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.
The Germans
Next Post: The Battle
Click here for more of these photographs from this event that are on my website.
Great photo journalism.
Thanks Lou, Kind of what I’m going for with a touch of art in the processing.
Excellent! I was looking forward to seeing the Germans. A fantastic photoset.
Thanks, it was the most difficult part of this shoot. I had to keep reminding myself that these guys were re-enactors and not the real thing.
If the scale is from 4-9 then these are 10s! The processing couldn’t be any better. I love the gritty feeling that some have. ‘Old Soldier’ and ‘Walk to Glory’ are my favorites.
Thanks Denise! I’m really loving this project. The “Walk to Glory” photograph was interesting. All the German re-enactors were in a room getting ready and as I walked down the hallway to that room this guy walked by. He was the first “German” I saw and you can see from the camera angle that he was about 10 feet tall and totally in character. For a little guy like me, it was a bit scary.