Historiker

I recently heard from another Kooble Kar builder. Ken was kind enough to forward me some photographs of his finished car. It’s a beauty! Hopefully we all can put together some type of community to trade information.

Josef Kiesenhofer…

There was a really nice story in the News & Observer about Herr Josef Kiesenhofer who fought on the Ostfront in World War II, managed despite all odds to survive and then raised a family in America. Herr Kiesenhofer, who died Nov. 9 at 96, lived another shining example of the American immigrant story raising a family and overcoming adversity. Link to the story http://www.newsobserver.com/life/story/222543.html.

Very nice photo from the story; Herr Kiesenhofer on his krad B.

Well we’re back home after the Waxahatchie Veterans Day “WWII Weekend”. It was a chance to see all my friends and make some new ones. The Texas reenactors were out in force… Someone asked me ‘who was there?’. Hmm it’s kind of like birdwatching, trying to spot and remember all the various groups you see; so here’s what I saw and can still recall, my apologies to groups I missed…

• 13 DB Légion Étrangère - out in force
• 101st Airborne
• US Army Rangers
• 82nd Airborne
• 167 Volksgrenadier - out in force also with an R-71
• 45th Infantry
• Baker Company 1st BN 141st Inf Reg
• 984 Grenadiere Regiment - out in force
• Fallschirmjäger-Rgt. 2 - a small but fierce kampf gruppe with an R-71 and an R-75 (real)
• Lots of Wehrmacht Gebirgsjagers from several different units with trucks, and a 222
• Lots of SS though I didn’t get their unit either

  A nice surprise was the Gebirgsjagers from San Antonio had a new vehicle; a nice replica Leichter Panzerspähwagen 222!
  

  The Dallas Fort-Worth flickr group was out in force as well, all of them dressed as war correspondents, most Allied, but a few “embeds” with the Axis as well! They were a nice addition; thanks Guys and Gals!

  One even snapped a flattering photo of me on the R-71!
  
  Photo from Steve 3D“, Thanks!

  Here are some links to photos from the day from the DFW flickr group. If you select each individual photographer’s name under the photos it will link you to more shots that each person took there are some really great photos here!

  Here are the photos that Lyn took…

  All in all a fun weekend, I’m already looking forward to Waxahatchie next year!

One thing that I really like is period music…

Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra with Chatanooga Choo Choo…

Benny Goodman Orchestra from Hollywood Hotel…

One of the nastier surprises used by the German forces in the latter part of the war was the shu mine. It was a small wooden box containing enough explosive to kill or horribly maim a soldier. Being made of mostly organic material with only a small amount of non-ferrous metal in the fuse they were virtually undetectable by existing mine detection gear.

I found a great source making replicas of these historical artifacts. They look just like the real thing! Next reenactment will be even closer to the real thing…

Some further information on German WWII mines can be found here…