Tanks in Town - Mons, Belgium - 27th august 2006

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FMROMMEL
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Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:56 am

Post by FMROMMEL »

Just recieved information about an accident in volving some british re-enactors, while coming home from mons. It would appear that they where about 50miles out of Mons heading home, when there 2 Lowloaders where cut up by a car, the fist lowloader slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right, the second following braked and went to the right of the first., A range rover following con taining 4 members slammed straight into the back of the second lowloader. a Dutch grain lorry following managed to drive himself into the barrier to avaid crushing the range rover further.
all four in the car recieved head injuries and one has spinal injuries. They are all now back in to the uk. All are from 2nd armoured and 1st Division ww2lha.
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

Wayne

Please pass on my best wishes to the injured guys and hopes for a speedy and full recovery.
We all tend to forget that in our travels of thousands of miles a year we risk accidents such as these..... Just brings it home doesn't it?

Paul
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Panzerfaust
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Fallschrimjager on the move

Post by Panzerfaust »

Nice to see Fallshrimjager in battle, and sorry to hear about the lads in the crash.

Never seen so much allied armour...hope you had a good supply of panzerfausts!
'Green Devils of Carentan'
2.Kp 1st Batl. FJR6
http://www.fjr6.co.uk
FJR6

Post by FJR6 »

Hello,
we are already discussing the chance to be out in the field at Mons Saturday and Sunday, so we can dig in Saturday and spend the rest of the time before the battle prasctising fieldcraft, etc.

best regards,
Volker
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

I see from the camouflage that there are Waffen SS troops present..... What is the policy on this please? And is there a possibility that UK Axis re-enactors may be invited to participate or is this a European only gig?
marloes - suspended

Post by marloes - suspended »

does this event have a website?
FJR6

Post by FJR6 »

Hello,
yes, there was an SS unit present, but I don't know anything about them. We got our invitation through 13./FJR2.
The battle has always been a Sunday-only thing, but Nick de Cuyper, the leader of FJR2 in Belgium and I have been discussing the chance of making it a two-day-event for the Germans. That way we don't only get to spend more quality time in the field, but also might draw a larger German contingent and not only reenactors from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
However, the event is hosted by the city of Mons and the main attraction are the tanks, not the footsloggers, so we don't know yet if they'd be interested in letting us use the battlefield for two days.
You can see their website at http://www.tanksintown.be

best regards,
Volker
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

Some of my friends were at this event mainly with their tanks and last night I spent a wonderful hour or so looking at over 700 photographs. Some of these will probably appear in magazine articles very shortly.
Next year you Euros can come and say hi - I will be there......

I must say - the feedback I got was that the event is now being watered down by inclusion of non armoured vehicles. Lots of Harleys and Jeeps..... The Tanks of the title are still in abundance as are the halftracks and armoured cars but more and more people are finding this event popular so are bringing smaller, non armoured vehicles. Nice to see a Hetzer (G13) and an OT810 (non converted but in German Grey with GD insignia) there - Who know what might turn up next year!!!!!! :wink:
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Steve Das Reich
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Post by Steve Das Reich »

Very nice photos, some of them are begging to have an "aged look" applied to them.

Speaking on behalf of the UK Waffen SS re enactors, you wont find a neo Nazi among us and the arm raising is a self imposed ban by us, we just dont do it. We re enact Waffen SS for our historical interest, not as some quasi-neo- Nazi outlet.

I understand the concerns of our main land European re enactors, but no group within the Uk is politically motivated in its re enactment of Waffen SS. We are interested in his fighting prowess not the politics.

Looks like a great event and maybe one day we can get together with re enactors from all over Europe and share our experiences and knowledge.

Steve
SS Unterscharfurer Stefan Klein
2Kp. SS Aufklärungs Abt. Das Reich
"Wir gehen voran"
http://www.wars.uk.net/

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Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

Jean Seger's Demag! Goes to Beltring every year! Wunnerful!

Who's is the Krad?
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

we don't want to have a group of guys who come to our country to rease their right arm and behave like some uniformed neo-nazi group
I'm intrigued here - This seems to crop up a lot..... Surely you folks come to England? The UK would seem to lead the way with WWII Living History and the groups here have worked hard for OVER 25 years to get this right. There ARE NO Nazis in UK WWII Re-enactment..... We are so conscious of this that we avoid them religiously.
When you come to England to re-enact - if you are afraid we might be "right wing" then why come to be amongst us? I always find this strange when people visit us, enjoy our hospitality and our friendship and then go back to Europe and speak about us and write on Forums about us.... In a manner that makes us look Nazi-esque.... or sometimes in a manner that pokes fun at us..... When we are working hard and doing it right.....

Maybe I'm wrong but I think I'm seeing a "penny and the bun too" attitude. So if I come over with an M18 and dressed in a US tanker suit, I'm welcome. If I come over with a SdKfz251 in pea dot I'm not...... I'm the same person...... My views and politics are the same..... I certainly know some people who dress as US and British personnel and own and operate vehicles that would be welcome at Mons who hold EXTREME views..... VERY extreme views..... This is a bit like judging a book by its cover.

As I say - I'll be at Mons next year - Look out for me and say hello - Read a few pages of the book.... You might like it.
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

PS Jean's SPA was there too wasn't it?
Jon Das Reich

Post by Jon Das Reich »

I for one and WARS offer or hand in friendship to any reenactor from overseas and hope they are made at home within our group and display. we are will to talking to them help them and hopefully for them to take 101 ideas home with them. But i too have noticed this seems to be one way traffic with some group overseas. Isnt it best to learn and embrace all reenactors from all counties and learn and enjoy our hobby together.
Wilhelm
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Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:14 pm

Post by Wilhelm »

Both PD and Jon have raised valid points.
I am reading German language reports about Detling written by people who were not there!

On the following link to a Swiss forum.......

http://reenactorenforum.parlaris.com/ftopic1684.html

You can read:

Plastic camp incredilbly overcrowded- dangerously so.

Too many SS for my liking

This seems to be everywhere you go these days.
1 in a tarnjacke is already a crowd to me

Feel free to write back in English if you wish?

MY ANSWER WAS THE FOLLOWING: (followed by English translation).
Hi Markus, warst du auch in Detling? Ich habe dich nicht gesehen.

Schade, keine link zu den "Fußballspiel 1943", wir hat Fußball gespielt jeden Tag und sammelt 2500 €
für Britische Veteranen. Diese Projekt war ein Projekt von SS-Darsteller (Das Reich) WARS Gruppe.

Sehe Bilder unter:

http://panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewto ... c&start=15

Ich bin in viele Bilder und trägt ein Schwarz Jogginganzug als "Deutsche Trainer".

Nicht aller von uns "SS-Darsteller" war in Schlachtfeld. Ich bin am Display geblieben und spielt Schneider.
Ich trägt kein Tarnfleck, nur Feldgrau.

SS Grenadier Willi Medland, 2.A.A. Das Reich (1943)

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Image
Hi Markus (GI), were you in Detling too? I did not see you.

Shame there was no link to the 1943 football matches that we played every day and raised 2500 Euro
in donations for British war veterans.
This project was run by members who reenact Waffen-SS (Das Reich WARS).

See the pics at the following link
http://panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewto ... c&start=15

I am the one in the black joggingsuit.

Not all of us "SS Reenactors" were at the battle, I could be found in the camp playing "Unit Tailor".
I do not wear Tarnfleck, only Feldgrau.

SS-Grenadier Willi Medland, 2.A.A. Das Reich (1943)
Hoffman Grink

Post by Hoffman Grink »

I read that particular forum Bill and i think "jealousy" the whole time.
Also the cross posters - Their double stance amazes me. The whole forum constantly jeers at us and makes fun as well as putting us down and making STRONG hints that a lot of us UK boys are "Nazis". IT also makes bold that we know little of the history nor do we care....

This is not true. In the UK we have the strongest WWII LH Scene around. I am proud to say I have been part of it for some years and I've seen it improve and grow massively. We have greatly important restored vehicles. We salvage and restore more vehicles than I think, anywhere else in the world. We have top quality dealers who supply re-enactment/Living History with the best products. Truly - these Europeans are catching up on us. And I think it hurts them. They seem to use prejudice and the bleating story of "but we were occupied, we feel the pain"

Get over it! move on. Hitler's Nazis are dead and gone. The new Nazis seem to be inhabiting Europeant Re-enactment and trying to run it "their way"..... I know - I've seen it all before.....
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