Where have I been since the beginning of July?
Well, I had my nose to the grindstone finishing up two projects. I traveled to Idaho. I also spent a lot of time with both my real family and my “found” family, the 272 Füsiliers.
Back in January, I knew the theme for this year was going to be “expect the unexpected.” That has come to pass in several ways, but getting involved with living history has absolutely blown my mind.
I knew years ago I wanted to get involved in some sort of historical reenactment, but I didn’t know what or when–certainly I didn’t need one more thing to add to my crazy busy life.
In July 2024, I met the 272 Füsiliers at the Geneseo (NY) Airshow. I felt like they probably thought I was weird, not cool, and trying to sell my books. (I intentionally avoided saying much about that beyond the fact that that’s where my fascination started.)
I can’t say what they were thinking, but I do know they welcomed me and by the time I arrived at D-Day Ohio 2025, I felt like I was already becoming part of the group.
A bunch of them ended up coming to our local Oktoberfest and that was it. I knew this was going to happen sooner than was convenient. I “officially” joined, and asked my husband for a uniform for Christmas. (Who does that?! Me.)
I have zero regrets. As I hear of instances where German reenactors are unwelcome and even told to leave living history events, it makes me all the more convinced of how very important it is to be brave, be bold, and tell the story from an unpopular perspective.
I’d like to start another blog series on my reenacting journey. I probably won’t catalogue all my events, only significant ones like D-Day Ohio, tacticals, and “dog-and-pony shows” that stand out for one reason or another.
Before I get to D-Day Ohio 2026, I want to share a bit about my impressions. My character is Ursula “Uschi” Schrader. (She’s probably Gunter and Jochen’s long-lost cousin who has yet to appear in any of my books.)
Uschi hails from Lower Saxony, the German region/state home to Hanover and the region where the original 272 was raised. (Many reenactment units strive to recreate true historical military units, and that is the case with mine.)
Sometimes, I portray Uschi as a civilian, and sometimes as a member of the German women’s auxiliary, aka Wehrmachthelferinnenkorps (your long German word for the day). Primarily, Uschi works in signals, but I’m planning to buy her another uniform jacket and cap so she can serve as a Helferin for the military police as well.
Sometime, I will devote a post to the German military police, aka Feldgendearmerie, which has become a new fascination of mine.
I’m still developing certain aspects of Uschi’s character, which is strange because I’m usually obsessed with creating characters. Maybe someday, when I’m not writing so intensely.
Debrief: D-Day Conneaut
After attending D-Day Conneaut last year as a spectator, this year’s event did not disappoint, although I have to admit there is something about a first experience that cannot be topped. I went in 2025 never having experienced a large-scale reenactment or such total immersion in World War II. For someone like me, it was living the dream. (Too melodramatic?)
As a spectator, I walked all over the festival, but spent much of my time in the Axis camp, where the German Army, Luftwaffe (air force), and Ostruppen units (troops from Eastern Europe who served under the German armed forces) are located. Not far from the main Axis camp is the German tactical bivouac, which I suppose is a not-so-threatening moniker for the Waffen-SS camp.
Of course it’s not about the Axis. D-Day Ohio boasts reenactment groups that portray US, British, and Commonwealth units (the Canadians have cool tents, and there are a couple of fellows who walk around in kilts and play bagpipes).
There are also Allied and Axis home front portrayals, a small display about the Polish troops who served alongside the British, and a fascinating contingent of French Resistance reenactors, which is what I would probably do if I wasn’t so wedded to “the other side of the story.”
Throughout each day, there are demonstrations, as well as “inland” skirmishes (primarily at a small bridge inside the park), all leading up to a big recreation of the Normandy landings on the shore of Lake Erie.
It is very realistic, although I was a bit disappointed when I realized the stick grenades didn’t do *something* when the Germans lobbed them at the Allies.
Can’t have everything.
As I said above, my role isn’t a combat role; it is clerical, and eventually I hope to assist in helping keep order. (When an MP or Feldgendarm speaks to you, you’re expected to listen!) When I reenact as a civilian, I watch the battle and then cry into my handkerchief when the boys surrender.
After returning home, I started listening to another WWII memoir, Blood Red Snow by Günter K. Koschorrek. I realized that the deaths of the young machine gunner’s comrades were hitting me differently.
I’ve read and listened to stacks of memoirs, but this was new.
Naturally, there are no real deaths in reenactment. The boys’ guns use blanks, and safety is a primary concern. Still…I’ve grown “attached” to these people. Without realizing it, I stood a bit more in Günter’s shoes, and his words were no longer just words; Günter’s comrades truly never came back.
Well, that was honesty at it’s grimmest. I want to share a few of the FUN parts of reenactment.
D-Day Ohio provides a Biergarten for its German contingent. As someone who has always loved to sing and anticipates every opportunity to sing with my German friends (some of whom are seniors and lived in the “Old Germany”)…
This was a peak moment. (Am I too old to say that?)
Then there was the USO-style dance, and here, I have to share my thoughts. I think that at that time, European (and maybe American?) culture saw dancing as more of a social thing than people do today. It was certainly a way to meet and get to know someone, but it was also an acceptable thing to do outside of that context.
I think we’ve lost something when we feel that dancing is only for people who are romantically (or physically) interested in each other. Again, the older Europeans in my circle have taught me that social dancing with friends is not taboo.
I have another event next weekend, my first “tactical.” (An event that is not open to the public, specifically focused on recreating battle scenarios and practicing the craft of reenacting warfare.)
For those who are wondering why anybody would want to reenact warfare, there are many answers. One is that we do this so that people don’t forget the past. Another answer is that a number of reenactors do, or have been given opportunities to, reenact in film (see my post on the film My Honor Was Loyalty). My opinion? Like writing about WWII from the German perspective, it is a worthwhile and important hobby, especially regarding WWII, about which there is still much we struggle to understand.
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