atgunner
Penal Battalion Conscript
Posts: 5
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Post by atgunner on May 18, 2006 21:37:43 GMT -5
just wondering, why do you portray the unit that you do. Ive seen lots of a.) guards units, is this just because they were elite? and b.) purely rifle units, Kit is easier would be the answer on this one I assume?
For us, we do artillery support roles (Leningrad AA) because of both veterans I have talked to, and the complete lack of anyone doing it. We used to do 124th guards, but decided guards units are way overrepresented, not that its a really bad thing either.
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Post by Konstantin on May 19, 2006 9:02:48 GMT -5
Well, we chose the unit we did because of the over representation of guards units in the hobby at that time. When we started looking to form a unit there were two units in the area. 8th Guards and 13th Guards. Red Army basically revolved around the 8th Guards in this area back then.
So naturally we decided a basic rifle unit would be best. Only criteria was they had to have fought at Stalingrad and Kursk. So we hit the books and came up with the 416th, 112th. Granted their role at Kursk was minor, however we came to later find out they had a huge role at Stalingrad.
The ratio of Guards to Rifle units has come down in recent years with more rifle units coming in, so it's all good now. LOL We russians just need more vehicles. Hehehehehe
-dave
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Post by john atgunner on May 25, 2006 19:23:18 GMT -5
anybody out there do intendance? legal? medical?
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ivanpopov
Red Army Man
Za Rodinu! - Za Leningrad!
Posts: 11
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Post by ivanpopov on May 26, 2006 22:04:58 GMT -5
I do a good skulker in the rear impression...LOL!
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Post by kubanskoi on May 10, 2007 18:37:10 GMT -5
There are a few of us in Britain that portray 10th Kuban Cossack Guards Div. A high percentage of cavalry divisions were guards very early in the war
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Post by bendanov on May 10, 2007 23:05:31 GMT -5
My friend was one of the founding 8th Guard members. I joined because we reenacted CW back in the day.
We do an earlier 1st Guards Mortar impression to do the time before the 8th Guards.
Martin
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Post by Andy Blozinski on May 31, 2007 0:55:18 GMT -5
I'm in a guards unit, but I haven't worn the badge in a while because mine was screwed up and I was lazy. I just got another one, but it's not terribly important to me to wear it. I have good kit, I like to ham it up and slay the fascists. i'm trying to memorize Russian folk songs to sing. That's mroe important than the badge to me. Actually I got a labor award for which I'd love to find a reasonably priced medal to wear. That I'm really proud of. someone email me at pollock1939@yahoo.com if you know a place to buy one.
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3apkka
Penal Battalion Conscript
Posts: 3
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Post by 3apkka on Jun 4, 2007 0:40:55 GMT -5
we portray army (guards infantry) airforce and naval infantry depending on the occasion. Our main impression has gravitated towards naval infantry probably due to the fact our training and main events are held in a cosatal defence fort (built to keep the Russian navy out in the 1880's) we live on the coast and three of our members are ex sailors. It also attracts attention and we are sick of being identified as Jap's or GI's. Due to the nature of re enactment here ( australia ) we are more into living history than tacticals etc. I would be happy to hear from anybody else doing naval impressions as information is a but thin on the ground.
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Post by horsesoldier176 on Mar 27, 2009 22:53:42 GMT -5
When I retired from the U.S. Army, I worked at a local business that employs hundreds of part time workers. I was full time, while I was waiting form my "real" full time post Army job to open.
Anyway, I was a team leader on a van load of older folks, moving cars around the property of the business. One of my regular guys was an old "Russian". Turns out, he was really a Ukrainian, but most of the folks around here can't tell the difference. After a few months of working together, he became comfortable with me, and began to tell me some of his war stories. It is his unit, and the many harrowing acts he described to me that I try to commemorate with my primary impression.
While we worked together, one day I got a call on my radio, to report to the office. I dropped my people off to move a load of cars, and went in to the office. I was meet by the General Manager, the director of operations, and the director of personnel. I was taken over to the personnel office, and there outside the office were several (very obviously) eastern European men, including a couple senior Russian Army officers, in full uniform. I was introduced to the one General, and the senior diplomat from DC in civilian clothes (sorry, can't remember any names). I was then instructed to bring my whole crew in to the cafeteria at break, less than half an hour away in time, for a brief ceremony for Ivan, my Ukrainian guy.
OK, so I did, well we get to the cafeteria, there are all the big shots from our company, the big shots from Russia, and Ivan is very confused, at first. The diplomat makes a few remarks in both "perfect" English, and Russian. Then the General stands, he reads a citation in Russian, while his subordinate officer (a Colonel) translates into English. They then present a medal to Ivan, he is crying, and smiling. We all get a shot of vodka (Probably the only time alcohol has ever been permitted on the property), we toast Ivan, get a piece of cake, and are soon sent back to work.
Now, you may ask why all this hub bub for an ex patriot Ukrainian 50+ years after the end of the GPW? It had finally been realized, just over a year earlier, that Ivan, this lowly Ukrainian mounted rifleman, had been the first Red Army soldier to successfully kill a German Tiger tank, and he did it by hand, so to speak.
He had been in a spider hole, and when the Germans advanced that day, he ducked down into his hole, and the Tiger rolled over him, or very close. He climbed out of his hole, lite, and tossed two gas bombs onto the rear deck of the Tiger, then attached a magnetic mine to the lower rear plate, and pulled the igniter, ran back to, and jumped back into his spider hole.
BOOM
No more Tiger tank.
It took the Russian military 50 some odd years to realize that Ivan was the first Red Army soldier to kill a Tiger, and they came all the way to Pennsylvania to honor him.
I, by a pure stroke of fate, and luck, was there to witness this.
Hence, I portray Ivan's Red Army unit. The 25th Ukrainian Mounted Rifle Regiment.
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Post by dixieflyer on Jun 9, 2009 11:09:51 GMT -5
I ended up in a Guards unit just because that is the local unit in my area. It is neither here not there to me really, I'd be just as happy if it was a regular rifle unit. My goal is to portray an average frontovik. Aside from wearing my Guards badge, what is the real difference? None that I know of. I would love to come out to some other events and maybe fall in with some other folks if my group is not attending. Apart from taking off my Guards badge, I can't think of anything that makes my impression different from the average Soviet rifleman in the '41-45 timeframe.
Yuri
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Post by andreev on Jun 9, 2009 12:19:46 GMT -5
I'm pretty new to Red Army reenacting, actually in my "rookie" year. I spent 12 years reenacting American paratrooper--back before all the Hollywood movies. After SPR and BOB, it was sort of embarrassing going to reenactments and only seeing Airborne. So I purposely went from the most over-represented to the least represented aspect of our hobby...IMHO, most of the current, original historical research in WWII is geared at the Red Army, so it's cool to be a part of it...As for the "abundance" of Guards units: I think it's because most of the early war RD's that fought so courageously became Guards units. So by default, if you choose to reenact a quality RD, you'll probably end up in the Guards.
Just my two kopeks,
-Matt
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Post by dixieflyer on Jun 9, 2009 12:48:16 GMT -5
I think there is a lot of truth to that Matt. If you want a unit that lasted through most of the war, you're going to end up with a Guards unit. I did explain to my son, who said our unit shouldn't attend a certain event because of the conflict of timeline vs. our designation, that our impression is about as generic as you can get. Just add or subtract a Guards Badge, switch out your tunic, change weapon if need be, and . . . .viola! You can cover nearly the whole conflict.
Yuri
PS: I ended up in an A/B outfit when I first started doing this Matt, not because I wanted to, but it was the only one close to me. I did 509th PIB, and it is still the one US A/B I have the highest regard for, and had a sterling service record. Much longer than any unit in the 82md or 101st!
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Post by velodya on Jun 11, 2009 12:08:45 GMT -5
I'm brand new to this time period. Before this I'd done CW for a year, but wanted a change. I looked into all the different impressions out there. I moved away from American and German because they are so common. I wanted to find an unusual unit. I looked at what was near the DC area (where I'm going for college), and the 25th Ukrainian Mounted Rifle Regiment was there. The second I saw that, I knew I wanted to join.
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Post by horsesoldier176 on Jun 11, 2009 12:21:25 GMT -5
I'm brand new to this time period. Before this I'd done CW for a year, but wanted a change. I looked into all the different impressions out there. I moved away from American and German because they are so common. I wanted to find an unusual unit. I looked at what was near the DC area (where I'm going for college), and the 25th Ukrainian Mounted Rifle Regiment was there. The second I saw that, I knew I wanted to join. Tovarisch Velodya; ...and you are very welcome among our ranks! Sr. Sgt. Boridin |
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Post by velodya on Jun 11, 2009 12:46:27 GMT -5
Tovarisch Velodya; ...and you are very welcome among our ranks! Sr. Sgt. Boridin Spasiba stashi sarzhent! I'm glad to be here. -Velodya |
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