS as the medic to get his photo taken crouching down in front of me sewing, hand shielding his face, and handing me a Prophylactic Kit.

    All in all, a great time was had by all.
     
  14. Doc Raider

    Doc Raider Member

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    Damn, I never saw that picture! Hahahahahaha!
     
  15. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    HAHAHAHA!!!! Well done, reminds me of an incident at cadets where a certain member was going over a wall and we heared a shredding noise and a cry of 'shite, everyone look down!'. You can guess what had happened.
     
  16. William

    William Member

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    I'll see if I can get the photo from the guy that has it and forward it onto you guys. Me at my finest. :rolleyes:
     
  17. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower Member

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    tips for re-enactors? howabout this, where's a good place to get some decent gear? I'm looking at all these websites and I'm not finding much...
     
  18. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower Member

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    for example, I can't seem to find a reproduction of an M1 Garand. I keep on finding "M1 Parts" for sale, but no rifle. :confused: would it be easier to join an SS group than an American Infantry group?
     
  19. Modus

    Modus Member

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    To my knowledge, most weapons are not accurately reproduced as of yet. The originals are still in rather abundant supply and servicable condition.

    As to SS / Ami Infantry. I would reccommend you go Ami. We've got enough SS in the US!
    ;)
     
  20. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    I'm with modus on this one, apart from anything 'guidelines' arent tips. There are a few repro smg's available over here but I am not sure how common they are over there. There are pleanty of good sites where you can buy kit, go to www.lssah.com take a look at the links page.

    I would advise you to do SS because I enjoy it but I must say the US kit looks interesting, fun to use and the Kevlar vests they wear must be really useful ;)
     

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