I am in the process of setting up a new re-enactment unit, representing the crewmen of an as yet unselected vessel (possibly U-556). At the moment it is mainly in the research stage and we are sorting out uniforms etc. I thought you may be interested in the unit. We currently have 4 members, uniform wise we are going for the dyed british denims but this is mainly temporary and could change in time. I was wondering if you knew of any good online resources for kit etc or of any veterans of the vessel. Thanks and all the best, Stefan (soon to be the engineer of a U-boat) [ 27. January 2003, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
Stefan not wishing to sound humerous at all, and I like to view the re-enactment stuff, Northampton has many such displays in the summer, ranging from romans, celts, medieval.... of which my brother in law takes part chain mail and all..And have own chapter of the sealed knott and love to see ww2 stuff at exhibitions and air shows...U Boat crew? Obviously the uniforms etc are probably withing reach, but what sort of display if any, i.e. what would you do, would you be at navy days type of things or what? Only ask because funnily I dont think Ive ever seen a naval re-enactment group never mind a submarine service group. Now thats going to be a lot of work?
U-boat re-enactment has interested me, but the lack of a 'natural habitat' seriously dampens the impression. A website devoted to reproduction gear is U-boat Uniforms. They are adding new pieces each week or two. I hope this helps you. I am interested in your ideas for U-boat re-enactment units. I would be interested in what your goals are for this impression. Feel free to contact me.
Well actually my mate has contacts with the U534 up north so we can do navy days there, otherwise I think that uniforms are going to be our focus mainly so that at public shows people have something different to look at. As for displays that is still under consideration, I was thinking that we could organise 'off duty' scenes and so on but mainly we will be a 'walking about' unit if you see what I mean. Actually we were discussing building a battle simulator, essentially a diving helmet with a red light in the front 'window' and someone hammering on the top. Anyhow we are still mainly in the idea stage. It is going to be a challenge and a half though yeah. Thanks for the site, I have seen it, it is good, I plan on ordering some kit soon. [ 27. January 2003, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
First of all, many thanks to you Herr_Kaleun and Stefan for your kind words about my website. U-boat Uniforms was started back in June of 2001 on ebay and went on line on Oct, 2002. Why? = My Greatgrandfather served in the U-boat arm from 1938-1945 and then in the Bundesmarine Nato Admin. from 1945-1968. However the side of the family I come from was caught behind the Iron Curtain and I did not get to meet my grandfather untill 1991 when I traked him down living in Aachen (west Germany). I was born is Dresden in 1964 and served as an Officer in the Volkesmarine as part of a Soviet made U-boat from 1981 - 1889. I got my Masters Degre in World War 2 Naval History and specializing in Kriegsmarine Uniforms. My mother was a clothing designer so I learned many tailoring skills from her. About re-enacting: We started out for collectors who could not afford the scarce and authentic uniforms. We then made some uniforms for short film documentaries upon request from Independant film makers, among them the History and Discovery Channels, Historical Honor and Award ceremonies, Custum Parties and such...... Now since the re-relised of the DC Das Boot movie and the U-571 film we have gotten many request for ideas on Re-enacting. Many of our customers belong to the WolfPack League http://www.sh2fleet.com/ and are happy to dress-up in full uniforms while playing Shark Hunter II online. I know that isn't exactly what you are looking for Stefan and you are not alone. I get over a dozen requests and suggestion emailed to me from all over the World in how to make re-enactment unit of U-bootsmen possible. We are working on this very hard with members of the Wolfpack League, historians and many re-enactors. In 2 months we will be releasing our best suggestions to the world. For now though......... there are 3 Kriegsmarine Re-enactors Units tat I know of. Each composed of Combat, Ship sailors and even u-boat crewmen complete with beards, overseascaps and some only wearing plaid shirts re-enacting the the British Raid on the U-boat Pen of St. Nazaire and other Pens such as Lorient and Bordeaux which were attacked by U.S. troops in 1944 during the Battle for Normandy. Yes, many U-boatmen who had just returned from their Patrols were defending these U-Boat bases fiercely some with MP-40's, rifles and even with just a Luger Pistol. In fact, the British lost the battle at the Raid of St.Nazaire. So for the time being my suggestion is to re-enact these historical battle scenes for several reasons. 1.The U-boat crewmen need to be recognized as good Field Combat fighters. 2.Your U-boat unit can interact with other Allied re-enactors on the Battle Field 3.Is Historically accurate and factual and 4.Your u-boat crew will be taking part of one of the most famouse battles of W.W.II. The Battle Of Normandy. Orders from Admiral Karl Donitz, June 7 1944. "Defend these Pens to the last man, every man! Cooks with knives, and clerks with pencils. We lose these Pens, we lose the U-boats!
sory ae misstype. served as an Officer in the Volkesmarine as part of a Soviet made U-boat from 1981 - 1989 (not 1889) are technology would not let us travel back in time yet......LOL
Rudelkampfer, thank you very much for your reply, in fact my own Herr Kaleun contacted you recently about uniforms etc and for advice on organising the unit. At the moment we are organising a boat to represent as well as several other key features of our unit. We decided that we did not feel comfortable representing an actual vessel because of the (relativley) small crews which would mean that we are representing particular individuals. We do not feel that we can comfortably represent specific men of a boat that was sunk or even those that survived in case they felt we mis-represented them. As a result of this we have invented a boat, U-112 (actually a vessel that was planned never sailed) and are coming up with a history for it including specific events and so on. Thus we avoid misrepresenting specific men (though my Kaleun liked the idea of being Prien ) and can have a lot of flexibility with our unit. We have decided to use the Edelweiss emblem for the boat with our own emblem for the flotilla (and so our unit as a whole). If anyone is interested in the specifics of this please contact me and I will pass on a copy of the 'history' when it is finished. I would particularly value anyone who is more knowledge of the subject than I (i.e. everyone here) taking a look over it and letting me know if there are any major problems, Many thanks, Stefan
This is one of the really good things about these Forums - despite this not being my 'area of interest' at all, I've found this thread very interesting to read. Keep the discussion going, guys !
Good Ideas Stefan. Also--for better Uboat advice than I can give--with a few exceptions--Ivan (herrkaluen) is much better qualified than I am on Uboat things but--I can help you out with uniform details and awards etc. I cant remember but--isnt U 556 Erich Topps boat? If so--I can get in touch with him. Now I know all of the surviving members of U 181 and their only living Officer was U 181s Chief Engineering Officer. Also--for sites that sell reenactment supplies--I think you can get some good Uboat items from SOLDAT, An Der Front and there is another--which I think is in Ireland that has great uniform repo items--some of the best ive seen but abit pricey. ill see if I can dig up their site and will let you know if I can find it.
PS--I CAN help you with some great U 181 info if needed. Just let me know specific things needed and ill see what I can turn up. Also--this is where Ivan can help too.
Thanks for the kind words, Carl. Rightly or wrongly, I have seemed to developed a reputation for being an expert on this subject...how this happened I will never know. Topp's boat was U 552, by the way. U 556 was Herbert Wohlfarth's boat and "little brother" to Battleship Bismarck. I also am able to contact many other U-boat crew members and captains. If I may be of assistance, please let me know. I am deeply interested at the possibility of developing a respectful and informative u-boat re-enactment group here in the midwest.
Hello Ivan and thanks for the CORRECT info--heh heh--I wasnt too far off--but far enough. PS--you rightly deserve the title of expert in Kriegsmarine things--besides--you also have one heck of an excellent site.
Thanks guys, we may be contacting you soon-ish. First we want to sort the details of our unit before 'opening' it to the world. We are hoping things will be up and running by summer, the best thing is that uniform wise you can basically kit yourself out at a local salvation army or Oxfam shop. I have a roll neck jumper (knitted by my nan) and a wooly hat that will do fine, trousers are my next priority.
I know for a fact that there are certain individuals here stateside who have Naval impressions, including UBoat crews. From what I remember, a certain specific U-Boat Captain living in the Southern California locale was treated to an entire U-boat honor guard for a birthday or something or another. A good friend and fellow reenactor participated in this, and still retains his "Leathers".
I used to be involved with a Kriegsmarine unit some years ago, depending upon what "look" you are going for, you can pick up uniforms quite cheaply. West German naval uniforms (blue wool for winter and white cotton for summer) were quite common some years back (PG Wing's surplus wholesalers used to have loads of them) along with the naval hat with interchangeable blue or white covers. The only thing you really have to do to them is put on the appropriate insignia and cap tally. If you can still find them, the East German navy pea jackets with the cornflower blue collar patches finish your uniform off nicely. The summer whites really do make you stand out - we once went to a "war on the line" at a steam railway and we got a lot of attention and photo requests that evening - but keeping the damn things clean is another thing! British BD serge or denim outfits with KM buttons and shoulder straps were common among U boat men. The Germans captured large stocks of them after Dunkirk and issued them to the Navy as working overalls They proved popular with the crews and when stocks ran out, almost identical outfits were produced by the Germans. Again, these outfis can be picked up relatively cheaply at shows. Leathers - not sure as to availability of these. Originals fetch high prices but I think there are some good repros available. If you get the chance, the Das Boot museum in Germany is worth a visit, they have the original set plus all the models used in the making of the film. uboat.net has more information about this museum. (will check address and re post if incorrect).
Good idea Stef, not having a go at all, just trying to get my mind around it as I'm a big Kriegsmarine fan. I take it you're going to stage mainly "special forces" or crew raiding parties. This is great but eventually, especially if you're living history, you'll have to have a "base" so, where will you find a Uboat? If you're going to do displays of any sort you'll need some ambience and while U-boat Pens seem like great idea, where are you likely to stage an event that looks even remotely like La Rochelle? Again, I'm trying only to be constructive. I'm sure it'll be great when it finally gets off the ground. ok. once that's out of the way you can get these on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3260260334&category=18671&rd=1 http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3259527975&category=18671 [ 12. December 2003, 09:16 AM: Message edited by: BratwurstDimSum ]
I am afraid the idea did not come to much, the group is running but I have been unable to get very involved because of financial problems. There were also problems with another re-enactor who set a terrible example for the rest of the community despite being a group leader. Maybe in the future we shall see...
