Fallschirmjager Regiment 6 - Pacific Northwest

I would like to introduce our unit: the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment. We are a Living History and Tactical unit that does both Blank Fire reenactments and WWII airsoft events with members in WA, OR, ID, and BC. We do 6-8 events a year and usually one very large event in central CA with our sister units down there. We also have traveled to the east coast for events, and done living history displays and historical tours in Germany, France, Belgium and Holland.

We fight hard in the field and use correct WWII German tactics and German commands. In camp or the barracks we live fully authentically in 1944. We strive for a full time travel experience not just a fun gunfight (though we surely have some very fun firefights!) In fact the battles are only more fun when you work as a real unit with good tactics and proper leadership (most of our leaders are former or current military NCO’s with significant experience, though not a requirement as anyone who shows quality leadership ability and historical knowledge can be promoted through the ranks)

We study history from the INSIDE by doing it and living it as closely as possible. It makes all your books, movies, video games, etc come to life when you find out how all of your equipment and tactics really work. Struggling through the snow and trying to get in position without compromise is a lot harder in real life!

We have a lot of loaner gear including firearms for new people. The basic impression cost is pretty reasonable nowadays, and we give you a year to get all of it. As long as you have half of it and are trying to fill it out and move forward with your impression, we are willing to help you and loan your our extra gear.

We field real MP40s, Beretta 38a’s, MG34s and MG42s, MP44s, and of course the backbone the K98. Our unit even fields 4 K98s with grenade launchers that shoot rifle grenades over 100 meters! We also have firing Panzerfausts and Panzerschrecks. Through our friends we have been able to fire real anti-tank guns and flak guns, fire a real German mortar that launchers tennis balls over 1000 meters, driven armored cars and half tracks, and ridden on tanks!

For airsoft guns we have mostly all the same weapons. At the last two WWII airsoft events we have gone to we also integrated blank fire alongside airsoft guns which was pretty fun, so there was noise AND you could get shot. We have participated in Battlesims Jump to Destiny (Normandy) and Long Winter (Battle of the Bulge) events this last year.

We do blank fire with the PNWHG in Oregon and with our sister unit FJR5 in CA with the RPS and CHG. We have a Facebook page, MySpace page, and a Yahoo Group, that you can make contact and get to know us through.

yahoo group – this is where all unit business is done, get advice on gear and organize for events.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fallschirm-Pionere/

Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=728573254&ref=name#/group.php?gid=41877589854

Myspace

Very cool pics. Thanks for sharing.

Your re-enactments are a source of education that are worthy to be supported. History must be remembered for the sake of human progress.
Some young people retain more from live demonstrations than from books, although reading is still an essential part of learning. Thanks for the photos.

In Germany, they will arrest you.
I do not have any problem with our history, but this was not a good periode for Germany and from my opinion, there is no need to play war.
A lot of people will not understand it and normaly you have to explain this time
and the political situation,not only playing a game.
Uniforms and historical weapons should be in museums.

genuine question

Why?
I appreciate the historical accuracy etc, that's amazing, but why a Wehrmacht unit?
They were "the enemy" after all, I don't know of any Australians putting together a Japanese outfit, and I can imagine the outcry if someone did, it's all very well moving on from the past, but I can't see it happening in our country even in this day and age.
Who or what prompted the formation of it? People of german descent ?
I stress again, I don't disapprove, I'm just puzzled as to how it all came about.

Plenty of WW2 reenactors in Australia.

B
T

Ive occasionally seen pix of Imperial japanese reenactors.

Ive also seen dumpy littl white kids dressed in black pajamas for Vietnam War events.

At Reading Air show, we've seen some kids dressed up like HitlerYouth accompanying their folks on the chow line.

Ive seen some reenactors rotate between Axis & Allied impressions solely to study up on certain battles or equipment. Or simply because they want to balance out a reenactment with enuff persons on each side.
No fun watching 50 paratroopers chase 5 nazis thru the woods.

At Reading Air show, we met some German tourists who flew over to reenact, because it would be illegal to do so in Germany.

It's actually very complex...

dr greg said:

Why?
I appreciate the historical accuracy etc, that's amazing, but why a Wehrmacht unit?
They were "the enemy" after all, I don't know of any Australians putting together a Japanese outfit, and I can imagine the outcry if someone did, it's all very well moving on from the past, but I can't see it happening in our country even in this day and age.
Who or what prompted the formation of it? People of german descent ?
I stress again, I don't disapprove, I'm just puzzled as to how it all came about.

Click to expand...

Dr. Greg,

I don't reenact WW2 myself, and I've always been a little uneasy at the idea of doing so. That Said, I do participate in American Civil War Reenacting, generally as a Union Infantryman. At times, however, I have participated as a Confederate, which is where the parallel comes into play.

It is very important that one remembers reenactors are acting, and for the most part, maintain a healthy detachment from their role. Reenactors are people who have a deep love of history and want to help educate others and network with like-minded folks.

If I dawn the homespun Gray to go to an event, its not because I support the cause of states rights, condone slavery, or oppose the United State's Federal system of government. It's because the event planners are short of rebs, or my buddies are going as rebs and I want to hang with them, etc. Friends of mine who do WW2 reenacting as Axis soldiers all seem to feel pretty much the same.

On the other hand, it is definitely true that certain people are naturally drawn to different aspects of reenacting. With Civil War reenacting some folks are drawn to the romance of "the lost cause" and likewise, my friends who participate in WW2 reenacting as Germans were the ones who as kids tended to want to be the "bad guys" when playing make believe.

Hope that helps spread some light on the matter.

specifics

I know there are plenty of WW2 reenactors in this country, and someone no doubt has to dress up as the 'bad guys', as do film extras, so I am not suggesting that mediaeval jousting weekends are insulting Crusaders, but to have a specific unit modelled on very rigid parameters seems to me to go beyond what I would assume to be normal reenacting, and I just wonder how it came about, what is the motivation so to speak.

To answer that a little more specifically...

dr greg said:

.... to have a specific unit modelled on very rigid parameters seems to me to go beyond what I would assume to be normal reenacting, and I just wonder how it came about, what is the motivation so to speak.

Click to expand...

It really comes down to the almighty dollar.

Considering the high cost of quality reproduction items, most folks choose to do one "impression" and stick with it. If you think a Magnoli suit is expensive, check this out: http://www.njsekela.com/OSCommerce/...d=354&osCsid=7cdb0730bfeb844cc4e0321ae8217507

And because this the the FL check out these hats: http://www.dirtybillyshats.com/

Remember, basically all reenactors are self-equipped.

It's simple....


For many years, people had been collecting and sharing items and their stories. This lead to collecting clothing, gear, weapons, vehicles, etc. All this stuff was stored in closets. One by one, guys decided to meet and share. Then meet and dress accordingly. Then finally meet and fire weapons. One thing lead to another and now you have a hobby. Reenacting WW2 requires both sides. And just as people appreicate the weapons and gear of their own country they are interested in the same things on the other side.

Re enacting has always been a touchy subject. I didn't mind gearing up with other like minded individuals. We were usually hid from the public out in the sticks somewhere. It was the public shows that made me nervous. How were we perceived ? I imagine it's alot harder for an Axis impression. My buddy who was a German re-enactor said he was always worried about the JDL. I can see the Europeans view point though they lived through it.

To me it makes sence that there has to be some bad guys too.
Not much fun playing cowboys and indians, if there weren't any cowboys. (Or indians - depending on your view)

But I have a much harder time understanding the whole reenacting thing.
To me it's a mixture between a fascination of times past - and a fascination of heroisme, power, war and ...dare I say it?...guns.

Being european - and living in Denmak, wich was occupied for five years by the nazis, it's very hard for me to understand and even accept that somebody dresses up in german uniforms. Be it Wehrmacht or SS.

I know this has been debated before. I know it's a touchy area - so I will step down from my soapbox, before somebody throws the Gestapo my way.

What's the big deal

I've gone on record here as being against re-enactors who wear decorations and honours they didn't earn in 'real life' and 40-something, 300lbs men runing around dressed up as 19 years old paratroopers but even I have to admit that without such living history it is difficult to maintain accuracy for films like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. To know a man you are supposed to walk in his moccassins. To understand how people fought and existed you need to use the kit and clothing they used. Understand it's limitations and it's good points.

An interesting example was the relative of Mallory of Everest fame who went up to Everest Base Camp dressed up in period clothing and found that it actually worked far better than many thought it would and as good in some situations as modern kit. Layering in silk and wool with lightweight windproof outer clothing. The tweeds were for lower altitudes and lazing around. I had a similar experience whilst working as a seismic surveyor in the frozen north of Canada. I used a WW2 US cotton reversible anorak and alpaca liner and it worked better in those conditions than gore-tex. I'd rather have gore-tex in the rain though !

In the UK we've always wondered how the Victorians (and earlier generations) kept warm in their funny old natural fibre clothing. But the reality is that they wore very good clothing for keeping warm and relatively dry (for what was available). They understood how to keep warm better as they didn't have centrally heated houses etc and getting cold and wet could be life-threatening. Looking at the clothing made us think "poor old Victorians" . Wearing the clothing taught us heaps.

Provided these guys aren't pushing race-hate publicly, what's the harm ? (What they think in their own heads is, I suppose, their private business).

Dave

I have a number of friends who've got involved in re enacting..and I can appreciate the appreciation of history... but there is an element of glamour many have with the fascists.

My friend Keith joined a SS reenacting group (Who all have to have the proper haircut, drilling etc.. and to be honest... he's become an apologist.
His group have even paid for SS veterans to come and present awards (when troopers are promoted).
I've attempted to reason with him, but he takes the line 'They were just soldiers'. err..no they weren't.

A number of German Re enacting groups have been banned from UK events, because like in the book 'The Wave', they seem to have forgot they are just 'pretending'.

I have extremely mixed feelings about all this... I want people to remember what our families went through, but this should not give license to spurious individuals living vicariously through these 'roles'.

Ah well..if a few wanna be fascists dress up..at least they're easy to spot I guess...

What is the next reenacting? Vietcong ?
Red Kmehr? Gulag soldiers?
Fact is, people should stay in distance from all Nazi Stuff, because many people
can not differnt between real and playing.
The Nazis killed millions of people, the SS was a murder brigade and hard core nazis.
No way to play this in our time.
Thisis my personalview as a democrat and a german freemason.
Buy the way, a lot of freemasons went to KZ and died in this time.

Another point: you can play act all you want, and think you're partaking of the "real" experience, but there is no way to replicate the emotional state of perpetual terror involved in a real war. There's no way the "reenact" the horror of real carnage. No way the "simulate" the agony of death. This is what war is really all about.
I'm a real history buff, and I've delved into WW I and WW II pretty well. As much as I can understand the interest people have in doing this, I think the overall effect is to sanitize and prettify the experience of war.
I don't feel quite so negative about pre 20th century reenactments. Those eras are a lot more remote to us, and maybe the reenacting can have more educational value. But WW II, as neat as so many aspects of it might be, I have a slight problem with the actual combat reennactment.
I have to admit, I've never been to a WW II reenactrment event, so that should be taken into account with my opinion.

DH,

If history truly fascinates you, a visit to WW2 Weekend at the Reading Airshow the first weekend in June may be worth your while. The re-enactors are dedicated to representing what it was like, yet no one pretends to be anything else than the temporary actors that they play. Real WW2 veterans tell their stories(they do not re-enact) so the amount of history one can pick up in a day or two is amazing.