I'm back!

Sorry for being gone for a while.  There has been a lot of work at the museum lately with BUNCHES of buses loaded with school kids for tours.  Sometimes the tours are really early in the morning or even very late at night.

I did get a day away finally and went to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's World War II weekend event.  It was really something.  The first thing I saw there was a recreated French village.  The first building I went into was set up like a dress shop with a loft for sleeping quarters.  The woman there talked about how fashions changed during the war because of a lack of fabric.  After discussing the fashion industry, she then talked about being a part of the French Resistance and how they worked to hinder the German army and help downed English/American pilots.  The other half of this house was a engine repair shop with living quarters in the back.

A while later in the morning there was a demonstration of a battle within the French village.  At this particular viewing the allies lost and were carrying their wounded off the field on a stretcher on the front of a jeep.

Early in the afternoon there was suddenly an announcement over a loud speaker about a storm coming in.  It was amazing how clearly you could hear every word the announcer said over this huge airfield.  He advised that people walk toward cover as the storm was moving fast, would probably be somewhat severe, but should pass quickly.  I started walking toward the one hanger where several displays had been set up.  As I got there, the rain drops started.  I had gotten inside the display that showed a 1940's home, complete with living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.  Suddenly the heavy rains and wind came.  Visitors were helping staff to get furnishings that were exposed to the rain inside.  Personally, I was hold up a painted wooden screen so that the wind would not make it topple on the other furnishings.  The storm became even more intense; so much so, that someone lowered the hanger doors most of the way and closed us all inside the building.  The rain was so intense and continued to come into the building through the cracks, so the doors were closed completely.  The sound of the rain on the metal building was really loud so you had to speak up a lot when someone said something to you.  Just as the announcer had stated, the storm passed within 15 minutes, and the hanger doors were opened again.  Just like real troopers, all the staff and re-enactors came out and started to wipe down all the equipment, and the show continued.  Even the air show was only delayed by 15 minutes!

I then had opportunities to talk with a lot of other re-enactors.   There was a man showing cameras and how they took reconnaissance photos from airplanes, a German doctor who had a piece of equipment that they used for giving transfusions directly from one person to another; a SeaBee who explained how they made airplane landing strips quickly; an MP (military police) who also worked on the motorcycles, a mess cook, who actually does the cooking for his entire group when they come to these re-enactments, and on and on.  The one man that I really enjoyed talking to was representing an infantry soldier of Germany.  I felt a little awkward talking with him at first, but he made me feel at ease, and then I asked if he felt the common soldier in Germany really knew about the concentration camps.  He had done his research, and told me he had spoken with the Uncle of a friend of his, who had been in the German army at that time.  The Uncle had told him he had been badly wounded and during a part of his recovery he had been sent for lite duty to a concentration camp.  After only being there a week he asked to be sent back to the front lines as he could not stand what he was seeing at the concentration camp.  I really appreciated hearing this side of the story from at least one soldier's perspective.

I was amazed at the number of people involved in re-enactments of the WWII era and the number of events in the PA area.  I first found out about this event last September while attending a smaller WWII event at the Eisenhower property in Gettysburg, PA.  I would highly recommend both of these events to anyone.  The next Mid-Atlantic Air Museum WWII weekend will be on June 7, 8 and 9th 2013.  More information can be seen at maam.org