Around Home Base: WWII Weekend pt 2

One of the things I find so cool about the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's WWII Weekend is how intricate the displays brought by various units are. People put so much time and research into the campsites, constructions, and just large amounts of stuff set up at the airfield. In addition to running amok on the battlefield, I also took some pictures poking around the displays. So here they are, bringing the campsite home!

yes, that really is a palm tree in the "pacific theater" camp

the Gulf station on the "home front"

in the shadow of Napoleon, in the French Village

The Shot: World War II Weekend at the MAAM

Last year I attended my very first WWII event in Reading, PA at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, and I had a wonderful time, so I was excited to go back again this year! As always, there were new outfits (more on that soon!), crazy adventures, and a lot of things to see and learn.  Best of all, there were old friends (some who we hadn't seen since last year!), which is awesome--the people I've met doing this are so fun and knowledgeable, and I always look forward to seeing them at events!

friends dressed for the Pacific Theater

I spent a lot of time shooting battles this year, because I had a (slightly) better idea of what to expect, and I love having the opportunity to take the Graphlex out. It was a lot of fun, even if the pictures were hit or miss. I need to make some adjustments to my camera setup (it has a tendency to slide around, pushing things out of focus and to weird angles), but it's really about the experience. Even without being actually dangerous (only blanks are shot at events), with the noise and the smoke and the chaos it's still pretty awe-inspiring to be in the middle of the action.

So without further ado, here are my favorite action shots from the weekend!

parachutists from the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team

open ground battle on the airfield

I think this is an interesting window "behind the scenes": the instruction huddle before the battle

a casualty during the French village skirmish

 

The German tank enters the village square

the resistance fighters are rounded up after the Germans take the village

the Allies gain ground to recapture the village

the Allies walk German prisoners through the village square

A casualty during the Allied liberation

victory!