So, who the devil are we?
My name's Ollie, I'm the younger half of this blog. I turned 16 in May, and have been reenacting since I was about 11. It was my father who instigated my love of history, particularly Russia. As a young lad of 8, and being naturally inquisitive, I'd ask him what he studied at school, and he'd tell me of a mystical land to the east, called Russia. The tales of a royal family executed by the people, a mad monk who tore apart the last great European dynasty from the inside out, and the tragic upbringing of haemophiliac prince had me hooked.
Fast forward a few years, and a reenactment convention at Derby university, 10 minutes from where I live, was on. I attended, and got talking to a group called the 2nd Guards rifle division, who portrayed the RKKA from 1941 to 1945. I was aware of Russia's contribution to the effort to vanquish Fascism, but not overly aware. Unfortunately, I was unable to join, as the distance between Derby and Bedfordshire is sizeable at the very least. Fortunately I was contacted by a gentleman named Martyn, coordinator of a group who, like the 2nd, focussed on Russia, but this time the focus was on the First World War, the subsequent revolution and the civil war. As they were only based in Yorkshire, I found myself as a White Finnish boy soldier at the battle of Pechenga. I still have the pictures of a 10 year old, in borrowed uniform and kit, sweating himself slim in the July heat.
Unfortunately, my time with the group wasn't for long. We disbanded for various reasons, primarily because one of our members went into hospital with a brain tumour, and took nearly 2 and a half years out of the game. Martyn went to do American Civil War artillery, and I found myself without a group. Fortunately, I was absolved by my current group, the 13th Guards Poltavaskaya Rifle Division. After a few subtle uniform changes, I was a freshly recruited Sin Polka, or son of the regiment. It was with the 13th that I travelled to Moscow for Victory Day in 2012, via invite of a group based there, named Club Division, which was eye opening to say the least.
Aside from reenactment, I've just finished my GCSE exams, and hope to progress to 2 years of A levels. I'm into swing jazz, vintage cars, football and Sinatra-esque suits, and recently ordered a fresh uniform courtesy of Schuster, the Harrods of the RKKA scene. I'm looking forward to the coming season's events more than ever, having made a great many friends over the short period of time I've been involved with it.
I hope you've enjoyed reading, and that you'll stay with us for a long time
Ollie
Hello hello ladies and gents! My name's Reinhard Weber, I'm a new reenactor on the scene, a new member of Second Battle Group, a large SS reenacting society in the UK, representing the 1. SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler!
As a new reenactor, I will be keeping you posted on what it's like at your first event, what the experience is like for a new comer and of course, how fun it is for the first time! Now some of you might be wondering, "You reenact German? SS? They're nazis, right!?" I know, I know, a delicate subject! A lot of us German reenactors, regardless of whether we do Waffen SS, Heer, Luftwaffe or postal service have received a bad reputation lately thanks to the media, you may remember certain daily mail articles and the panorama documentary "weekend nazis", so I shall be putting all your concerns and questions to rest within the next week. If you're buzzing for more German stuff in the meantime, feel free to check out my youtube channel, bulletnumber9 (link below) for some detailed information on the equipment and uniforms of an SS panzergrenadier.
Im besten, kameraden! - Reinhard Weber ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzCOwlExUtTD61DaKxKgQA )
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