The static line jump training was more involved because the jump would be solo and from a lower altitude and thus would afford less time to correct problems.  The troopers jumping static line had to attended a 5-hr class, comprised of both lecture and hands-on training.  The hands-on portions included: exiting from a mock aircraft (which presumably hadn't exploded from the lit cigarette in Leonard "Sky Smoke" Washington's hand, yet) [3], the basics of the parachutes we would be using [4], familiarization with the harness [5] (including how not to rip any of the cords completely off [6]), and proper techniques for PLFs [7].  The lecture portion covered the theory of the square ram-air parachute, correcting chute problems (if possible), navigating to your DZ by running, crabbing or holding with the wind, and finally landing correctly. 

[3]	[4]	[5]	[6]	[7]

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to jump with WWII steel pots, but I didn't the best I could by covering my modern plastic POS with helmet netting [13].  The light went green at 3,500ft AGL [14] and out I went [15].  There was no hesitation due to my extensive experience at previous Geneseos, however, I was the only trooper to have chute problems.  Luckily it was minor line twist which I corrected fairly easily.  There was very little wind and I jumped an underweighted chute (Falcon 265, 265 square feet 9-cell, RamAir) so the decent was quite peaceful [ ] and the landing, textbook [17]   No sign of the Wehrmacht in the area so the bright blue chute didn't attract any extra attention. Video [2.8MB .wmv] of my jump was taken by Thomas Soltis.

Newly issued equipment: Original ____ Trench Knife, Original Webgear Belt

charged extra money for armor

tacticals were cancelled both days

The weather didn't cooperate at Geneseo this year, but the aircraft turnout wasn't shabby.  There were enough planes for nice P-40 [1] and T-6 formations [2] and there were more rotary aircraft this year including a UH-60 Black Hawk, UH-1 Huey [3], and for the first time, a marine AH-1 Cobra [4]

Until the official investigation is completed, I have omitted all photos of the drive home, during which I was thrown from my own vehicle at speeds exceeding 40mph!  Although I know Lt Neil is a pilot, I am skeptical of his claim that my vicious tumble was a result of the vehicle being struck by FlaK.  Instead I think it had more to do with him booting me out the passenger door as we passed over our "drop zone" at an altitude of 2.5 feet!!  At such a low altitude I was unable to properly execute a PLF and opted for the duck and roll method instead.  The rest of the cowards refused to jump and continued to ride back to our camp.  My neck hurt into winter, but that's the price you pay for being in an elite unit.

The interior portions of the Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) were extensive, but big draw for the public (and living historians) was the recently constructed Army Heritage Trail (visible from I-81).  The recent move off of Carlisle Barracks afforded enough land to construct the outdoor path through numerous displays of American military history from colonial times into modern operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (currently under construction).  One of the interesting features of the encampment was that the re-enactors slept in the display from their appropriate time period.  In fact, the French and Indian Wars (Seven Years' War 1756–1763) way station and blockhouse were being finished [4] in preparation for historians [5] sleeping there that night (I think these guys dressed like this all day because the picture was taken at 16h33!).  The Civil War troops should have had a nice setup in the winter cabins (seen in the back of [6]) but they piled on too much wood and caught the cabins on fire from inside!  I don't think anyone slept in the Redoubt Number 10 from the Revolutionary War siege of Yorktown, so the award for most miserable conditions goes to the doughboys in the trench system [7].  I guess you can chalk it up to historical accuracy.

For a change, our unit made out quite well with sleeping arrangements: 1940's tarpaper barracks [8].  Our barrack was one of a cluster; the others housed static WWII motor pool [9] and mess hall displays which supplemented our equipment and weapons display [10] nicely.  Later in the day we did a short firing demonstrated [11] to show the weapons in action.

After our display we surrendered our barracks for a modern demonstration of an urban breach [12] conducted by the 1st BCT, 1st Cavalry Division.  Because speed us such an important factor, the demonstration was performed at half-speed to allow the crowd to appreciate everything that was going on before running it in real-time.  I got a chance to chat with some of the guys and I was surprised by their level of interest in our firearms! [13].

One of the crowd favorites for the weekend was the 101st Airborne Parachute Team jump [14].  What a job to have!  Other modern displays included a Bradley [15] and an AH-64D Apache Longbow [16].  The funniest thing I saw all weekend was the public rushing over to the helo while it was landing like they wanted to pet it and then being blown back by the wash.  Too much TV for these people.

The WWII portions of the heritage trail were the perfect backdrop for some period group shots.  Truck drivers were honking like crazy while we posed on the Sherman on the Omaha beachhead [17].  After that we took an 88mm artillery piece from the Germans who were guarding it [18].  On the way back we stopped outside the German pillbox to rest for a bit [19].  We had such a good time on the Sherman that we went back later that night to get "tanked".  Luckily it sits on sand because some of the dismounts were rough.  Oh, and we established empirically that despite the name, the Canon Powershot SD800IS, cannot penetrate the armor of the Sherman (at least not when dropped from 3 feet!!!). Might have to get Domitrovich a mortar instead!

Reportedly ~ 3,500 people came to the show despite marginal weather so hopefully we'll be asked back next year.  I'm looking forward to seeing the completed Vietnam Fire Support Base and GWOT HESCO Bastion barrier checkpoint.

Newly issued equipment: White Para-cord M2 knife lanyard

Word came down that the drop was going to rough. We studied our sand table [1] and plotted strategy until the night of the jump [2].  We almost lost our lieutenant hours before the jump to a German trouser grenade which was planted overnight by a Skorzeny commando to weaken Airborne leadership.  Luckily the emasculation device failed, resulting in little more than a smoky barracks[3] and a renewed sense of purpose among the men.  German FlAK over France [4] was heavy and the ride out was rough, especially for the 325 GIR.  I landed next to farmhouse, apparently inhabited by several German soldiers [5].  I was alone and outgunned so I decided to head to the rendezvous point.

I arrived at Hill 30 to find a squad from my company already assembled [6].  After a few more troopers from the 508th arrived, we headed to our first objective a German-held section of pines.  Fighting was tough and we eventually had to mortar them out [8].  We won the engagement [9] and started the long march [10] to our second objective.  On the way, I was point alongside Mike "The Magnet" Carper [10], which made me uneasy, because he had gained the nickname by for unique talent of attracting enemy mortar fire.  Fortunately we didn't take any incoming on the way to our next position.

Our task was to hold an old brick building  against German counter-attack [11].  The promised attack was brief, but fierce, and included an unprecedented suicide grenade attack on horseback!  After we ate the horses, it was time to move out again [12,13].  We had another arduous woodland hike which included a 20-foot mudslide [14, .avi] and multiple river crossings.  Along the way, we suffered heavy casualties when our squad was hit by a mini V-1 rocket.  The OKW was so terrified of the 508th's success that they target our position with their top-secret miniature flying bomb, originally designed to kill English midgets.  The one that hit us was initially a dud, until Private Anderson of Erie, PA who had been posing with the rocket was frightened by enemy gunfire and detonated it by dropping it [15]. 

After a brief rest for the survivors to regroup [16], we headed to our final objective, a silo complex held by the Waffen-SS.  On the way we encountered and assaulted a German MG-34 position.  Most of the Erste Zug was killed [17], but the unfortunate survivors became the hapless victims of the salty allied attack which became known as the Malmétea-bag massacre.  The SS, having heard of allied atrocities fought to the last man before relinquishing control of our final objective.  The day was declared a success for our unit [18] and strangely enough, Magnet Mike and I [19] lived through the whole thing.  We occupied a stone French building [20] and rested in preparation to take the rest of the Cotentin Peninsula.

FIG had another good turnout this year, 1,700 participants [1], according to certain ditzy sources.  It snowed the night before the airborne tactical, so we had good weather for the drop.  Per FIG SOP, things got screwed up and our unit was dropped at the wrong place.  We marched the recommended distance to our rendezvous point [2] which was determined to be off the map.  So we turned around and marched back to the transport [3] to try again.  Eventually we arrived within a mile of the line and started to move towards our positions.  Almost immediately we were forced to scurry into the woods as German armor passed [4].  Sadly, that was the most action we saw during the entire operation.  The 508th spent the morning holding the key position on the far end of the line as the German army slowly advanced.  As gunfire drew near, cries of "Rangers In The Way" were heard as the 2nd. Battalion retreated into our field of fire, setup positions directly in front of us, and proceeded to recycle through our lines.  Aside from intentional friendly fire, most of our assault squad [5] didn't fire a single round.

Once the non-battle ended, it was a long walk back [6], but we were well-rested and had extra practice marching earlier in the morning.  During the march I saw German POWs [7] so apparently there were German troops in the woods that day!  The biggest let-down was that I didn't get a chance to use my grenadoes that Lt. Neil had hand-crafted with love for the Wehrmacht [8].

Despite Medic Doshu's findings of Easy Company's questionable medical history [9], the 508th was cleared for Sunday's public battle [10].  This year the crowd was forced to watch from one end of the battlefield because there was not enough caution tape to cordon off the entire battle area.  Thus proving the axiom: $47 x 1,700 < cost of tape + enough fuel to maintaining the barracks at Krakatoa temperature. Q.E.D. 

Here is an action shot of me trying to keep Ryan Conklin still so the medics could work on him during his Oscar-winning* death-throw sequence [11].  Other highlights include me getting the Lt. killed while negotiating for the release of a captive RAF pilot and me bashing my chin open and bleeding all over the place...for the crowd [12].  While not everyone was prepared to go to such lengths, we all looked good [13].

* 1944 "Best Male Newcomer" in Saving Ryan's Privates

My dad came down again this year [14].  We hit the flea market [15] and toured some of the other barracks displays: 5. GJD [16],  Großdeutschland Division [17], 136. GJR's arsenal [18].

The FIG staple, barracks life, was good again this year.  Here's a shot of me and the rest of the shorter guys, disappointed because we weren't needed to help reach objects on high shelves, down the road, in the cold, in the snow...so we stayed Lilli-put and drank beer [19].  As we discovered, nothing goes with beer like Singaporean durian fruit candies, now with more gasoline flavor!.  These were passed around to the delight of the men.  Notice the delight [20].  Afterwards, the survivors [21] got ready for the big dance/talent show at the Community Club on post [22]. A crowd favorite was the ___ bagpipe team [23] who provided entertainment through the night.  As usual, we were forced to make an early tactical retreat to avoid belligerence of all kind.

Naturally, the bad behavior was resumed immediately back at the barracks [24].  The big poker game was underway, so Gary and I went down to see what Jerry's party looked like [25].  We had a couple drinks of Schnaps [26] and everything was going well until the Cossacks showed up, uninvited.  They drank all the vodka, tried to steal the wild boar's head off the wall and kept menacing the guests with the testicles they had removed from "some Stalinist pig" earlier that evening [27].  We thought it was a good time to leave and headed back to the barracks.  Things were quite enjoyable back at the barracks: drinking, talking, listening to music...until the personal balloon-tying jester of Satan himself entered our midst [28].  Hell's harlequin hurried in to inspect Doshu's wall locker for some of his master's souls he had apparently misplaced, before slinking wordlessly back to the undergloom trailing ash and flame.  Understandably, this had the effect of  instantaneously terrifying all present into a futilely sober state and vaporizing the party beyond any hope of revival.  I have suppressed the rest of the evening.

Below are some photos of modern vehicles used in training underway at FIG: CH-47 Chinook [29] , Stryker LAV [30] and UH-60 Blackhawk[s) [31, 32]

Newly issued equipment: Pathfinder Patch, Original 1941 Class A Dress Tunic, Classy woolen sweater vest which came highly recommended by SSGt Weaver, who now seethes with invidiousness!!!!!!

Elements of the 508th were late being supplied (by Atlantic Wall), creating a rush to clip ammo and pack supplies before the drop [1].  It was dark by the time we secured our positions, so foxhole digging [2] and firewood gathering [3] was in the dark.  We were hoping for snow, but around 02h30 the cloud cover cleared, sending the temperature further below freezing.  A few patrols of the line helped keep the blood flowing.  Speaking of flowing blood, the most action I saw was as the victim of a "night of the bayonet" style attempted fratricide.  I was apparently mistaken for an infiltrating SS officer sleeping in my own foxhole and subsequently mêléed about the visage with an M1 stock.  Allegedly I had been speaking (German) in my sleep, but I maintain my innocence and suggest a conspiracy dating back to as early as Torrance '06 when I was "accidentally" bludgeoned with a 1919 browning to the face.  After that, the night passed uneventfully with only the occasional light probing of our line and German flare overhead.

The German offensive began in earnest early the next morning, but was handedly defeated by Lt. Neil's textbook ambush.  Withering MG fire was initiated from Position Muskeg, followed by small arms fire from our holes along the treeline and a second concealed 1919 position held by 1SG Soltis and T3 Soltis^§ [4].  Shown here is a photo of myself and the Lieutenant shortly after he was heard to announce "Von Rundstedt, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!" [5]   

^§ Winner of the best-beard competition in the non-Taliban category;  Sgt. Weaver was the sole entry and unanimous winner of the Taliban-density division.

While awaiting orders, we were honored with a surprise inspection by 506PIR vet Red Falvey [6].  The Captain brought him up to get a look at the troops in action.  Also in the photo is new recruit Ryan Conklin, recently returned from Tikrit and Baghdad with 3-187ID, 101ABN. 

After scattered fighting we regrouped and were sent to retake a bridge which had been left vacant during the night.  This involved some marching [7] and more marching [8], followed by a break [9], then some diversionary marching [10] before some more marching [11] and, for a change, marching through puddles [12]. 

The Germans were dug in at the bridge and allied casualties had been quite heavy before we arrived.  In order to dislodge them we coordinated simultaneous attacks from both sides of the creek.  After a river crossing that made taking the Waal look easy [13], Lt. Neil led our assault on the far side while T-4 Tokeshi lead a fateful Banzai charge on the original bank.  Ultimately both were unsuccessful and we were forced to retreat.  Easy company troops remaining at the end of hostilities are seen in the photo below [14].

We took a small farmhouse [15] from a group of Germans [16] later that afternoon and finally had a roof over our head for the night.  Sgt. Weaver even got a roaring fire going [17] and for extra Aryan bonus the fuel was comprised of 6,000 copies of the Washington Blade gay newspaper! [18] In a shadowy scene reminiscent of May 1933 we kept warm while simultaneously helping to purge the un-German spirit.

After the Säuberung we headed to Streekers, just to make sure none of the smoke had adversely affected our healthy and natural orientations.  If you thought Ryan was ferocious in the field, you should see him with the wives/girlfriends at the bar...it took all of Doshu's smile-and-wave hyperbole to avoid a second Den Of Iniquity incident.

Newly issued equipment: Original M1935 Bedding Roll (Property of Vincent ___ Jr)

   The weather was a little shaky initially at Ike's Farm [1] but cleared up nicely for Saturday and Sunday.  Despite the ideal weather, the turnout seemed low this year.  Even with lower attendance, the 1SG's demonstration was once again a crowd favorite [2].  Volunteers were scarce after the first woman nearly lost consciousness midway through being geared up and 1SG had to do the rest of the spiel in FF.  Afterwards, Lt. Neil ran a short course on weapons cleaning and maintenance [3].  Another nice addition to the group was the field kitchen run by Kiesling, Mike & Ann.  The food was great and other than cracking 6 dozen eggs for breakfast I was able to avoid KP duty [4].

Highlights for the event included a wresting match between one of my staff members, PFC Seeman, and a jerry can [5], an unplanned Hercy Bird flyover [6], and a multiple-attempt flag-raising debacle that passed for morning colors [7].  Later a defected airborne trooper __(get Jeff's Russian rank + name)_ [8] stopped by from the eastern front, presumably to steal winter gear and ammo.  The swing dance was fun [9], but we had to hit the bars afterwards.  We started downtown at The Pub, where sisters were apparently assigned to entertain anyone named Soltis.  Around 01h30, Lt. Neil decides to lead a light recon mission to some tinder-box deathtrap of a dive bar that he has good intel on.  The local white trash, bikers, and thugs-in-training were less than thrilled about us showing up.  It would have been like Mogadishu `93 getting out of there, if we hadn't linked up with elements of the 3rd Ranger Battalion.  Unfortunately, these elements hadn't re-acclimated well to civilian life and with a healthy dose of booze, went on a foam-mouthed diatribe praising us while delivering several catch-phrases at air raid volume.  This established brotherhood and allayed any local suspicion that we were not wearing desert digital.  For the rest of the evening we were toasted as patriots and the pineapple-scotch shooters came pouring in gratis! [10]

Sadly the evening was marred by two acts of questionable assault.  First, PFC Jeff Andrulonis was attacked by a pair of twinks in the men's room of a local diner at 03h30.  Apparently his wide stance caused some misunderstanding which resulted in hurt feelings then escalated into outright aggression.  He was able to, for lack of a better word, man-handle, his attackers who aborted their revenge plot after seeing that we had Doshu at the table with us!  The second attack came later that morning in the darkness of the 508th's GP medium tent.  Cpl Benford heard noises from within the tent, and upon awakening was allegedly propositioned by an unknown assailant.  Benford was unable to identify the man's voice through the torrent of snickering, but did detect a pineappley-lager smell.  Although the attacker made no attempt to force himself on Benford after the initial offer, the Corporal so incensed that he remained bitter and falsely suspicious for the remainder of the weekend.

The veteran attendance for the event was very good, partially because of the 11th Airborne reunion locally.  One tough paratrooper there for the meeting was Pvt. Lloyd Wade (C Company, 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 11th ABN, Original Cadre) [11].  He told Doshu and I about a failed jump he had during the dedication ceremony of a new airfield.  The plan called for troopers with alternating white/camo chutes to jump over the airfield, providing an interesting visual effect for spectators.  The problem was that the green paint used to convert white chutes to camo glued the chute together, making it impossible to deploy.  Because it was a relatively high jump (1,500ft AGL) he had time to deploy his reserve, but still took serious abuse for "ruining the ceremony". 

A few of the 506th vets stopped by to see our equipment displays.  Col. Shames accused Doshu of inventing/forging much of the winter gear, especially shoepacs, which he claimed never to have seen [12].  Red Falvey overheard the comment which sparked a competition for the distinction of being the most under-supplied and thus most hardcore company/battalion in the war.  Claims included "Forget extra socks, our guys didn't even have feet", "I Company stands for idiot", and "We never knew there  was 3rd battalion".  I hope that I can hate my friends that well after 60 years!

Gottfriend Dulias was back at the show this year.  I was busy so I didn't get to ask questions from his book (Another Bowl of Kapusta), but I did say hello and get his signature on the photo from last year [13].  The only presentation which I was able to attend was by P-47 pilot Capt. Abner Rainbow (391 Squad, 366th Group, 9th AAF) [14].  He flew 105 combat missions, some in support of ground forces and some escorting bombers, but all in the Thunderbolt.  He showed us his modified Ike jacket, which had a custom flashy bright red liner.  He claimed that all the fighter pilots wanted that done and the tailors made a bundle.  He also said that he was never afraid of Luftwaffe planes, but that the Germans were awfully accurate with FlaK.  To top things off he mentioned that earlier that day, he signed a book for Gottfried Dulias as "The one who got away", just to give him a hard time.

Newly issued equipment: Reproduction Belgian fourragère for Class A's

The line-up of aircraft was spectacular this year, easily surpassing last year's roster and whipping Reading as well.  There was an large array of trainers, 3 Spitfires [1], 4 P-51's [2], 4 B-25's [3], 2 C-47's [4] and 2 B-17's [5] which were parked so close to our encampment that every time one of them taxied, we needed everyone in the company to hold down the tents.   All of the planes flew at one point during the show.  Unfortunately, a main bearing failure in the #1 engine of the HAG's C-47 left it grounded for most of the weekend. 

Having so many aircraft made for interesting formation flying.  The P-40's [6] and P-51's [7] were great to see and the Canadian Harvards put out serious smoke again this year [].  However the most spectacular formation of the show was the "heritage flight" of an F-16 Viper with a P-51D Mustang [X ,Y].  You can't tell from the photos, but the Mustang pilot was mashing on it while the Falcon pilot had to point his noise up at 30° to keep the jet from falling out of the sky.  Incredible control required by both pilots to synchronize their machine's performance thresholds!

During the weekend I held out hope for a B-25 formation.  With 4 planes, there would be enough for a small V, but it never happened.  The B-17's flew at the same time, but only in series [11].  Maybe it was the weather, but it was a bit daunting to have the heavy bomber fly directly overhead (Dresden-Cam) [12].  Where is the Luftwaffe when you need them?!??  

The modern demonstrations were also well above average.  In addition to the Falcon demonstration prior to the heritage flight, there was a C-130 Hercules drop [13] and a few unsettling passes by a B-2 Spirit [14,15].  The announcer explained that the stealth had flown in from Whiteman AFB which is the only B-2 point of departure.  Consequently B-2 pilots are currently flying non-stop 30+ hour missions from Missouri to Iraq/Afghanistan!! 

Speaking of pilots with serious flight time, Bob Shawn (316th TCG / 36th TCS) was back again this year and still most comfortable in the cockpit [16].  Mike Ingrisano was also back by the C-47 and carrying on as usual during our airborne equipment demonstration.  Also in the audience was Lt. Les Smith, a B-17 co-pilot (94^th Bomb Grp, 332 Squadron) who was shot down over the North Sea during his first mission on Dec 11th, 1943 en route to bomb Emden (Niedersachen, Germany).  After Miss Mary was crippled and set afire by FlaK, Les bailed out over the bay of the Ems river.  He broke both tibia upon impact and would have drowned if a wind hadn't dragged his chute to shore.  Thereafter he was a "guest of the German government" for 17 months at Stalag Luft 1 until the Russians liberated the camp on April 29th, 1945.  Another vet Cpl George McKenna (513 PIR 17th ABD), stopped by our encampment to tell some stories and pose for a photo [19].  He was a pathfinder for Operation Varsity,

the largest airborne drop in history made in a single day (540 C-47 Skytrain aircraft, 72 C-46 Commando aircraft, and 1,300 gliders - verification from Osprey PENDING).

Mike's chute pull was that evening and despite several rounds of intense questioning, it was a pretty hilarious affair, complete with the mandatory Doshu-isms [20].  Mike's chute was green, but the general consensus was that the location prohibited the Guantánamo-level degradation the occasion warranted and new legislation was quickly passed by the pathfinders mandating that all future chute pulls be conducted at Torrance, which is apparently exempt from the Geneva Convention.

Newly issued equipment: reproduction leather liner helmet chin strap (details from Sgt Weaver), canteen (details from 1SG), 2 incorrect reproduction_____ fragmentation grenades

For this year's Reading event, the guys from the 25th ID let me fall in and do PTO with them again.  Our turnout was great because the North Carolina chapter of the 25th came up for the event [1].  We had a great location and even more bamboo and sandbags this time around.  Many of the guys custom built sleeping quarters [2] while the officers took advantage of those pre-existing [3].  As usual, three squares were provided in the mess tent [4,5] and the food was excellent.  During the airshow, we had rotating 1-hour shifts at the Bofors AA gun, the watch tower, the mg nest, and the motor pit [6] and the M3 anti-tank gun [7] (until the airshow higher-ups parked a P-40 in front of it...causing much drama).  To pass the time, we read the special Reading Edition of Stars & Stripes News [.pdf] (levity prepared by Doc Hoover, in between amputations).  We could relax and read this year, because instead of the usual sniper fire we had a Jap Zero fly-over with plenty of warning sirens.  We got to burn some powder on that, until the P-51's blew him out of the sky.

In typical Reading fashion, it wasn't long until I got to test my pup tent in Solomon Islands weather [8,9].  It rained on/off all weekend [10], but there were enough clear patches that planes could get up.

This year's new layout put the crowds closer to the runways and made more room for displays.  This help to offset the absence of last year's heavy bombers (Lancaster and Liberator) and the second consecutive no-show of the Me-109E.  However, this year there was a new Mitchell (B-25J) Panchito [11] (named after Jason Ryan's hero Panchito Pistolas).  I got a chance to crawl under the Panchito [12] when she was on the tarmac.  The weapons bay doors were open and the 500 pounders (227 kg) were signed and ready for delivery [13].  I also enjoyed the ever-bizarre looking PBY 5A [14] and the crowd favorite B-17G Yankee Lady [15].  A ride still wasn't in the budget, but hopefully some time before they stop flying [16].

Dad and Jason Ryan came down for the show again this year and even though they had to pay to get in, at least we connected this time!  We took a look at the ground displays, which were plentiful and found some new items.  The Wehrmacht had the best hardware, including a 1941 Nebelwerfer (Rocket Artillery) which fired six 150mm rockets up to 7,500 yards [17].  Also on display was a Tiger I (PzKpfw VI Ausf. H) heavy tank (modified from a Russian T-34) [18].  This was the same monster that reportedly smoked up the place at FIG II this year.  Parked behind the Tiger was a Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd.Kfz.) 251/9 Ausf. D with 75mm L24 short gun [19] (as anyone named Doshu could instantly tell you).  Also shown is the American analog, the M3 [20], with this one happening to be "porcupine proof".  We didn't have to stick around long though because enemy agents were everywhere [21]!.  You would go nuts looking through binoculars like that too!

The public battle was the usual cheese-fest.  I did like that the Germans used mounted scouts to add realism [22].  I always get a kick out of the people watching the show as they run up and down the perimeter of the battlefield trying to maintain the best possible view.  Without fail they run down to the allied side as the Germans advance, and then, being the avid historians that they are, seem confounded when they have to come all the way back as the allies drive toward their inevitable victory.  Dad and I discussed this with my buddy Dalton (136. Gebirgsjägerdivision) [23].  He had a few belts of 7.92x57 to burn, so he engaged a few of the allied fighters that we doing photo passes for the crowd.  I doubt they were thrilled.

The abscence of aircraft was made up by an excellent collection of veterans.  Valor Studios sponsored three members of E Co 506PIR to come to Reading.  I was lucky enough to have my photo taken with Cpl Forrest Guth (left) and 1LT Buck Compton (right) [30].  I brought my Hang Tough - Bastogne 1944 print for Lt Compton [31] and TSgt Don Malarkey [32,33] to sign.  It started as a victory edition print signed by: Babe Heffron, Ed Shames, Herb Suerth, Buck Taylor, Shifty Powers, Forrest Guth, Earl McClung, Ed Joint, Wild Bill Guarnere and now Buck Compton & Don Malarkey.  There presentation were excellent.  I especially enjoyed Malarkey's lively stories of discovering Johnny Walker Black Label in England, falling asleep on the plane over the channel for D-Day and chasing after the Luger at Brécourt Manor.

Another veteran who I had the honor to meet was Major Dutch van Kirk [35] of the 509th Composite Group, USAAC.  Dutch was the Navigator of the Enola Gay Superfortress which dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima.  He was very friendly and autographed my copy of The 509th Remembered.

The most exotic meeting I had was with Oberleutnant Walter Schuck [36].  He was a Luftwaffe Ace (550 combat missions; 206 arial victories) who flew Me262's with Jagdgeschwader 7 (7th Fighter Wing).  He didn't speak English, so we talked for a while in German about the war.  I could follow most of what he explained, but once he got going, he was quite adamant!  He signed his portrait [37] from a collection of Me-262 Aces by Ferry Ahrlé called Turbojäger [.pdf].  I'm currently working on getting my hands on a copy of his book, Abschuss! (German-only text)

When I went to see Walter's presentation, I discovered that the American pilot who shot him down was also at the show.  Col. Joe Peterbus was a P-51 pilot with the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th FG during the war.  On 10 Apr 1945 he was escorting a formation of B-17's over Oranienburg, outside Berlin.  The bombers came under attack from group of Me-262's  and Col. Peterbus responded.  After a brief pursuit, he hit one of the German jets in the engine, causing a fire, but only after the 262 had shot down 2 American B-17's.  Col. Peterbus had no idea the jet he had downed belonged to one of Germany's top aces, Walter Schuck.  For decades he claimed that his most significant achievement of the war was the subsequent destruction of several aircraft on the ground, before being shot down himself.  That was until 1989, when Peterbus received a letter from a man named Werner ______, who was 13 years old boy who observed Peterbus' crash in 1945.  As a resident of the DDR, he had been unable to come forward with this information until reunification, but now it sparked 19 month search and excavation of Peterbus' P-51 Josephine.  Once the plane had been returned to the States, it came to light that the only Me262 with more than a single kill that day was Walter Schuck, with 4 B-17 confirmed.  Further investigation of records and wreckage and Walter's own account confirmed the hypothesis.  Joe and Walter had a second meeting on 18 May 2005 and have been friendly since [38].  Ironically, Walter claims that Col Peterbus effectively saved his life because injuries sustained while evacuating from his crippled 262 prevented Walter from re-joining the war!

Newly issued equipment: Original Pup Tent (Dated: _____) , Reproduction Leggins (Old Paratrooper/Size: __), Reproduction HBT Cap L (Old Paratrooper/Size: L), Reproduction Enlisted Belt (Old Paratrooper), Reproduction OD Pacific Undershirt

This year's encampment wasn't as big as some previous years because the timing conflicted with several other history/WWII events in SE PA including what was reportedly an excellent multi-period display at the War College in Carlisle.  Nevertheless there were plenty of attendees [1,2] and even some new displays.   The 2nd Naval Beach Battalion (including Lt. Neil's best friend) is posing by their sea wall [3].  As usual the 508th had our classy display of equipment and weapons alongside the GP medium [4].  The highlight of the event for me, and probably me alone, was my promotion to Corporal!  Seen here [5] is PFC Seeman, dressed in an MP uniform  in an attempt to sidestep my almost infinite sphere of authority.  The look on his face indicates how effective his future endeavor was.  After some groveling, I agreed to assign him to my staff for the duration of the event.

This year we were lucky and had a 3-504 PIR (82 ABN) veteran named PFC Bill Leonard stop by to see our display and get a photo [6].  He told stories all morning and then stuck around for a Q&A session [7].  He had great stories and certainly knew what he was talking about; he earned 3 stars on his jumpwings over 5 campaigns:

Bill told us about his battalion crossing the Waal River at Nijmegen, NL during Market-Garden .  It was a daylight river assault against SS troops to capture the North end of the Nijmegen bridge.  He said that every single soldier in his boat, including himself, was hit during the crossing.  Other topics included favorite recreational activities as well as typical prices for such goods and services.  While Bill was talking he mentioned that he carried a Thompson during the war, so we got him one and he got a kick out of handling it again [8].     

Of course, the swing dance was the big social event for the weekend, so we had to get fancied up.  The officers even shined their own boots [9] whereas I put one the privates on shine detail.  He's "before" picture [10].  Notice the look on Diffendall's face (back row, 3rd from right)!  That was prior to serious pre-gaming [11].  Everyone was pleasantly surprised when Zack busted out of ______ and came to one more event before his deployment, and as you can see, he took full advantage of it.  After the dance, the pirate flag was run up and we switched to rally caps [12].  Somewhere around this point, I thought it would be a good opportunity to exercise my new command and lead by example...by getting well liquored up.  After handedly defeating an already-hammered Doshu in a Naga-sake drinkoff [12], I had the rest of my schnaps, some beers, some vodka one-hitters, and a few flaming something drinks.  After that, there were allegedly antics, but all I recall is that reveille the next day, and everything to follow, was extremely harsh.  Fortunately, we were not attacked during my rehabilitation period and I (eventually) returned to active duty.

Newly issued equipment: _____

***************************   After Action Report   ***************************

Despite the pathfinder's Eureka beacon, the airborne were misdropped again this year.  Luckily it didn't rain hard and we made it to our rally point on Hill 30 [H18] before sunrise.  Once there,  we established a defensive perimeter [1] and covered the rest of our company as we assembled [2].  Word came down from the top [3] that we were to march north [4] and take a German-held complex [K5].  The building was heavily defended (video) and armored units [5] pushed us back.

We flanked and prepared to attack the structure from the west [6].   I was assigned to first squad which ran into an enemy  MG nest with predictable results [7].  After a third river crossing, we re-inserted ourselves and we tried a massed push under cover of smoke.  Our attack would have been successful, if not for lighting the field on fire [8].  In a cunning delaying action, the OKW stalled and we were forced to retreated [10] in order to defend another structure in hotzone [G/H5/6].  Apparently the Germans, lacked the necessary troops to assault our position and threatened to call off the war if we didn't let them defend the structure.

Due to premature cession of hostilities, there was still time left for a little 5v5 in the sanitarium. No Axis were invited so it was 82nd vs. 101st.  Quarters were close so grenades and smoke were heavily employed [13].  We would have lost the competition, if Lt. Neil wasn't holed up in the basement somewhere refusing to surrender like the Japanese seamen on Anatahan Island, 1951!  He claimed he thought the pamphlets were 101st propaganda.  We claim victory by enemy forfeit.

The rest of the afternoon was  devoted to photo ops [14,15] in the sanitarium.  My favorite, [16] was taken by Patrick Debroisse using an original Kodak 35 camera.

Even after the last shots were fired, the toughest battle, my chute pull , was still ahead.  The hazing started off simply enough with fetching firewood, forced donning of pirate attire and singing/dancing in blackface.  The vicious downward spiral began once I attempted to bribe the pathfinders with gin and tonics.  Twenty minutes and 2 liters of gin later, the frenzy was in full swing.  It was decided that for the entertainment of the committee, the candidates should take turns pushing each other down a hill in a wheelbarrow.  Fortunately, this was the tamer and more reasonable alternative to the heavily supported proposition that Patrick and I fight to the death.  The winner would become a full member in the 508th and the loser would have to try again next lifetime!  Fortunately, the mob settled for wheelbarrow luge.  Unfortunately, neither Patrick or I were sober enough to get the other down the hill or drunk enough not to feel the effects of our failure [17,18].  The antics culminated with mock bullfighting with the Captain as matador [19].  I was unable to take photos, but these were supplied by Cpl. "Who's" Kiesling?

After the talent portion of the event came the intense Q&A session with the pathfinders around the campfire.  The exact nature of the questions is considered sensitive material, but suffice it to say that it was a thorough grilling.  I knew the vote would be close, so I had a C-47 drop 10,000 campaign flyers [20] over the encampment.  As you can see, my Photoshop skills are intentionally reduced to 1940's quality!  The propaganda worked and I was voted a full member of the 508th! Diablo!

Newly issued equipment: ______ Field Cot, Footlocker Keys, Original Class A Dress Tunic and Wool Pants (Dated: _____)

The week-long FIG event, hosted by the WWII Federation, is the largest of its kind on the East Coast. This year 1,500 re-enactors, veterans, and vendors registered for the event.  Everyone stays on-post in period two-story barracks [1] in Area 12.  This was the only event I’ve been to where we didn’t sleep in tents or worse, so having a building, complete with heat and lights, was quite the novelty [2].  Our unit brought over 30 guys, so even with the bunkbeds we filled more than one floor.  Luckily there were 101^st Airborne troops on the second floor of our building and they had some empty bunks.  The vendor and flea market turnout was impressive.  Luckily, my flexible scherdule allowed me to be there when they opened, so I got some really good deals.  I picked up some wool scarves and a cut-off great coat in anticipation of the predicted snow [3].

The airbone tactical was Friday afternoon and all units had to have their gear and rations inspected [4] before being transported to the field.  It was the first event for the Captain’s  37mm M3, so the boys [5] were pumped.  There was a shortage of C-47s, so it was a bit of trek to get to the front lines [6].  Once we got there we dug in [7] and waited for the big counterattack.  My squad saw quite a bit of trigger time once things got rolling [8].  Unfortunately, the tactical was cut short at lunch time and the war was declared a draw and everyone got time off for Christmas [9].  It isn’t confirmed, but I heard that a Kubelwagen took a turn too fast and flipped over with three Germans inside!

Our unit was chosen to be the Allied component for public battles on Saturday.  All our drill time paid off as we made our sharp entrance [10].  In the interest of morale, we usually win the public skirmishes and avoid shooting German medics, if possible! [11].  Dad came down [12] to see our battle and inspect the barracks which were open to the public.  The best display we saw was that of the 2. Kompanie 100th Regiment of the 5th Gebirgsjäger Division.  The amount of mountain gear was surpassed by only the live accordion music [13].

After the tours, we took a look around the rest of FIG, which is the currently the Joint Force Headquarters for the Pennsylvania National Guard.  Earlier in the week we saw a column of Stryker ACVs , presumably part of the new 56^th Brigade currently being trained at FIG.  All week we saw Blackhawks [14] and Chinooks landing and taking off from Muir Army Airfield.  Also, I saw an Apache and several A-10s, but I’m not sure where they were from.   One of the newest displays was an  EC-130E, which had recently been retired [15].  Lt. Neil knew all about this plane because he was responsible for their maintenance.  It turns out that he had serviced this particular one in fall/winter of 2005 in Kuwait while it was flying missions in Iraq to broadcast and jam military and civilian TV, radio and communications. 

After the public battles we got a chance to visit the national cemetery at FIG.  It turned out to quite extensive with 677 acres and more than 26,000+ internments [16].  Also on the grounds is Pennsylvania Veterans' Memorial Amphitheater [17], which was either new or very well maintained.  I’d like to get back some time in the summer to see the memorial with the fountains.

As with any event, the highlight was the participation of the veterans.  George Shenkle, one of our sponsors from the 508^th was staying in the veteran’s barracks.  I met him briefly at Torrance last year, but this time I got a chance to sit and talk with him at length [18].  George jumped in Overlord, Market-Garden, and fought in Battle of the Ardennes, where he earned a purple heart.  He told me that the barracks were virtually identical to when he was transferred through FIG in 194X on his way to _________.  While I didn’t get a chance to chat as extensively with the vets from upstairs, I did get to shake their hands and get a photo [19]. In the photo are (l→r): MSG Clancy Lyall (WWII-Korea-Vietnam), PFC Guy Whidden (502PIR), SSG Red Falvey, COL Ed Shames, three of which served in Easy Company of the 506^th during the war, and PO2 Frank DeAngelis, a USN vet who does work with several veteran organizations.

Other highlights included the swing dance at impressive Community Club (former NCO club).  The house was jammed and things the band was playing hits from the 40s [20].  The competition in the talent show was pretty steep. We were thinking about entering Doshu’s act as The Magic of the Great Blendini [21], but despite his unique antics, it would have been difficult to beat the belly dancer.  Unfortunately, we’ll never know, because we decided to head back to the barracks to avoid the annual go-around with the clowns from airborne demonstration team in Ohklahoma.  We had plenty of drinks and carrying on to do back at the barracks.

Newly issued equipment: Original Enlisted Wool Greatcoat (Cut-Off), Repro M1941 Knit Wool "Jeep" Cap, Original M1943 Field Jacket Hood, Brown Wool Blanket #2, Rubber Overshoes, Repro Wool Trigger Finger Gloves; Repro Generic M1 Rifle Bag, 2x Original 0.50 Ammo Cans;

in 1772 to protect Philadelphia from invasion.  Strangely enough is was built by the British, who later destroyed it during the American Revolution in 1777.  The fort was built on Mud Island, overlooking the Delaware River (1).  It is surrounded by an extremely wide moat (2) with 11ft high walls of cut stone and brick.  The two ways over the moat are a causeway on the northern side and a permanent bridge on the eastern side (3).  Once across the fort, entry was still restricted by three sally ports, which could be locked from the inside (4).  This configuration made for an extremely interesting tactical. 

The scenario was loosely based on the capture of the Ludendorff Rail Bridge at Remagen (March 7, 1945).  The battle was a night tactical, so there was more confusion than normal.   Unfortunately, the 25th Infantry Division, who I came down to fight with, left early.  I got lucky and the guys from the 78th Infantry Division, who were hosting the event, let me fall in with them.  Our progress was stalled early in the tactical when the Germans closed the gates and apparently setup trip-mines with roman candles (perhaps supplied by Mussolini).  Eventually we got inside the fort, but were unable to secure our objective.  I broke even for the night, with a double kill flanking maneuver and two deaths of my own, including walking into an MG nest!

The best part of falling in with the 78th was their sleeping quarters.  Not only was I given a bunk, but it was near the fire.  I haven't slept that well at any event yet.  While the Allies got the barracks (5), the Axis were relegated to sleeping in the casemates (6), which were drafty and dank.  Apparently, they attempted to use captured Dutch alcohol to stay warm.  Despite the warmth, we had similar drinking plans of our own (7).  After breakfast and a brief tour of the fort the next morning (8), I hit the road, hoping to be over the Rhine before the bridge collapse.

Newly issued equipment: Repro M1943 Field Jacket & Trousers (WhatPriceGlory), camouflage cute scarf, repro leather chinstrap, mock leather paratrooper gloves

This event is held yearly at Ike's Farm (1), which he bought in 1950.  The farm is still functional and the original farmhouse can be seen in the background (2).  The 508th had another good turn-out (3).  From the photo you can see that the ground wasn't turned to mud this year.  1SG Joe recruited volunteers for the usual equipment demonstration (4), which drew quite a few spectators.  Jerry did some demonstrations (5) as well, but were met with far less enthusiasm.  The highlight of the event is when I got a chance to meet Leutnant Gottfried Dulias (6), a veteran with the Jagdgeschwader 53 (53rd Fighter Wing) of the Luftwaffe.  On March 4, 1945 his ME 109G was hit by ground fire and he was taken POW by the Russians.  He was taken to a forced labor camp south of Stalingrad where the Russians worked him until well after the war had ended (Victory Day was May 8, 1945).  When he was too sick to continue working, he was shipped back to Germany in a cattle car train in November 1947.  At this point nearly 90% of the 4864 German POWs counted at wars end had been worked to death or killed in captivity.  Gottfried had barely survived and weighed 30kg (67 lbs) at the time of his return to Germany.  We spoke for a while and  he autographed my copy of his biographical book, Another Bowl of Kapusta, which I am reading now.

After the sun went down the National Apple Museum Dance Band played for the small swing dance.  The dance was followed by bedlam in downtown Gettysburg (9). Doshu was on a rampage, defeating Zack in their drinking competition, but suffering significantly the next day (10). Dehydration is a soldier's worst enemy!  I did a little CivWar (11) site seeing in Gettysburg, but didn't have nearly enough time to do it justice.  Maybe next year.

Newly issued equipment: WWII M1 Garand Rifle (S/N: 663043) (3), Brown Wool Blanket, Grandfather's restored WWII foot locker

Everyone got an early wakeup when the P-51 buzzed our tent at 05h15 Saturday morning.  (Sunday we got to sleep until 05h25 until the mustang flew through our tent).  Because I was up early, I took advantage of the opportunity to photograph a few of the T6 Texan advanced trainers (2).  They did some impressive formation flying (3,4).  Also flying was a mock-up of the famous B-17, the Memphis Belle (5).  They were taking people up, but rides cost $450/half hour.  I saved my money and  found a fairly comprehensive poster of American WWII aircraft (7) instead.  Midway through the show, an F-15E (Strike Eagle) (8) came by to do a quite loud and impressive flight demo.  The exponential increase in aviation technology was instantly obvious.

The most interesting Axis plane was the Ju-52.3/m (Tante Ju) transport/bomber (9).  This plane was used heavily in the historic Unternehmen Merkur (Operation Mercury), the May 1941 airborne invasion of Crete, the first mainly airborne invasion in history.

The organizers invited our group to the event because they had a restored C-47 which was used by the 50X^th for the drop on D-Day (10).  We had never done this event before, but with an invitation like that, it was impossible to refuse.  Giving tours of the plane was Michael Ingrisano Jr. (11), a radioman in the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron, 316th Troop Carrier Group of the 52nd Troop Carrier wing.  During his 21 months overseas he helped drop paratroops from the 82^nd Airborne into Sicily (Operation Husky) and Normandy (Operation Neptune).  He was incredibly lively and told stories all day.  He told us that in order to eliminate earlier friendly-fire incidents, all allied planes had to be painted with invasion markings (stripes and the invasion star, composed of a Yank white star inside the British roundel) for the Normandy Invasion.  After the German's caught on, the pattern was changed so the stripes would extend only below the star.  During all his stories he never mentioned that he had won the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citation with two Oak Leaf Clusters and nine Battle Stars.  I found out while reading a collection of his wartime letters entitled And Nothing Is Said, which he inscribed for me.  Towards evening, some of the Red Devils got some time to gear up for shots around the goonie bird (12,13).

Newly issued equipment: Repro M2 Switchblade, Repro 1918 knuckle knife with original M8A1 sheath (11)

Luckily, I arrived in Lock Haven after the tornado activity.  Apparently some of the planes had been lifted up by the wind and blown into the next rows (1).  The weather remained less than perfect (2), but it was good enough for flying (3).  In fact Lt Neil to take me up in his 1946 Taylor Craft BC12D, after he woke from his rather pleasant dreams of conquest (4).  My apprehension of flying in a 70 year old airplane (~130MPG top airspeed) wasn't helped when he explained that the fuel indicator was basically a coat hanger attached to a floater in the gas tank (5).  Apparently, when the rod drops level with the hood, you're out of fuel!  Also visible is the state-of-the-art navigation system which indicates we were flying approximately west (5).  The altimeter, which was one of two needle gauges in the plane, was not shown here...because it was broken!   After patrolling over Lock Haven (6) we returned safely to report no sign of the Luftwaffe. 

We had a baseball game (not shown here because someone nearly drove the ball through the wing of a vintage aircraft) before we broke out the rifles (7) for our tactical.  As it turns out, the 508th was the only re-enacting group present and our tactical, although announced well ahead of time, confused and frightened the docile public.  Here is a group photo of some of our guys standing in front of an Army recon plane (8).  From a simplistic standpoint, the most interesting plane I saw that weekend was this 1929 Great Lakes 2T-1 (9).  Although we got paid for this event, I doubt it will happen again.  The plane ride alone was worth it.

Newly issued equipment: M1949 Type 1 Mountain Sleeping Bag with M-1945 Water Repellent Case

For the air show, I was stationed with the 25^th infantry division (tropical lightning/electric strawberry) on Guadalcanal (Jan 1943).  Here's a photo of some of the men playing cards on Tojo's Tiki Bar (2). Our cook did a great job with chow and everyone loved the food (3).  We all had to take turns manning the .30 on the guard tower (4).  Apart from visitors, out perimeter was quite secure (5).  Notice the LCVP (Higgins boat) in the background.  Group photo of our unit (6) around the Bofors gun (40mm anti-aircraft autogun).  Gen. Patton delivered a motivational speech to his troops before one of the mock battles (8,9).  The flamethrower demonstration got out of control and the fire fighters had to put out the grass between the runway.  We could feel the 3000º flame in the audience (10).

The air show had quite an impressive roster [pdf] of fully-operational aircraft:

The axis displays were quite good as well.  I stopped by the German-occupied French town, but no luck on scoring Mittagessen (27).  Earlier in the day, my dad and I witnessed the interrogation of two downed Luftwaffe pilots by the RAF.  It was a good effort, but we thought the SS would have better ways of making the captured RAF pilots talk...they did (30).  Here's a photo of us with two Luftwaffe pilots (31) who were just leaving for Coventry...something about a sonata.  Here's photo of me with two Bersaglieri (32).  Non hanno portato nessun fucile, ma soltanto calici di cristallo pieni di vino.  I found Lt Neil (34) at the hangar dance (33).  After things died down we headed back to Guadalcanal for the after party.  It's extremely important to maintain a high hydration level in the tropics (35).  "You've been spoon by the 25^th!". 

Newly issued equipment: Repro 508th DI Crests (SaundersInsignia), Original Waterproof Jungle Food Bag (Dated: Dec 14, 1943), Original M1942 Mess Tin (Dated: 1942) with M1926 Fork, Knife, & Spoon

Our company compiled a display of typical weapons and equipment used by the Airborne in WWII (1).  Our sleeping quarters (GP medium tent) was also open to the public (2).  Occasionally we would put on a demonstration, such as a simulated drop, to educate the public/haze the new guys (3).  Other allied groups included the 2^nd Armour (4) and 25^th Infantry Divisions (5) from the PTO.  The Heer was there too but they had some cooking problems (6).  I was lured over by their medal (10) and ring (11) collections.  II like the photo I got with them, despite feeling out of place (12).  Speaking of being out of place, take a look at this MG-42 demonstration (13).  Hostilities were avoided, but just in case there were vintage medical supplies on hand (14).  Other displays focused on life in the 40's (15) and propaganda.  Goebbels wasn't the only one putting out high-quality hate, check out these beauties (16).  There was swing dancing to music provided (17) and of course, the 508^th* was looking sharp (18). 

* I was neither present nor looking sharp at the time this picture was taken.  Instead I was washing blood off of my the divisional patch of my class A's.  My poorly-lit insignia sewing rampage ended when I lodged the needle in my finger.  Although significantly less blood-loss resulted, this is the second consecutive event in which I have been pathetically wounded!  (It's either all that, or they just hate me...)

Newly issued equipment: Original ____ early/late war helmet (6) with _____ liner, Original M1936 Belt Suspenders, Original M1923 Dismounted .30 Cal Cartridge Belt (Dated: ____), Original M1936 OD#7 Transitional "Musette" Bag (Dated: _______) Original M1943 E-Tool (Dated: 1944) with Original Carrier (Dated: ____),

Original M1910 OD#3 Dismounted Canteen Cover, M1942 Canteen with late war plastic bottle screw cap, M1942 Stainless Steel Cup, Original M1924 First Aid Pouch, Original Unopened Carlisle Model First Aid Packet

It was getting dark and the planning was well underway (1) by the time I got down to Allied HQ on Friday.  I was assigned a cot in one of Easy's 16-man tents and got my gear together.  It began to rain and continued through the night.  Reveille was 05h00 followed by simulated airborne misdrops at 0600.  The scenario for the tactical:  Allied airborne units will be misdroped behind enemy lines with orders to secure strategic objectives on the battlefield while the main infantry forces spearhead an advance through the German lines to establish a foothold in the Axis-controlled European countryside.  After assembling a small squad we linked up with other airborne units at our initial bridge objective.  We then proceeded to capture and hold the nearby building which was our second objective.  After the German offensive failed to materialize, it was decided (2) that we should attack them at the German-held sanitarium.  Despite our poorly executed bounding attack, casualties in the open field were high (3).  Clearing the basement of the sanitarium (4) required several grenades, but eventually we were successful (5).  The next objective was the German HQ, which was defended by a half-track (6).  It was knocked out of commission long enough for a photo op (7).  There was scattered fighting thereafter, but the will of the enemy was broken.  I did get to ride in a Willy's 194X jeep (15), but the driver was such a maniac, that the .30 cal machinegun snapped off it's mount and smacked me in the mouth!!  Luckily the barrel wasn't hot and I have tough lips!

"The two most dangerous weapons the Germans have are our own armored halftrack and jeep. The halftrack because the boys in it go all heroic, thinking they are in a tank. The jeep because we have so many Godawful drivers" - ironically, Gen. George S. Patton Jr.

After the tactical there was general merriment around the fire (16) before the gathering at the local VFW (17).  I don't know if there were problems translating the invitation or maybe they were sore losers, but no SS showed up.  Anne came down for the dance (18), but there wasn't much Lindy hopping going on.  We still had a good time and got to socialize with the troops.

Newly issued equipment: Repro M1942 Re-Enforced Jump Suit (AtTheFront), Repro Corcoran Jump Boots (SOURCE)