So, why do Soviet?
One of the attractions that I found to reenacting Russia was how it was vastly under-represented. The Soviets lost 26 million lives on the Eastern Front, both civilian and military. It came as something of a shock to me when this number made itself known, and it's still something I'm trying to get my head round, even 2 years on. Surely it can't go under-represented, not at that cost?! There are less than 10 groups portraying Russia's war, and while as a whole they make up a relatively sizeable portion of reenactors, compared to the numbers of American, British and German groups, it's like a drop in the ocean of reenacting. It was this under-representation that drew me towards the Motherland in the first place, and if the weight of those 26 million men, women and children going somewhat forgotten isn't a good reason, then I'm not sure what is.
Another perk of the Soviet community is MONEY. Reece, my fellow blogger, has spent nearly £1000 on his Waffen-SS impression. By comparison, my post-1943 RKKA enlisted man impression, without some of the bells and whistles, has cost around half that. Weaponry is in relative abundance, thanks to the presence of Ryton Arms, a dealership that specialise in Eastern-bloc weapons and militaria, and the fact that thousands of examples of Mosin Nagant rifles, PPSH and PPS machine pistols and DP28 light machine guns were manufactured throughout the war, make RKKA firearms cheap compared to Western Allied or Axis firearms. My Mosin was £120, whereas a German K98 will retail for at least £200, even more for Waffen-SS stamped examples.
Uniforms and equipment are less expensive as well. The hallowed site that is Schuster.ru makes made to fit examples of uniforms both early and late war, as well as from the civil war, all for reasonable prices. I recently ordered a pair of late war breeches and a late war tunic, all for 150 dollars, bespoke. Compare this to the uniforms that you can buy in America that are made in China, and there's not even a hint of a contest. Belt equipment such as pouches, bottles and such are also easy to find. Schuster make them, they can be found on Ebay and through Voenspec.ru, another popular uniform and equipment supplier, the warehouse of which we visited in 2012.
The uniform, when worn, is also very easy to wear for long periods of time. Western impressions, especially German impressions, are heavy and can be uncomfortable after long periods. Soviet early war uniforms are somewhat similar in that there's ridiculous numbers of straps and bags. But late war impressions have all the equipment based on the shoulders, and the belt isn't kept attached to it, so it's easy to divest yourself of equipment after a while. The uniform is also somewhat baggier than Western uniforms, which A) makes them comfortable to wear on the way to shows and B) means there's plenty of growing room.
And there's the community itself. I've met some incredibly kind and supportive people through reenactment in general, but the members of my group are friends of the highest order, and incredibly informative and helpful to boot. It's rare to find a reenactor who isn't willing to help someone just getting started, and that case is exactly the same in the Soviet community.
I hope that I've been able to give you an insight into the mentality of why we Soviets do what we do, and that you've been able to appreciate the time and effort we put into portraying a side of the war that has been very much neglected by the media, Hollywood in particular.
I hope you've enjoyed reading, and I shall see you next post.
Ollie.
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