Chino Airshow - Reenactors

Cindy · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 12:11 pm

Did anyone get pictures of the reenactors that they can send my way? I'd love to have pictures (with appropriate credit) to share with the CHG and other units that participated. If you have anything you are willing to share, please PM me.

Also, for those who have posted pictures - many thanks. I'm always so busy, I never actually get to see the show, so I have to rely on the photos from everyone else.

Thanks!
Cindy

n5151ts · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 2:07 pm

We did the Modesto air show with Leftys p-38. (a singularly scary experience at best--and a story for another day). They had a "hanger dinner" thing and Lefty and a bunch of us were sitting around when the German re-enactors walked in en mass. A couple of them were dressed as SS officers and Lefty got up and simply announced that we were leaving as those guys were representing a bunch of "nazi murders" and he was having noting to do with that. I was right behind him as we left with some puzzled looks on some folks faces. I'm sure some feathers were ruffled over that but on reflection I was totally in support....

n5151ts · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 2:14 pm

Cindy · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 2:28 pm

We always have some people who disagree with what we do.
I'm not going discuss or argue whether reenactors are right or wrong on representing any given group (we had Germans, Japanese, Russians, British, Philipino and US groups).
Overall, the reenactments are successful and well received. If the heat hadn't been so bad, we would have done the Korean War battle between the Russians and Americans.
Regardless of opinions, we are still looking for photos.
Cindy

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 2:34 pm

Quote:

Russians and Americans

you mean Chinese :?:

You can do German soldiers without having there be SS :idea:

gary1954 · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 2:49 pm

Dayum

Make believe members of the SS showing up at an airshow? I wonder if and if so, how many Luftwaffe Pilots were SS Officers.

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 7:06 pm

Awww... come on guys. Somebody has to be the BAD guys for us, and if they're willing to do it with the right attitude they're very useful. We had some out at our Med. Assault event in Dec. and really enjoyed working with them (yes a few were in SS uniforms). Of course we screened the guys we had out pretty carefully. I do know and am aware of groups that are really bad and nuts.

Ryan

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 7:11 pm

We had a group of goose stepping SS re-enactors shows up to a Veterans day event a few years ago. A bunch of vets from a VN motorcycle club invited them to leave :shock:

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3333

I'm extremely wary of anyone who wishes to spend their spare time dressing up an a Nazi and parading around in public. At the Beltring Military Vehicle show in the UK a few years back, a friend of mine said he saw a number of them lined up being 'inspected' and giving Nazi salutes to a former SS soldier who was there. While I don't agree with an almost total ban on Nazi symbology (as they have in force in Germany), I just find this type of behaviour to be a glorification of Naziism.

Come to think of it, I find the whole idea of grown men (and women) dressing up and playing soldiers to be a bit odd, but each to their own, I suppose.

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 7:18 pm

Cindy,

Theres a bunch of pictures posted over on FenceCheck at:
http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 8.180.html
It's a slow loading website, so be patient, and continue with the pages from is link.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 7:22 pm

Cindy wrote:

We always have some people who disagree with what we do.
I'm not going discuss or argue whether reenactors are right or wrong on representing any given group (we had Germans, Japanese, Russians, British, Philipino and US groups).
Overall, the reenactments are successful and well received. If the heat hadn't been so bad, we would have done the Korean War battle between the Russians and Americans.
Regardless of opinions, we are still looking for photos.
Cindy

but he had first hand knowledge of what the SS did....no glory or honor there at all.

Ztex · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 11:07 pm

gary1954 wrote:

I wonder if and if so, how many Luftwaffe Pilots were SS Officers.

By definition SS officers are not Luftwaffe...I don't think the SS had an aviation division.

SS re-enactors...are bad?

and these guys are ok?

And these?

Which one of these bothers you?

Isn't this a portrayal of history?

How would we feel about a Stuka or an HE-111 on the airshow circuit?
Purveyors of death from Hitler's war machine? or a cool airplane?

I have mixed feelings about guys dressing up and playing army...but the kid and the history nut in me understands.

Off the soapbox now... :roll:

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 11:52 pm

I think the reenactors add a real flavor and interest to an event, as they did at TOM and Airventure. I don't think many people object to seeing uniforms and flags representing both sides of the War Of Northern Aggression. Maybe some limits could be observed for WWII, such as no SS uniforms, to keep it in good taste.

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2309

Mike wrote:

Come to think of it, I find the whole idea of grown men (and women) dressing up and playing soldiers to be a bit odd, but each to their own, I suppose.

I agree, I think I gave that up when I was about 10 or 11..

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 1:02 am

ZRX61 wrote:

Mike wrote:

Come to think of it, I find the whole idea of grown men (and women) dressing up and playing soldiers to be a bit odd, but each to their own, I suppose.

I agree, I think I gave that up when I was about 10 or 11..

Ztex...........guess its my turn on the "soapbox".

Reenactment is a part of "Preserving history". In no way is it playing army! Do you get the true understanding of war by reading a book or watching a video??? Well you might learn some things but do you get a deep feeling and appreciation for it and our freedoms???

I have a deep interest in history and since I have never served and I am 36 yrs old. I learn more from reenactment living history events on what it was like then from a book.
The 1st time I witnessed a MG42 shoot a 2000 round belt with one trigger pull, slide the barrel out and roll it in the snow, Install it and another 2000 rounds through it within 2 minutes. My thoughts were NOT HOW COOL as some teens today might think but my mind took me to remember that there were hundreds of those guns aimed into the water on a beach in France!!!! I have never gotten that feeling from a book!!!

My 3rd great granfather served in the Civil War. He returned home and a couple of short years later he wrote "recollections of war". These were his personal reflections of battle. At a young age my father read from it while standing on the very grounds that he fought on. To look out from the high ground at where confederate cannons were position over the field where Vermonters came charging from was amazing. Then to see a similar skirmish reenacted had a greater impact seeing how close they got and then stopped and shoot muskets into each other. I could have not gotten those feelings reading a book or listening to my dad.

Now as a Living History supporter and participant. (Vietnam War). I cannot stand that "playing army" statement. I am sure that when the video of the P-40 shooting live guns, that you were the only one not to wish that they were there to witness it cause that would be "Playing Army Air Corps"

Off my soap box now.

Ztex.................Great post!!!!

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Chino Airshow - Reenactors

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