Cosby Victory Show 2012

[hansritter]

Hasd a great weekend, it was a cool combination of things ( something for everyone). Great to see all the kameraden from Axis 44, Joe, Al and Sam from GDFG and Pav. Special thanks to Graham for the lift and the loan of the MP38 and Jess for the ride home. To all those who helped make the event happen and all those who went to do thier best and have fun doing it, I salute you

Your welcome..Bish bash bosh

Al

[nelz]

.
Can this show get any better ?

Mr Pratt and all those involved in this fantastic show, ...have raised the bar again.
Can we top it next year ?..... You bet we can.

For me , the Victory show has all the ingredients spot on.

Excellent venue and facillities.
Approachable and welcoming organizers.
Quality re-enactors/groups with excellent displays, vehicles and equipment.
Spectacular air show - battles and pyrotechnics.
Groups involved working together.

As re-enactors we are very lucky to have the pleasure of attending such a show , and we must continue supporting this event where ever possible.

Congratulations to all involved, well fookin done the lot of yerz. I had a blast , many magic moments,... thank you for a brilliant 2012 show.

[carvillan]

It was interesting talking to many re-enactors who said the same thing Nelz. I live 5 miles from Cosby and regularly travel by the venue going to work (I even popped in a few days before to see what they were preparing). All the re-enactors I spoke to said Beltring is bigger in terms of men and materiel present but the battlefield at Cosby is far bigger and the bangs far louder.

To think the organisers recieved threats a couple of years ago for 'glorifying war' from certain ethnic groups is completely laughable now although probably scary at the time for them.

I have been to Cosby for the past 2 years and enjoyed it both times immensely. No one is unapproachable or comes across as an arrogant ****. To have good long chats and to get your hands on some of the equipment is such an experience. Both my lads (8 and 7 years old) got to strip down an M1 Garand yesterday. My eldest even thought it would be good to hang off Heidi's gun barrel (sorry Big H I did pull him off quickly) Where else could they do this??

I take my hat off to all you guys for doing such a great job.

[Johnny_BoomBoom2000]

Had a great time at the Victory Show this year - first time for me, and hopefully not the last!!!

[PanzerMart]

heres Sundays battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOzyoOCnr0Y

[Peiper]

Viewing that clip couldln't see where i was

On both days/battles i was part of the SS Panzer-
Grenadier squad that disembarked from the halftrack,
think we were on the other side of the field lol
Pipes

[carvillan]

Peiper,

Who are the lucky buggers that get crew the Pak 40? What a job that would be.

[PanzerMart]

We crewed my PAK 38 with our FJs on the LH side from SBGs PAK 40 and it was an exceptionally fun experience (plus she fired great and we got to claim a halftrack killed )

[carvillan]

We crewed my PAK 38 with our FJs on the LH side from SBGs PAK 40 and it was an exceptionally fun experience (plus she fired great and we got to claim a halftrack killed )

Paint a ring around the barrel then, you've earned it . I take it FJ is Fallschirmjaeger.

[PanzerMart]

oh we did

Yes FJ = Fallschirmjager

Added the pic of her firing to prev post

[poteau rottenfurer]

just wanted to say how impressed i was with the germans at the Victory show.Some great impressions from some top units and it was fantastic to see so much armour.
Made me think how far things have come,now that you get to see stugs and panzer3s on the field of battle looking the bollocks,plus all the supporting halftracks,armoured cars,Paks, etc
well done to all,we just need to get some of that american armour to brew up now and it would be perfection!( even though i enjoyed choking on sherman fumes)
Also,a big well done to the pyro team,a lot of hard work and effort for a quick number of bangs!
cheers
dave g
TFH

[Johnny_BoomBoom2000]

just wanted to say how impressed i was with the germans at the Victory show.Some great impressions from some top units and it was fantastic to see so much armour.
Made me think how far things have come,now that you get to see stugs and panzer3s on the field of battle looking the bollocks,plus all the supporting halftracks,armoured cars,Paks, etc
well done to all,we just need to get some of that american armour to brew up now and it would be perfection!( even though i enjoyed choking on sherman fumes)
Also,a big well done to the pyro team,a lot of hard work and effort for a quick number of bangs!
cheers
dave g
TFH

....mmmmm, some more American armour brewing up considering all the anti armour systems fielded by the Germans would have added more to the realism! Also, a few more GI's hitting the dirt when the MG42 lets rip on them may have done the same!!

Still, it was a great weekend and heaps of fun!!!

[BaggyPants]

You're stuck in some fantasy here. It's a show. It runs to a script. It's not tactical. It's put on for the public. Not every vehicle owner wants their expensive tin can messing up with pyro. Those that did, came forward, including Jim who owns one of the most expensive bits on the field. Can I point out that a) it's not real and b) if it were, the amount of HE that went off around the trenches would have liquidised most of the defenders insides and severely traumatised those not killed? I don't think I saw one German killed by the shell fire. By the time the infantry came to mop up, there would have been few people capable of ruining their day with an MG42. If you aren't satisfied with it, and don't feel it's orfentik enough for you, please let Dave Pratt know that you and your group don't wish to be embarrassed by being a part of it next year. There are people queuing up to be in this display. A lot of work goes into that "battle", the pyro crew alone put in well over 150 man hours to accomplish two 20/25 minute scenarios. It boils my piss when people start to take it apart, like they could do it any fecking better

[PanzerMart]

You're stuck in some fantasy here. It's a show. It runs to a script. It's not tactical. It's put on for the public. Not every vehicle owner wants their expensive tin can messing up with pyro. Those that did, came forward, including Jim who owns one of the most expensive bits on the field. Can I point out that a) it's not real and b) if it were, the amount of HE that went off around the trenches would have liquidised most of the defenders insides and severely traumatised those not killed? I don't think I saw one German killed by the shell fire. By the time the infantry came to mop up, there would have been few people capable of ruining their day with an MG42. If you aren't satisfied with it, and don't feel it's orfentik enough for you, please let Dave Pratt know that you and your group don't wish to be embarrassed by being a part of it next year. There are people queuing up to be in this display. A lot of work goes into that "battle", the pyro crew alone put in well over 150 man hours to accomplish two 20/25 minute scenarios. It boils my piss when people start to take it apart, like they could do it any fecking better

two guys died on the PAK 38 (seen above) from that lovely pyro that went up on the other side of the haystacks Bryn I admit to only taking a flesh wound due to the exceptionally uncomfy position I found myself in
but well put yes we'd like to see it more realisitc Im sure the pyro team would too but unlike the movies everyone that takes part doesnt get 10 takes we only get one and in the realms of safety it does limit what can and cant be done.

Realism wise the hetzer and stugs may have taken some more allied armour out the PAK40 would have claimed maybe one, PZIII's and PAK 38 little guns maybe a halftrack or two (we got one so I was happy ) but overhead on the Sunday were P51's dont think much would have lived on our side from those alone!
Yes the MG42's would have accounted for more infantry going down only bone I had with that one was the bunch of yanks grouped up that aka Saving private ryan charged the MG down while it was going full tilt without at least one casualty but then on hindsight to that we didnt know where they were in relation to any pyros.

It was an excellent battle on the Sunday (Sat's got a little confusing due to a gate being closed off) and to be part of it was an experience I wont be forgetting in a hurry especially when that ground shakes and you get to snigger as someone retreated and got soaked with the water pyro at the back

Overall those that took part loved it, the public loved it Im sure the pyro guys loved it and the organisers loved it we'll leave exact realism to the history channel

[BaggyPants]

You're right Mart, it would be lovely to get it completely realistic, but it won't happen for many reasons. To be fair, I couldn't see your PAK unless I popped my head up, which I only did to check the pyro was clear before I detonated it. There were very few casualties behind me. If that situation were real, the allied armour would have stayed at distance, shelling the trenches and german armour, whilst the infantry moved forward and took care of the german armour for them, not the other way around.

With regard to US casualties, as Stig says, they were there aplenty. Some may well have come back to life once the action moves on, because the crowd aren't watching them, but they were there.

Too many people come into these pieces of theatre with their tactical heads on. It's why it sometimes takes the British infantry an eon to get down the field. They take it all a bit too literally. At the end of the day, it is drama, and it needs to follow a script. Seems that either the script gets forgotten or the group leaders at the briefings are not passing the script on. We may have to look at just how this is done next year, and maybe have a dress rehearsal without blank and bangs on the friday evening, as it is a three day show in 2013.