Road to Victory: 130. Panzer Lehr Division

It was beautiful weather today for a military reenactment: not a cloud in the sky, a slight breeze, and temps in the mid-80s. Granted, it was a bit warm to be wearing a wool uniform. As one of the organizers said, WWII uniforms weren't made to be worn in Florida.

We arrived shortly after 10 o'clock this morning. The festivities were in full swing. Since my wife was feeling under the weather, it was just Jeremy and myself today. We were hoping to take our neighbor, Bill Peebles, but he was out of town this weekend. Bill is an 86-year-old WWII vet who served in the 36th "Texas" Infantry Division from 1940 to 1943 as a .30cal machine gunner. He was in North Africa, landed in Sicily, fought at Anzio and into Rome, and then landed in the South of France. He ended his service as a gunner in the Air Commandos. He was wounded five times and survived being shot down over Germany. I'll have a special blog post soon about Bill and what he did for Jeremy a few weeks ago.

130. Panzer Lehr Division Reenactors
This evening's photos are of the 130. Panzer Lehr Division 5. Kompanie, a reenactment group here in Central Florida. (Click here for their website.) They have a sidecar and a "mobile" museum. The museum has a large collection of authentic artifacts, many of which were brought back by US servicemen after the war. Since I collect china, I enjoyed looking at china and silverware that once belonged to Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. A bit creepy to think they ate off the same plates I was looking at. Anyway, I bet you all are more interested in the hardware, so on with the photos!

MG42 and ammo boxes.

Motorcycle and sidecar.

In a rare moment, a German commander gives a friendly lift to a couple of American GI's on the promise of giving them some fresh strudel and hot kaffee. He might have been lying...

 

The Mobile World War II Museum

This original PIAT caught my attention. I can see why it took a brave soldier to fire one of these!

The German's encampment.

The kompanie lines up for a weapons demonstration.

Two young French partizans wander into the SS road block during the Normandy invasion. Luckily, their papers were in order and were allowed to pass.

Watching the German road block and waiting to attack are the lead elements of an American recon force. They'll have to hold the line until the M-8 Greyhound and rest of the force can catch up. Stay tuned for more reenactment photos, including American WWII units, Signal Corps, Vietnam, Union Civil War artillery, and modern equipment. And the battle at the road block!