Background
While some dramatic recreations of wartime events had been staged for theatrical purposes (the movie Theirs is the Glory, for example, was filmed on location in Arnhem using veterans of the battle) and for military purposes (the last days in Adolf Hitler's bunker were recreated by the actual participants at the insistence of their Soviet captors), the reenactment of World War II as a hobby traces its roots to the Historical Reenactment Society (HRS).
Not long after the first LHRA event in 1975 — an offshoot of American Civil War reenactment — World War II reenactors began to form permanent groups, each adopting the designation of a specific military unit that had served during the war. Some of the earliest organizations were the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler reenactment group in Missouri and the 352nd Infanterie Division 916th Grenadier Regiment II Bataillon 5 Kompanie reenactment group in New England. Since that time hundreds of units have formed across the world, representing nearly every nationality involved in the conflict. World War II reenactments also began in Canada around the same time, though evolving independently of their American counterparts.
In the UK, one of the longest running groups is the Second Battle Group - formed in 1978 - and also portraying 1st SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.
The typical WW2 reenactment will last two to three days, with each unit establishing an encampment. Allied units will bivouac together in an organized camp while Axis units will bivouac nearby but in a distinctly separate area differentiated by either open space or physical barriers. Generally, these encampments will attempt to establish a general representation of soldiers in the field, organized in a military manner but modified slightly to permit display of particular items such as weaponry, personal gear, historical charts and pictures, and equipment. Participants will often sleep with their gear, so arrangements for existence gear (such as food, water, and toilets) is often made as well.
Read more about this topic: World War II Reenactment
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