Upcoming Patton Event! Shelby County Remembers: A WWII Living History Experience

Flyer image courtesy of Dave Weakly

 

 

Everyone press your shirts and tighten your ties!  General Patton is visiting Shelbyville, Indiana.  And he does not accept excuses!

Planning for this event has gone back a long way, and it's culminated in a great event with lots to offer!  Check it out:

• Dinner with General Patton
• Military and civilian fashion shows (let's face, ladies and gents- they knew how to cut a figure back in the 40's!)
• Weapons Demonstrations (Learn how the weapons that won the war, work!)
• Simulated USO area
• Military Displays
• Rosie the Riveter
• Military Encampments
• Grace Atherton's Military Tribute Quilt
• Military & Vintage Vehicle Show
• Home Front Display
• Saturday Dance

This is going to be a great event and every unit brings something unique, so we hope you can make it and we can make a great event even better!

Click Here to Register

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living (and flying!) History at Dayton

Photos courtesy of Wayne Coulter

Third Army living historian Wayne Coulter visited Dayton, Ohio for the yearly air show, bringing with him a full display of weapons, equipment, and other delicious goodies.

The Dayton Air Show always draws a huge crowd, and the displays- in the air and on the ground- are spectacular.  The air show includes demonstrations and displays from civilian and military worlds, both past and present.  Wayne was there to make sure the past was represented properly, and if I know Wayne, he did it with style (read: aviator sunglasses).

Pictured: Wayne bringing style to the Rockford display

 



The weekend went well, and the display was in good hands.  Which is good, because Wayne's display is a cut above.  Wayne has always been known for adding those extra items that bring something different to the table- as we all try to do. 

And as always, one of the greatest pleasures of WWII living history is meeting veterans, which is always an honor.

All in all, it was a successful event for this particular MP and for 3rd Army.

Catch you next time, G.I.

Camp Atterbury: Rain Can't Stop the Action

The Spring National Event at Camp Atterbury recently ended, and boy was it on a high note.

The rain came a-pourin' but nobody seemed to mind- least of all the trucks and tanks.  Units were mobilized via, among other vehicles, a wonderfully-restored, award-winning 1942 Studebaker.  Many of you probably know the vehicle and owner well, and wouldn't be surprised to hear that he had no qualms with muddying up the otherwise-pristine truck running G.I.s to and from the field. 

 No one will be surprised that the tanks advanced unhindered by the weather, though the Panzerschrecks the Axis units deployed were another story.

 

Man and machine were likewise muddy and wet, but it all came together for a very unique experience.  In the registration building, I remember some of the guys speaking rather enthusiastically about a particular action in a small creek bed near a bridge.

Allied units met heavy resistance from Axis men in the nearby treeline as they crossed the creek bed.  The Axis units were known to be in possession of anti-tank weapons, but the Stuarts pressed on anyway, rolling right into the creek bed.  From this position, they continued to support the G.I. units, firing into the treeline as the Allies pushed the Axis units back.

"I've never seen something like that anywhere else" recalled one attendant.

Everyone came back from the field with a grin and a good story- Axis and Allied.  I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to the next even at Camp Atterbury.

Photos courtesy of Dave Weakly