I totally support Ron and his stance but not, as he willingly concedes, because he's a vet nor because he's Jewish (which being a gent he didn't mention), but purely on the grounds of good taste and historical accuracy.

I go to two shows a year and I'm still not comfortable with the SS reenactors, there's plenty of German regiments which could be re-enacted with resorting to that particular sinister crowd and there'd be some small opportunity to reflecting the bravery of those soldiers involved as well as providing the "enemy" Tommy and Yank reenactors need to "battle" with.

The real problem for me, which I see others have mentioned, is how limited they are in their reenacting and therefore do not reflect history no matter how accurate their kit and load outs might be.

This inaccuracy is born of what they're reenacting though, for they're not doing WW2, instead they're doing a Hollywood influenced glamour pose and as such have more to do with fictional "cos-play"*, so please leave our mil-fares to the historically intrigued.

*Cosplay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WTC, I see your point but disagree with the latter part. The aspects of WW2 that SS re-enactors don't re-enact are areas that it would be thoroughly distasteful to do. On the other hand, surely all re-enactors can be assumed of applying the Hollywood gloss, the clean, public friendly side of war. All sides ignore things like allied soldiers shooting prisoners (it happenned), German Army soldiers butchering Soviet citizens and so on. So really, if you are going to get rid of the SS at events you get rid of everyone. To put an alternative spin on it, what about 'clean' SS units? Surely it would be ok to re-enact them?

Of course the SS are so wrapped up in symbols etc that they are a fantastically easy scape goat, the truth is that what makes most people feel uneasy are symbols like Swastikas and Runes, so you get rid of them wherever you see them, again, clensing but not really helping things.

So now I have to ask a question, you describe SS re-enacting as 'limited' in its portrayals, well how would you suggest developing that? More to the point, how are they any more limited than Tommy's and Yanks?

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

'Cleasning' a good way to but it Stefan, it is cencoring the past, showing what happened but trying not to included the SS units. History deserves to be told in all its infamousy and its glory. People need to be told whether it be through books or simply reeinactors, about what the allies fought through and what the Germans did both as Wehrmacht and SS soldiers alike. Not to do is is punishing the men who fought by not showing the troubles they went through. History needs to be told accurate and not censored just because of what certain units did.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

"The aspects of WW2 that SS re-enactors don't re-enact are areas that it would be thoroughly distasteful to do."

Maybe that is part of the problem. If lay people understood just how ugly war is/was, there might not be such a rush to conflict rather than trying diplomacy.

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David

"It is history that teaches us to hope"
Robert E. Lee

True, but I don't think re-enactors can do that really

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

From ARRSE: British Army Rumour Service > > Forums > > General > > NOW That's What I Call ARRSE 1 > > Search for a "Walt" Star!!!





And what about Stumpy?


I just love ARRSE, the funniest (and sometimes not so funny at all) military forum I know

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And if you want the supreme authentic prop, do not miss your replica zyklon cannister!


Sorry if this is offensive, but I wanted you all to see it. Believe it or not this is on sale.

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Za Rodinu

Unbelievable and disgusting but lamentably true

Thanks for drawing attention to this

Ron

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During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

Whitewashed it's real use.

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Best Regards,
JW

Za, ARRSE is pretty entertaining (I'm on there but under a different name, try to spot me ) but I wouldn't put to much store in that speil, if you ask people to 'play' enemy they will play, with as much entertainment value as possible. Makes me laugh that the OTC guys in question seemed to be constantly getting bumped by re-enactors, says more about OTC training than anything else (I used to be in the OTC so I know whereof I speak).

As for the Zyklon B, well, that is nothing to do with SS re-enactment. In fact any SS group would most likely kick you off the site for trying to display such an item. That kind of junk is generally bought by collectors of one sort or another.

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

Well, it has no value to a collector if it's use description is like that.

*very dark humour ahead if you are likelly to feel ofended please do not read*
Well, on the other hand if you asked an SS, he'd probably tell you it was more or less what they used it for...

*end of very dark humour, it's sick I know*



Cheers...

Notice that seemingly majority of U.S. reinactors decide to play as the 101st?
It is because its the most SIMPLE and AVAILABLE unit to do. For the German players it could be the same. Most units play as SS groups so it is the most covenient part to play as. Regarding that the equipment might be easier to get, closer to join. Then those who make that extra effort to be the odd ones out and expend much more resources to form a fighting unit.

Just my veiws on this as I have just finished reading this topic.

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"The perfect Aryan is as tall as Goebbels, as fit as Goering, as blond as Hitler, as handsome as Himmler and has a name such as Rosenberg."
"

the worst ss were the oscar dirlenwager division
appart from einhatzgruppen

And where is that? Certainly not in the US.This is from Reenator.net and it lists there 36 US Army units and 12 Airborne units and does not include the US Marine Corps,Army Air Corps or WWII Women's impressions.

Listing of Allied WWII Units

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

JCF, if it's anything like over here the Airborne units will be bigger and at least appear to make up the majority of the scene. In my experience units like 101st Airborne, Paras and LSSAH tend to attract a lot of members because they not only get the hardened historical types but the guys who know a little bit and want to join a unit they have heard of. Once you start forming regular army units there are all kinds of disagreements about who you are going to be and suddenly what started off as 100 guys who could form one really big unit you have 20 groups each of 5 men because no one could agree.

Re-enactors are an odd bunch, myself included.

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

"Whitewashed it's real use."

Actually, Zyklon B was originally intended as a chemical disinfectant. Its more lethal use did not come until later.

Which is worse, that people sell it, or that they buy it?

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David

"It is history that teaches us to hope"
Robert E. Lee

Well I can tell you that here in Oregon the Airborne troopers are certainly in the minority at reenactments and public displays and functions.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

No argument there. But was the actual container represented used in that manner to kill human beings?

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Best Regards,
JW

"No argument there. But was the actual container represented used in that manner to kill human beings?"

I don't know about the container, but the use of Zyklon B speaks to the demonic ingenuity that human beings are capable of.

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David

"It is history that teaches us to hope"
Robert E. Lee