Der Gemsenjäger
Frontblatt der 5. Gebirgsjäger division 2. /GJR 100
F.P.Nr.24971c 25 Februar 2007
Kameraden,
It’s been some time since I have written a newsletter so here it goes. This year promises to be an exciting time for our unit. We have some new events that are in the works and this website I believe will be a super addition to the unit.
Before I go any farther I would like to express on behalf of the entire unit our deepest condolences over the most untimely death of a good friend to our unit and all of the reenacting world, Henry Venetta. Mr. Venetta was the founder/owner/operator of the WWII Vehicle Museum and Learning Center located in Hubbard Ohio. He was also an advocate of keeping the memories and stories of veterans alive. He will be truly missed.
For those of you that still have not paid your unit dues you are past due. They are due by Jan. 31st. Also HRS memberships will be required this year for all active members. I will be mailing out the HRS application forms shortly along with a letter from our CO. Gustav has asked me to sign the applications for him.
Thanks to Friedrich and Georg we now have a new source for some reproduction equipment and uniform items that are very well made, including helmets! There is going to be no more excuse for not having a helmet. For around $80 you can get one complete! Please contact one of us for more info. And start saving your pennies for we plan on putting in an order by spring. In the near future we will be posting a link to the vendor on our links page.
Great news! Our website is now listed on At The Fronts links page and WWII HRS units page. We are now officially listed as the 5th Gebirgs in the HRS. I would like to congratulate Friedrich Schmölzen on the outstanding job he has done on our units website. I dare to say it is the BEST unit website out there. And it’s only going to get better.
A special thank you goes out to Oberschütze Hans Bröchter who despite living in Las Vagas Nv. has been sending me lots of info on events and other going ons in the reenactment world. Yes he’s still a member of this unit. Keep up the good work!
Concerning events, I have finally received word that there will not be an Akron air show this year. Somebody really screwed up on this one! On June 23-24th we will be having a training /battle session with Chris K’s 101st airborne unit near Cambridge. We attended one of these two years ago and it was a really great time and a great learning experience. I highly recommend to everyone that participates in the field that you attend this event. Another new event that is in the works is a display/ public battle in Dennison Oh. At the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, August 10-12. They are having an American Soldiers Homecoming Festival at the site of a WWII Canteen that served 1.5 million GI’s. We will be checking out the area in the near future to determine weather or not it’s good area for a public battle.
I will be in the near future be making up some more gear boxes, and coolers so if anyone wants one or two please let me know ASAP.
FIG
Januar 25-28th
This years FIG event was like usual a very good time, and for me one of the most relaxing events I have ever been to. Of course there is always the mad rush to get set up and squared away when you first arrive but after that we can slow the pace down and just have a good time. Of course our barracks was the envy of the whole event completely decked out with all kinds of Gebirg gear. Thanks again goes to the Hoch’s Gebirg’s for all there efforts and contributions. They set up one kick butt communications display and even had a class on how everything worked. It is just amazing what our two units can put together. Our other secret weapon is the musical talent of Pieter Taber and his accordion. He seems to draw a crowd everywhere he plays. Thanks for all the great music.
Other honorable mentions go to Oberschütze Mlynik for hooking us up with Grossdeutschland’s field kitchen for meal times. The food was great! And of course Jäger Siemens and Oberschütze Mlynik for going all out with all their display items to really transform the barracks.
We had the honor and privilege of meeting several WWII veterans and I meet three Iraqi war vets. The biggest trill for me was meeting two B-17 ball turret gunners visiting our barracks together. We offered them a drink and they sat down and told us their stories. Both were shoot down over Germany on their fourth mission but at different times. One was a POW for thirty-two months and one for eighteen months. They both ended up in the same POW camp when the war ended. There is just too much to write about here, but I hope to always remember their story so I can pass it on to others.
Saturday was open to the public and boy was it busy. We had to post a guard at the door entrance to limit the amount of people touring through. Our barracks was busy with people from about 9:30am to 5:30 pm. We were even interviewed by CBS news out of Harrisburg Pa. Also we had a professional photographer do a photo shoot and that was pretty cool. I’ve been in contact with him and he’s sending me all his photos on disk. Hopefully the good ones will end up on the website.
Our unit was personally invited by one of the premier East coast reenactment units Grossdeutschland to participate at the invite only March FIG battle, which is quite an honor. Unfortunately our schedule is just getting to full to make the long trip.
We really needed a couple of more days just to spend time going around and visiting all our friends and acquaintances in this great hobby.
Reickert, Oberjäger und Gruppen Führer