Historiker

Updating the web site…

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:57:45 +0000

I’ve been involved in a few updating projects at the website… I’ve added a few new pages; most notably a page on drop canisters, since they figured so prominently in FJ actions in Kreta. And a page with links to museums featuring FJ gear.

One other thing in progress is a language selector. Since a large part of my readership is non-English speaking I’d like to make the web site more accessible and useful for them. Over time I’ll add auto detection of language preference and attempt to provide a cogent translation. For those folks wishing to select the language on their own I’ll maintain a manual selection button or menu item.

I’ll also try to crowdsource the translations - so that they can be incrementally improved over time by the readership.

danke
-der Feld

Another web rant…

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:09:15 +0000

One thing that bothers me about trying to do research on the web is the multiplicity of reenactor sites that autoplay music. Nothing worse that sneaking in a little browsing on your break and suddenly loud German martial music blares from your cubicle!

“Hey You! Yeah you! the Nazi over there, turn it down!”

It’s hard enough to explain your hobby and then you get tagged with a reputation as a skin head or worse.

On Fallschirmjäger.net I’ve got a system of marking the links that do this. I figure there should be some warning that you’re going to share your browsing experience with everyone around you before it happens. So look for the links marked with “♪” symbols autoplay music.

Webmasters… no music, no splash intro pages, no flash graphics, unless your goal really IS to alienate your viewers.

Memories from March on Rome…

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:18:44 +0000

One of the nice touches done at the March on Rome event was the distribution of Feldpost letters for the German troops and the mail call for the Allies… It was a welcome surprise… even more so was to receive a letter from my friend Wolfgang who is posted on the Russian Front! Amazing that a letter would get through in late 1944! It was a welcome treat just before our date with the advancing Allies…

Here’s the envelope, quite nicely done…

And the letter from my friend Wolfgang…

POW Art…

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:44:22 +0000

Expanding my historical interest in POWs in America I’ve acquired a piece of POW art from an antique dealer in Minnesota. Nice piece with a preliminary drawing on the back, it even fits my decor.

Here’s the front side, quite nicely done…

The aborted image on the reverse side…

Kriegsgefangen

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:30:58 +0000

I grew up reading about POWs in Germany, my earliest readings were Eric Williams’ The Wooden Horse and Pat Reid who wrote the book on Colditz prison.

More lately I’ve been reading on the POW camps in the USA for holding Axis POWs. I started with Dr. Arnold Krammer’s book Nazi Prisoners of War in America (Editorial aside: of course you know the publisher appended “Nazi” to the scholarly work to put ‘zing’ in their sales effort - MBA’s at work monetizing everything…). I loved Prof. Krammer’s book it put a lot of what I’d seen in dropping by the former POW camps at Navasota and Hearn TX into proper context. The Navasota camp is near Camp Anderson which is one of our reenacting sites.

What sealed the deal were my visits to the internment camp at Fort Stanton. Amazing experience to see the industriousness of the internees in constructing the Gate House, Olympic pool and the Gymnasium.

The front of the gym, built by the internees in 1944, served the community up until the late 60’s then abandoned to the elements.

The interior, slowly degrading…

From the back side, showing the boiler room and basement entrance.

My friend Aaron contemplating a dive into the shallow end of the pool…

Looking from the pool shelter end of the pool, dirt has collected in the deep end…

The guard house, gutted by fire at one point…

New page on the Abwurfbehälter

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:52:18 +0000

One major difference between the Fallschirmjäger and the US Paratroopers was that the Fallschirmjäger jumped with only a pistol and his main fighting weapons were dropped in a parachute container for him to recover when he landed. This was a major problem in Kreta since many of the drop canisters (Abwurfbehälter) fell behind the lines of the British troops the Fallschirmjäger were to attack with disastrous results.

I’ve been toying with the idea of building an Abwurfbehälter from scratch. The version that I’ll try my hand at is the steel one. I’ve found quite a bit of information and posted it on a new page on the site here: DropCanister.

It shouldn’t be too much problem since I’ve already built two airplanes out of aluminum and have the skills and tools… Stay tuned…

A video from March on Rome

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:03:48 +0000

A video shot and edited by one of the 984 soldaten… really good!

Unfortunately since the video won’t allow linking you have to get there by clicking on the photo above.

Interesting merges WWII photographs

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:54:25 +0000

This photographer; Sergey Larenkov, takes WWII photos and merges them with the modern day view, not a side by side, but one over the other… for a really cool result.

Here’s a link to his site sergey-larenkov.livejournal.com

March on Rome

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:23:11 +0000

Wow we just wrapped up the March on Rome event… what an incredible experience. I’ll write more when all the other work I have to catch up on gets done but for now here are a few photos…

KvR Panzer III positioning for a shot at the Hellcat.

Hydration break while preparing for a counter attack.

Sani rests in the back of the Protze.

Armour moves out for a counter attack.

Scouting mission in the Kübel.

March on Rome

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:29:52 +0000

It’s just over a week left until the big event! March on Rome and I’m packing my gear - mountains of it (communications, pioneer, weapons and Fallschirmjager) also since I have two vehicles participating - the Kubelwagen and the R-71 there is final prep, tune up and loading to do.

I also have to lay out uniforms - my personal load out is different this time since I’m the overall Axis commander. I have to pack up quite a few items for other people that I’ve promised to outfit… hope I don’t forget anything…

This should be a very cool event. Oh and one other thing… it’s the first event where I’ll have the new PoV HD camera too!

Cheers!