Thevolunteervol4b.pdf

The Volunteer Magazine is the official club magazine of Ausreenact, World War
Two Re-enactment Club of Australia. We are proudly affiliated to the Australian
N 4
2015
Hill 400
&
Hobby
Show
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Battle for Hill 400
The much anticipated and well planned winter event took place on the 18th of July in the usual
surroundings of Kruger’s farm. The day was guided by planned battles and troop movements.
Erich took the opportunity to do a refresher with some info about uniforms and drill. The day
went well and we all had a blast. The day was also a first for Hanni (Stuka) who had not seen
snow before or travelled to the farm. We also welcomed for the first time Fritz and Dutchy
who together with guests Anthony and Jesse had an enjoyable day
However, we did have an injury though. Michael twisted his foot and was put out of action, we
hope Michel recovers soon as he, like all members, is an integral part of our club. Those who
braved the night did well as it wasn't very cold during the day but at night the temperature
plummeted. Once again we all thank the Kruger clan for putting up with us and we can only
look forwards to the next event at “the farm”. Big Thank you Cenda for the organisation.
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Vasily Zaitsev
This Hero of the Soviet Union killed more than 300 Nazi soldiers in the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II and
taught scores of other snipers.
Vasily Zaitsev was born into a family of peasants in the village of Yelenovsk
in the Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals. His grandfather taught
him to hunt at a very early age – as a child, Vasily would spend days in
the taiga together with his younger brother, tracking wolves, setting
traps and sleeping in the snow. He brought home his first trophy at the
age of twelve: a wolf that he shot with a single bullet from his first personal
weapon, a large single-barrelled Berdan rifle, which he was just
barely able to carry behind his back at the time. As bullets were scarce,
Vasily learnt to pull the trigger just once per animal. This is how he grew
up to become a sharpshooter.
In 1937 Vasily was recruited into the Red Army. Despite his small frame,
he was sent to serve in the Soviet Navy in the Pacific, near Vladivostok.
But when Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union, Zaitsev, like many of his comrades, volunteered to be transferred to
the frontline. At the time he had already reached the rank of Sergeant Major.
On the eve of 22 September 1942 Zaitsev crossed the Volga River and joined the 1047th Rifle Regiment of the 284th
Rifle Division of the 62nd Army. He made a name for himself during the first encounters with the enemy in the flame-lit
city. Then one day, Zaitsev’s commanding officer called him up and pointed at an enemy officer in a window 800
meters away. Vasily took aim from his standard-issue Mossin-Nagant rifle, and with one shot, the officer was down. In
less than a few moments, two other Nazi soldiers appeared in the window, checking their fallen officer. Vasily fired
two more shots, and they were killed. For this, together with the Medal for Valor, Vasily was also awarded a sniper
rifle.
Vasily Zaitsev’s name quickly became known across the Soviet Union; between 10 November and 17 December he
was credited with 225 verified kills, 11 of them snipers. The Soviets soon organized a school of snipers based in a
metal hardware factory, marking the beginning of the sniper movement in the Red Army.
“For us there was no land beyond the Volga,” Zaitsev once said in a famous quote, revealing his fervent loyalty to the
Motherland.Zaitsev would hide in all sorts of locations – on high ground, under rubble, in water pipes. After a few kills
he would change his position. Together with his partner Nikolay Kulikov, Zaitsev would hide and sting. One of Zaitsev’s
common tactics was to cover one large area from three positions with two men at each point – a sniper and
scout. This tactic, known as the “sixes,” is still in use today and was implemented during the war in Chechnya.
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In his memoirs, Vasily recalls a certain sly Nazi sniper he tracked for a week – they called him the “Supersniper.”
He was allegedly Heinz Thorvald, aka Erwin König, a high-ranking Werhmacht officer and head of the Berlin
sniper school. There is little known about König’s identify. He reportedly came to Stalingrad to kill Zaitsev, who had
already caused much havoc and drained Nazi morale. Zaitsev writes that the sniper was highly skilled and was
very hard to find. But when two of Vasily’s comrades were injured by a sniper, Zaitsev and Kulikov began searching
the area, and Vasily noticed a glimpse of light under a piece of metal. When Kulikov lifted a helmet on a stick
from a window, Erwin König fired and revealed himself as he peeked to see whether his target was dead. It was
then that Zaitsev shot him in the head.
The sniper duel is loosely depicted in the feature film “Enemy at the Gates,” directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
and starring Jude Law as Zaitsev and Ed Harris as Major König.
Vasily continued teaching Soviet soldiers while sniping Nazi troops until January 1943 when he was severely
wounded and blinded by a mortar. He was taken to Moscow, where he was operated on by Professor Filatov, the
famous Russian ophthalmologist. While he was in hospital, his rifle was given to the best snipers in his school. His
students, the “zaichata,” were credited with more than 6,000 kills during World War II.
With his sense of sight restored, Zaitsev returned to the frontline, where he continued teaching snipers, commandeered
a mortar platoon and became a Regiment Commander. He fought in Ukraine, at the Dnepr and in Odessa,
sniping the enemy at the Dniestr River. But during the victorious day of 9 May 1945, he was in hospital again. He
ended the war with the rank of Captain.
After the war, Zaitsev lived in Kiev, where he studied at a textile university
and then worked as an engineer before becoming the director
of a textile plant. Vasily Zaitsev died in 1991 and was buried in Kiev,
although his final request was to be buried in the land he fought so
hard to defend – Stalingrad. His wish came true on the 63rd anniversary
of the Battle of Stalingrad, when Vasily Zaitsev was reburied with
full military honours at Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, a monument in
honour of the millions of victims of the battle. His rifle is on display in
the Museum for the Defense of Stalingrad.
Vasily Zaitsev’s highest awards include: Hero of the Soviet Union,
Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner (twice), Order of the Patriotic
War (First Class), Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad and the Medal
for the Victory Over Germany.
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Hawkesbury Hobby Show 4th July 2015
This year’s Hawkesbury show was probably the best attended since we started coming
to Clarendon back in 2010. Member’s brought some of their “goodies” and even
the Zundapp made an appearance. The public also seemed to be up on numbers
which was great. Our club took a break from this event last year but returned with a
great display of many original and repro items. Though we did notice that there
seem to be less exhibitors inside the big shed.
One of the highlights this year was the vast array of uniforms present. There was
Hanni with her LW Flak heiferin uniform, there was Italian, W-SS, Volksturm and Heer
soladten as well as a detachment of Kriegsmarine personnel all the way from Canberra.
They looked great, all matched well and added to the overall display. On the
other side we also had US and Russian soldiers who, just like the KM, also added to a
wonderful display.
I believe that having had the time off last year made us appreciate this event as a
good chance to get together and network with current and new members. We hope
to see you all again
next year.
5

Armidale 2015
Once the cold of winter sets in you know the AGS winter event is not far away and this year there
was no exception. Once again AGS invited reenactor groups and individuals to attend their famous
winter bivouac in Armidale, NSW. We know it is a long trip, some of us have done it many
times, it takes over 6 hours to get there on a good run. This year unlike others we had a small
contingent, I recall we have about 12 people in 2013, in fact it was only Volker and Becker
(Graham) representing the club, I am sure they did a stellar job.
The feedback for this year’s event was very positive as there was some really good scenarios
and skirmishes. As it has been the case for many years now there was also a night battle. I recall
taking part on one back in 2013 which was great fun, a bit unpredictable and unnerving, the sight
of all that muzzle flash in a dark night was an experience that will stay with me for a long time.
I am sure we were all happy to hear that our Kameraden got back all in one piece, time to clean
the boots and field gear and to put that -10 sleeping bag back in the cupboard until another Armidale.
Here are some pics of the 2015 event as well of some others from previous years.
2009
2009
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Reichsadler
Because the eagle has long been regarded as a national symbol, it is still relatively easy to
find examples from the period of the Third Reich scattered throughout Germany - it was a
time after all of significant new construction, and adornment of existing buildings. They can
usually be identified by the (now empty) wreath held in their talons, and their relative
“masculinity / muscularity” when compared with Adler from earlier periods.
The Nazis did indeed pour a lot of concrete and carve a lot of stone.
To follow are four favourites from Sepp’s travels.
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The last great Battle of the “Blau”
Thousands of kilometres from their homeland, in a war that really
had nothing to do with them, armed with light guns unable to do
more than scratch Soviet tanks, and unintimidated by cold
weather that left the Avila, Guadalajara and other Castilian glaciers
like a nice summer’s breeze. Under these harsh conditions
and dressed in German uniforms reduced to rags, 4,500 Spaniards
belonging to the 250th Infantry Division of the
Wehrmacht (popularly known as the Blue Division) honourably
withstood the offensive of more than 45,000 men and 80 tanks
sent by the Red Army to Krasny Bor. Beyond ideologies and proclaimed
heroes or villains, the volunteers who participated in the
siege of Leningrad, the liberation of Paris at the hands of a French company composed mostly of
Spanish Republicans or spies, as Joan Pujol , strongly they influenced the course of the conflict,
are determined to refute those who still claim that our country played a remarkable role, for better
or for worse, in World War II .
The Blue Division was a unit of Spanish volunteers, in total it consisted of about 47,000 men, who
fought alongside the Third Reich on the Eastern Front . Despite the German demands that the
contingent was made up entirely of professional soldiers, it was finally agreed that the bulk of it
was to be made up by civilian volunteers, many of them opponents of Franco's regime who
enlisted with the ability to “clean their history”, as in the case film director Luis Garcia Berlanga,
with a republican family, but commanded by experienced officers of the Spanish Army
as Agustín Muñoz Grandes and Emilio Esteban-Infantes. The willingness to fight and Spanish
sobriety quickly attracted the praise of the Wehrmacht officers.
During military operations in the region Volkhov, near the historic city of Novgorod, the Blue Division
undertook some of its most famous actions in the course of its history. When in early 1942 a
Soviet offensive which sought to restore communications between Leningrad and Moscow
engulfed the German 18th Division, General von Chappuis appointed a Company of Spanish
skiers to save his men. This same general had previously doubted the capabilities of the Spanish
unit, but now resorted it to undertake a desperate rescue. Spanish skiers crossed a frozen lake at
the expense of their health, with temperatures of 52 degrees below zero and with little supplies, to
find after eleven days very few survivors of the German 18th Division. About twenty of them
needed both legs amputated due to the extreme cold.
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The height of their actions led Adolf Hitler, from the
"Wolf's Lair", to classify the division as a " ragged band"
of fearless men who defied death, brave men, hard to
deprivation and undisciplined. Recognizing also that his
men were glad to have them around.
Wrapped in an aura of infallibility in the eyes of the
Wehrmacht-which was at odds with the racist politics of Nazism, the Blue Division in 1943
reached its third and final year of existence. From the defence in the region Volkhov they moved
to the siege of Leningrad. There, the Spanish troops were deployed south of Lake
Ladoga, where they faced "Operation Iskra" umpteenth offensive to liberate the German siege of
Leningrad. On Saturday January 16, 550 troops from the “Blau” under Captain Manuel Patiño
Montes came to a wooded area southeast of Posselok to stop the onslaught ordered by Stalin.
As historian Xavier Julia Moreno explains in his book "The Blue Division: Spanish Blood in Russia",
the Spanish were distributed in a fan shape and barricaded with logs, branches and
snow. Under fire from mortars and rockets, the actions of Salvador Massip, a Captain who, after
being wounded on an eyebrow, in one eye and in one leg, died with his submachine gun still
gripped in his hands without having yielded one centimetre. In total, the battle in the forests of
Posselok killed about 70% of the members of the battalion, which forced Esteban-Infantes to
request the return of the men to less dangerous positions, a request that took weeks to be approved.
While the Spanish were still licking their wounds their darkest day arrived on 10 th of February
1943. In Krasny Bor, located in a suburb of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), 5,900 Spaniards
equipped with light arms faced for several hours the unstoppable barrage of 38 battalions from
the Red Army which were divided into 4 divisions, and supported by a large number of artillery
and tanks. This was, however, not an unexpected attack. The Spaniards suspected for ten days
that the Russians planned to take Krasny Bor and concentrated all their strength in this position.
Not surprisingly, knowing the location of an attack is just the first step in repelling it.
At 6:45 the Soviet attack fell upon the Spaniards. "The first line was almost crushed; The first
repelled Russian tanks had turned and were now going to Krasny Bor, breaching the October
Railway; nothing was known of the First Battalion under the Commandant Rubio; and the situation
of the 250 Battalion was unknown, although it was assumed it was very delicate "key catastrophe
described in one of the combatants of the battle. Without the necessary weapons to stop
the Russian tanks except for a handful of magnetic mines, a delicate situation became a really
desperate one .
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the Commandant Rubio; and the situation of the 250 Battalion was unknown, although it was assumed it
was very delicate "key catastrophe described in one of the combatants of the battle. Without the necessary
weapons to stop the Russian tanks except for a handful of magnetic mines, a delicate situation
became a really desperate one . Within hours, a thousand Spaniards
were killed in an attack as never before suffered by the Division.
That day, the Red Army fired tens of thousands of shells,
with an approximate rate of one shot every ten seconds.
Convinced that the brutal artillery bombardment had destroyed
any hint of life, Soviet infantry advanced against the Spanish lines,
overwhelmed by enemy superiority they crouched in their makeshift
foxholes waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. When,
they could the Spanish survivors mounted their MG 34 machine
guns and dug in craters produced by the Soviet howitzers. Then,
under the watchful gaze of Russian snipers, who ruthlessly killed
hundreds of Spaniards, a bloody melee between the two sides
unleashed. Surrounded by the enemy several divisional officers demanded by radio that the artillery
bombed their own positions at the risk of their life.
After nine hours and 45 minutes fighting alone, German infantry arrived to help the Spanish at 16:30. But
help came too late. From the beginning of the attack, the Spanish commanders requested reinforcements
which never came until the Luftwaffe had secured the ground. While the bulk of the Blue Division
retreated to Sablino, artillery under Commander Guillermo Reinlein still held its position until the morning
of the 12th when he was relieved of that duty.
The Russian army had evacuated the Krasny Bor sector and extended its grip on the front by about six
kilometres. At the end of the day the Blue Division had 1,125 dead, 1,036 wounded and 91 missing.
However, the spoils reaped by Stalin were too small to call it a triumph. He had lost between 7,000
and 9,000 men as a result of the stubborn resistance put up by the Spanish. The ambitious "Operation
Polar Star" had failed because of the high cost paid by the soviets in taking Krasny Bor from the Spaniards.
Ignoring the small print of the Russian victory, the English BBC heralded to the world that this
battle was the death of the Blue Division.
In the following weeks, the struggle to gain control of the west bank of the river Ishora -Objective finally
achieved by the German Army- cost the Blue Division 30 losses per day. On the 19 th of March, the volunteer
unit suffered a direct assault which amounted to 80 losses. Despite this bloodbath, the true blow
to the Blue Division would have a political context. Francisco Franco's order to withdraw the Blue Division,
dated October 12, 1943, coincided with the change in the Spanish position in World War II.
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Pictures of the Blue Division, Spanische Freiwilligen.
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Getting an Imitation weapons permit
As we all know getting a firearms licence in NSW is a rather complicated process. There is a
knowledge test, you must be a member of a club or have a genuine reason as to why you need
the permit and the cooling off period can seem to take an eternity. Now, if you want to look into
getting an imitation weapons permit that process can be even more difficult..but not impossible.
Since earlier this year the club has received its very own permit to have and carry imitation firearms.
This was instigated by Paul who worked tirelessly to have the permit and to acquire imitation
firearms. Paul and I worked closely with the firearms department and the hard “yakka”
yielded results. Now, if members want to have their own permit this can be done, all that is
needed is a number of forms and the $75 required. We can get permits for a number of people
at the same time and pay the $75 only once.
Here is a little explanation on how you can get your own permit to legally carry an imitation
weapon at an Ausreenact sanctioned event.
1) Members will be required to complete a P635 form (ensuring I, as the permit holder
complete section E). See pic of the form below.
2) include a detailed list of events for the upcoming year.
3) A letter from the Club’s president indicating that the member is a current member of Ausreenact
who is financial and insured.
4) It must be said that all imitations must be kept at Paul’s as he has the level 3 safe
needed. If Paul needs to travel or be away the weapons can be stored at another location
that meets the level 3 safety requirements.
5) All imitations must be “owned” by the club. The weapons M1Thompson, M1 Rifle, M1
Carbine, M1911 .45 Colt, Mg34, Mg42, Mp40, STG MP44, Mp28, P08 Luger, Walther
P38, M1910, PPSH 41.
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For Sale !
This section will be open to members to sell any original or reproduction WW2 items.
We do not accept responsibilities for items not paid or not delivered.
Current Items:
German M36 Greatcoat, early Sturm. Fits size 42/44. Great quality, correct length
= $160
For pics contact waffen _su@yahoo.com.au
Original German jerry cans, various conditions. Please contact Dutchy on
Matthew.koomen@gmail.com
Dead Funny
The oldest and tallest tree was cut down from the Black Forest; an event
which caused great disappointment among nature lovers. The authorities
hastened to explain that on his birthday, Goering had asked Hitler for the
gift of a mouth-organ.
A military encampment of timber huts was pulled down to make way for
brick barracks. A carpenter who was told to use the surplus wood to make a
wardrobe for Goering was unable to complete the order: there was only
enough wood to complete the coat-hangers.
2015 Calendar of Events
September Linwood 13/09/15
October
Battle of Berlin,
10/11 Tarago, NSW
AGM 29/10/15
Pemulwuy Hall
November
Family bbq 01/11/15 Battle of Ardennes,
21/11 Tarago, NSW
December
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Prasident’s Report
September 2015.
Kameraden,
My thanks to all members who have contributed to this edition of The Volunteer, and to
Erich for collating the various items and organising publication.
A welcome to those new members who may have come on board since the last edition.
We look forward to being able to meet you, perhaps at our next event.
I appreciate members’ flexibility when it has come to calendar adjustments, particularly
for the second half of the year. There are times when cancellations and date changes just
need to happen for a whole rage of reasons which are beyond our control. That said, there
have still been 11 opportunities so far this year for members to participate, with a further 5
still to come, so I feel that’s a reasonable figure.
Long distance events such as SA and Armidale have each brought their own benefits to
the club, enhancing our profile in the wider reenacting community and offering both new
experiences and opportunities for Kameradschaft; a chance too to see how other groups
operate. To those members who have been able to participate in either of these two major
events (or Graeme who managed both), I know your experiences will have been valuable.
The group now has a Facebook presence which I’m told is proving popular, but for all
members, the first port of call for any news and information will be the Yahoo webring.
Your contributions to all discussions there will provide the mainstay of Ausreenact’s ability
to function as an effective group. In this regard especially, while we all feel the push
and pull of school, work and family commitments, simply saying hello now and then –
dropping a line to let us know that you haven’t been over-run by the enemy – is important.
Onward to Linnwood!
Volker
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Yes that’s right! Our club now has a facebook page. The aim of it is not to take over the
website or the webring but rather work as yet another tool to get our club out there. Just simply type
Ausreenact on the search engine and you’ll find us. There is some pictures on the page but we hope
to add m any more as well as
Information about the club and upcoming events. So please don’t forget to look us up and if you
aren’t a friend yet, please contact us...and of course don’t forget to
Did you know?
Brazil offered a Corps of three divisions to the Americans. But they had no such force and the American
Army really didn’t want Brazilian troops… they were not well trained and had obsolete doctrine
and weapons. But FDR on a visit promised that Brazil would be allowed to get into the fight. At first it
was thought to use them to occupy Portuguese islands (Brazil is a Portuguese speaking country)…
then later North Africa… but it would ultimately prove to be the Italian theatre.
Brazil had more than 25,000 men of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought in Italy in 1944-
45. They also one Brazilian Air Force squadron of P-47s . All units of the Brazilian contingents
(including air) lost a total of 948 KIA and more than 2000 WIA by the end of the war. They had fought
on many hills and mountains and in countless villages.
The Brazilians were extremely popular with Italian civilians. They were all Roman Catholics… Their
languages had some common areas… and the Brazilian soldiers had a different view of the Italian
population than most Allied soldiers. The British after eating in mess tents… would dig a hole… toss in
the leftovers… pour gasoline into the hole… and torch it in front of starving Italian civilians. The
Americans would gather up leftovers and hand them out as charity when their soldiers had finished.
The Brazilians invited the civilians into the mess tents to eat with them. To this day some former
FEB members go back to Italy to visit the families that they befriended.
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The volunteer is a club magazine put together by club members for
club members. You are welcome to make suggestions and provide
contributions, please write to us at waffen_su@yahoo.com.au.
This issue could not have been published without the assistance of
Gustav Becker, Sepp Volker, Zara Moller and Michael Muller.