More from my day as a war photographer

Although I was born after World War II, I grew up surrounded by adults who were profoundly affected by it. They either served, lost someone who served, or had family in Europe who perished in the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis.

While photographing the re-enactment of a World War II battle, I went over to meet the guys playing the role of the enemy. It was a bit disturbing to approach men in German uniforms sporting swastikas and SS emblems. After getting to know them, I realized that they were just regular, red-blooded Americans playing a part and telling the story of America’s involvement in World War II. Someone had to play the bad guys.

Many of these people are so passionate about re-enacting World War II that they own uniforms and gear from both sides. I met someone who owns American, German, Russian and British uniforms, gear and weapons. Another re-enactor said that he plays the role of a German because his father was forced into a German Army Labor Battalion because he refused to join the Nazi party. Even though his father was never a real soldier and didn’t carry a gun, he did wear the uniform. This re-enactor felt he was honoring his father while also playing a role in telling the story of how our nation mobilized to stop the Nazis.

While the re-enactors played their parts as the confident American citizen soldier, those playing the German role acted more like people caught up in history. The re-enacted battle originally took place in 1945 at the end of the war in Germany. The average German soldier knew they were beat, but right or wrong, they were now defending their homeland.

This is a very different project for me and I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time and left a comment or even a like to let me know what you are think.

My stint as a war photographer

These photographs are the first in a series that I will be doing about World War II re-enactors called Serving the Cause of History. Besides being a photographer, I’m a history nerd with a strong interest in World War II. I’m fascinated by the memoirs of our citizen soldiers who weren’t the professional military of today. They were teenagers and young adults who put their lives on hold to take up arms and defend their nation. I also have read memoirs by the other combatants, as well as civilians, who were caught up in the conflict. This was a horrific time and those who fought the evil that was consuming the world should be remembered and honored.

My friend Mike Pillows recently posted an amazing portfolio of an American civil war re-enactment on his photography blog. Although I’ve been thinking about this project for a while, Mike’s work finally got me moving.

On a recent cold December morning, I drove to Philadelphia’s historic Fort Mifflin to join a group of World War II re-enactors. Knowing that being “out of uniform” would relegate me to the sidelines, I showed up very early to meet some of the soldiers and chat about our shared interest in WWII. Re-enactors have a strong passion for history mixed with a bit of a desire to act. I wanted to use that time to make photographs that were more personal.

I got lucky when it started raining. It made the re-enactors better actors because they really were miserable in the cold without the benefit of modern rain gear. War is hell and on this wet day so was re-enacting one.

Showing up early allowed me to get to know some of the re-enactors before they staged the battle. After they realized I shared their passion for World War II history, they didn’t mind posing or letting me follow them around during the battle as long as I didn’t make myself obvious.

I also was invited to join them at future events. When I find a proper uniform, I’ll be able to take on the role of a war photographer and shoot the battle (with a camera) close up. Now part of my photographic gear will include a helmet and combat boots.

I’m splitting the images from this event into three posts. Here is the first.