D-Day at the Durham Museum

Matt (29th Division), Jeff (Armored), Will (29th Division), Casey (101st Airborne) and Eric (2nd Rangers) at the Durham Museum train depot.

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered at Omaha's famous Durham Museum on Sunday, June 8. Our purpose for the day was to provide an interpretive display honoring the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.  The highlight of the day was seeing Jeff's replica steel hedgehogs for the first time.  The two hedgehogs, hand-built by Jeff out of wood, were extremely impressive and really set the stage for our display.  As a group we were able to represent the 2nd Infantry Division, the 29th Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, Armored Divisions and the 2nd Ranger Battalion.  It was a great chance to interact with the public, to get out ALL of our D-Day gear, and to pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on June 6, 1944.

The Durham people made two of these really nice signs for our exhibit.  We really wanted to take one home.

This is some of my Ranger equipment including a Life Preserver Belt and an Assault Jacket.  Note the Ranger diamond on the back of my helmet.

Some of my Airborne equipment on display including an M1A1 Carbine, a Hawkins Mine and a B-3 "Mae West" Life Preserver.

Here are a few personal effects like a Housewife Sewing Kit, a Shelter Half and pins, and some late-war style K-Ration boxes.

Matt looks like he's getting along great with a Navy pal of his at the train station.  The Durham has some really cool lifesized statues on display.

Not to be outdone by the infantry, I got in on the action as well.

Jeff is wearing HBT Coveralls, a Tanker Helmet and a Throat Microphone as part of his Armored Impression.

Casey stands loaded down with gear as a member of the 502nd Parachute Infantry.  Looks like he needs a few more grenades!

Here I am in my 2nd Ranger uniform with an M7 Assault Gas Mask Bag and my M1 Rifle in a plastic Invasion Bag.  Rangers lead the way!

There's ole' Will Green, that tough-as-nails First Sergeant, screaming at his men again!

The caption is pretty simple here folks, "Get off the beach!!!"

D-Day: Airborne in Normandy

The morning sun rises over Normandy revealing two armed and ready troopers of the Five O' Deuce.

Will, Casey and I jumped (from a truck) into Normandy (Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska) to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day on the night of Saturday, June 7.  We geared up for the event to portray paratroopers from F Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.  For our first objective, Will and I were dropped in the middle of field at 2300 hours and told to go find a concrete bunker and destroy it.  The half moon and clear skies provided us with enough light to make our way through snarled woods, along grassy tree lines and over winding muddy fields.  We met up with Casey a short while later with the help of our little brass crickets - an item issued to the 101st Airborne for the invasion.  Remember: one click is to be answered by two clicks!  The three of us finally found the German bunker and then pushed to the southeast throughout the night and finally made it to our second objective, Causeway #2, a little after 0200.  We held the ground around the causeway with the deep sounds of bullfrogs and crickets lulling us into a light sleep.  The combination of the cold ground and our wet clothing made the night rather uncomfortable with temperatures dipping below 55 degrees. We gathered up our gear by 0430 and then pushed on further to the south.  The sun finally rose to greet us just before 0600 as we ate some rations and finished our 7 hour mission.  It was a memorable event and one that I have been wanting to do for about 15 years.  This was my first experience reenacting as an Airborne unit in the field and I found it to be really enjoyable.  I'll have to make a few minor tweaks to my uniform and gear for future events but everyone had a great night!

We used a TL-122B Flashlight to check the map we had of the area.  That concrete bunker is somewhere around here...

Will adjusts a Wrist Compass as we make our way to our first objective.  Note the heavy scrim on his helmet netting.

Here's one tired little Trooper catching a few winks before we move out again.

Casey is one of the most authentic Airborne reenactors you'll ever find.  He did all the planning for this event.

Casey and Will prepare to move out just before sunrise.

A lot of the terrain we went through looked a great deal like the fields and hedgerow country of Normandy.

You can see a Gas Brassard on Will's right sleeve and an M7 Rubberized Assault Gas Mask Bag on his left hip.

This was my first experience with my new M1A1 Folding Stock Carbine.  It's a lot lighter than an M1 Garand!