Fallschirmjäger

[Reyna]

For starters this is NOT about Airsoft (Though if this is available that would be fine too I suppose...) However I figured this was the best place to come for the information I want.

I'm looking for a Fallschirmjäger WWII re-enacting unit that operates here in Oregon. I've read a bit about one unit that does survival training one week straight however I'd just like to jump right into it.

I'm deploying to AIT here in a few weeks and when I get back I'm going to have $20K to blow on whatever I want and I really want to get into a legitimate Fallschirmjäger unit if there is one. I've found a place to get the proper uniforms and gear (Minus the breadbag, E-Tool, E-tool case, and mess kit and weapon) so that won't be an issue once I have the money in hand. I just need to find a unit.

My basic plan is to find said unit and set up a Machinegun section. My two friends and I have discussed this at length and we're more than willing to shell out the cash for an MG3 if we can find the appropriate unit. However if we can't I'll have to go straight Werhmacht though I would much Prefer the Famous Fallschirmjäger.

Does anyone have any accurate and detailed information on Fallschirmjäger re-enacting in Oregon?

[Radduski]

*Paging Andrew Childs*

If anyone on here would know anything, I bet he would.

[PanzerFaust]

NWHA has a Fallshirm group http://www.fjr2nw.org/
Also, BinaryPunisher is with a Fallshirmjager group out of WA, not certain if that's his group or not.

[Reyna]

Cool cool. I can't wait, though since WA isn't a Class 3 State, getting a Mg42 into the state might be a problem...

Regardless, thank you for the information.

[PanzerFaust]

Nothing wrong with starting out with a K98 or G43

[Starkist]

Cool cool. I can't wait, though since WA isn't a Class 3 State, getting a Mg42 into the state might be a problem...

Regardless, thank you for the information.

Where exactly do you think you are going to get MG42 (class 3) for $20,000???? You can get one of the semi-autos for 4-5 k

Good luck with that

Jim

[Reyna]

Nothing wrong with starting out with a K98 or G43

Where exactly do you think you are going to get MG42 (class 3) for $20,000???? You can get one of the semi-autos for 4-5 k

Good luck with that

Jim

Yes, K98 would be fine as well. The MG42 was just an idea I was throwing around. Besides, the Fal. Unit in Washington uses a pneumatic gun with propane and electricity which doesn't surprise me at all.

Another question...

Are there any Ranger Re-enacting units in Oregon? I was up late watching Saving Private Ryan on TNT and I got the itch to look up their load outs and pricing on them from Atthefront.com and the entire package deal is surprisingly cheap in contrast to the German equipment (No great surprise due to surplus and availability).

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Dirty - talk to Starkist. He's in the WWII re-enacting scene. Its alot of fun, and a good education. You might be able to get contact information for some of the various units around, who might have loaner gear so you can go try it out, before spending the thousands of dollars that it costs, to get into re-enacting.

There isnt a cheap set-up.

[hellmutt]

We (Binary,Warren,Stewie,Mars,schmitty,Koz and I) are part of 15 Kompanie, 6th FJ Regiment Fallschrim-Pioneer. We are members of the PNWHG and we do most of our events in OR. We and most of (if not all) of our members are in WA but we do all of our events out of state. Several of us were down at Camp Roberts in CA for an event last weekend.

[Mars]

Just so you know, blank fire machine guns are realllllllyyyy unreliable. K98s are cool because they just work and if you want to spice it up, get a rifle grenade launcher for it.

[Reyna]

Dirty - talk to Starkist. He's in the WWII re-enacting scene. Its alot of fun, and a good education. You might be able to get contact information for some of the various units around, who might have loaner gear so you can go try it out, before spending the thousands of dollars that it costs, to get into re-enacting.

There isnt a cheap set-up.

Yeah, thanks for the advice. I about shat myself when I saw that just a basic Werhmacht set-up was over $1100.

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Dirty - talk to Starkist. He's in the WWII re-enacting scene. Its alot of fun, and a good education. You might be able to get contact information for some of the various units around, who might have loaner gear so you can go try it out, before spending the thousands of dollars that it costs, to get into re-enacting.

There isnt a cheap set-up.

Yeah, thanks for the advice. I about shat myself when I saw that just a basic Werhmacht set-up was over $1100.

Dirty - I did basic Canadian Infantry, which in my humble opinion was a less-expensive impression. Just the basic battle dress is running about $240 bucks. Figure another $100 for boots, webbing's another $150, last time i looked at helmets they were $50+, and you're still in need of a rifle, and ammo. And don't make the mistake of thinking its 'complete'. Its not that hard to spend over $1000 for re-enacting gear for a basic impression. If you're looking at doing a specialist impression like SS, Fallsihrmjager, American Para, British Para, Ranger, etc . . . . . it gets even more expensive even faster.

http://ww2reenactors.proboards35.com/

Spend some time reading over there. Read everything before you post anything. Thats not a forum filled with asshattery the way this forum is.

[Talondog]

Dirty47 wrote:

I'm going to have $20K to blow on whatever

Way back when, I too would have been happy to blow something like 20K all at once on weapons and reenacting impressions. I guess age has ruined me though... because now if I was really into WWII Fallschirmjäger and had that kind of money to spend, I'd be heading over to Europe on a battlefield tour. I would want to go to AO's like Crete and Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium. And go military antique shopping throughout Europe.

Reenacting is a lot of fun. It is expensive no matter what side you choose and you will never really be done gathering all of the unique and cool stuff you'll want/need for your impression. I think that finding and acquiring stuff is half the fun of reenacting.

Try not to spend it all in one place though. Save some for the future, cause (tragically) there is more to life than this stuff..

[Reyna]

Thanks for the advice gentlemen I'll honestly take that to heart.

... Though it looks like Afghanistan is in my future as opposed to European battlefields.

As far as impressions go -

atthefront.com

Is where I've been researching my gear. On many re-enacting sites atthefront was a listed retailer and they seem pretty solid.

Now two members from ShadowFox have been pretty big into re-enacting, our CO who has done a US Mortar team from the 3rd ID for many years and then our Senior Staff Sergeant who has done Germans since he got into it (And has had a lot of very neat experiences).

From what I've gathered usually the Germans are outnumbered 3/1 which does not surprise me, everyone wants to be the winners. So that's where I'm torn. A US infantry impression is $495.00 for everything but a weapon and for a Ranger impression an Assault Vest is $174.99 and Ranger Patches are $20.00 for theater made ones.

Now an M1 would cost big bucks, but I do have an vintage 1903 Springfield I got as a present from my dad for Graduating basic. I don't know how that would fly but it seems like an option if I were to join a unit.

That being said, if there aren't any US Ranger units in Oregon, does it take anything special to start a unit? I'm not trying to be audacious but I wouldn't mind taking on that task. (Though that is just spotty thoughts, I'd like to start it easy).

German impressions... jesus, that is a lot of money. The Werhmacht impression comes with everything but a mess tin, e-tool, bayonet, and bread bag.

The SS impression is even more expensive though somehow I don't think I'd fit in with the SS Lol.

Now there is no complete Fallschirmjäger set-up but there is the Fallschirmjäger Uniform Package
Includes:

* Luftwaffe Fliegerbluse
* Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Trousers
* Luftwaffe EM Breast eagle
* Luftwaffe EM Shoulder Boards, FJ Waffenfarbe
* Luftwaffe EM Collar Tabs, FJ Waffenfarbe

And then I can separately buy basic field gear and then substitute the Y harness and pouches for brown harness and pouches since the Fallschirmjäger exclusively wore brown (or so I'm told). After that there's boots, gloves, camouflage splinter B smock, Helmet with netting and correct splinter, jump gloves and weapon plus ammunition.

A lot of options, but I just want to get into it.

[milo1047]

Throwing in my two cents as a fellow reenactor here.

1) Do Soviet. Cheaper, a lot of fun and not enough people do it.

2) If you aren't going to do Soviet, and even if you are, DO YOUR RESEARCH! Don't just rely on what other people tell you or what it says on a unit website. Crack the books!