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Great War Russian Reenacting Units
Russia... the soldiers, the soldiers on the Western Front having been, for the most part, forgotten by historians. These brave men are being honored by a few units now--doing their best to recreate the Russian Army as it SHOULD be remembered.
If you know of a website for a Great War reenacting unit not listed here, please contact me and we'll get it going.
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La Legion Russe (USA)--The Russian Legion (RL), is a re-enactment unit which accurately portrays a machine gun company of the 1st Battalion of La Legion Russe in France in 1918. The 1st Battalion, as the whole of the RL, was comprised of troops that stayed loyal to their commanders during the 1917 mutinies at camp La Courtine. The 1st Battalion, under command of Colonel Gotua, distinguished itself in fighting in Champaigne from its creation on December 12, 1917, untill the Armistice Day, November 11, 1918.
The Russian Legion (RL) is dedicated to the memory of the Russian soldiers and officers that fought and died in World War I. The RL strives to bring to life not only the equipment and weapons used by the Russian troops, but also the language, culture, music and food ? in all, to recreate the environment of the Russian trenches on the Western Front. |
| Eastern Front Association (UK)* (Also does German impression)-- |
Great War
Italian Reenacting Units
Italy, child of Rome. Man, are these guys motivated!! Hope to see more of this... Anyway. look for us to list as many of these units as we can. I know they're out there!
The Italian Royal Army's first real taste of modern warfare was during World War I. Most of the actions were fought in northern Italy and the Royal Army suffered millions of casualties. This included over 700,000 dead. The frequency of offensives for which the Italian soldiers partook between May 1915 and August 1917, one every three months, was higher than demanded by the armies on the Western Front. Italian discipline was also harsher, with punishments for infractions of duty of a severity not known in the German, French, and British armies.
If you know of a website for a Great War Italian reenacting unit not listed here, please contact us and we'll get it listed.
Great War Belgian Reenacting Units
Belgium was one of the first victims of the war, yet her struggle and history is somehow relagated to the sidelines. This is too bad as Belgium's story should be told; her Army reenacted. Below, we have only a couple of units that do this impression--I hope there will be more.
If you know of a website for a Great War reenacting unit not listed here, please contact me and we'll get it going.
Great War, French Reenacting Units
Ahhh, Vive la France! The humble Poilu, these were the men who gave their blood so that France could be free. This is probably one of the hardest impressions to do, but in saying that, it is also one of the neatest! If you are interested in this great impression, please check out some of the units out there.
The Poilu and His War
The French soldiers were a vital part of the "face" of the Great War and while often portrayed by many in the United States as poor fighters, which they were not! The Poilu was a brave soldier and these generalizations are simply not true -- the Poilu has always suffered under poor leadership, both in his military and from (and particularly so) his civilian government. With good leaders, the French soldier was more than capable! These Iron Men fought, and won, on such hellish battlefields as Verdun, a place where conditions were SO horrible that they simply could not be imagined -- even today! The battlefield of the Great War was truly hellish -- like nothing ever seen before, or since. Among the horrors, were poison gas and the near-constant, and massive artillery barrages which often lasted for days. During these barrages, hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of shells were fired in huge massive barrages and tens of thousands of men were killed, their shredded bodies then being buried by the next shell, which also uncovered other bodies from earlier shellings. The result was a grisly mix of bodies, body parts and gore all over the battlefield with rats, disease and horror being the enemy for both sides. The Great War was different from other wars and they say that the stench of the battlefield was truly horrible... It was in this environment that Death stalked the trenches, reaping a constant harvest of the souls he found there.
Great War, Canadian Reenacting Units
There are a goodly number of units portraying our friends from up North. These men are serious historians and I think you will find them to be great comrades.If you know of a website for a Great War reenacting unit not listed here, please contact me and we'll get it going.
| 13th Battalion Black Watch Royal Highlanders of Canada (USA) --a living history group portraying The 13th Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada during World War I. The unit is part of the Great War Historical Society, based in Southern California. The purpose of the group is to re-create, as much as possible, the conditions faced by soldiers during the First World War. The club holds public displays, provides living history lessons for schools, battle reenactments, and other educational venues. In addition to these public outings, the club holds two private events per year. It is the purpose of this organization to provide the public and club members with an environment to learn and experience the events and realities of WW I through non-traditional means. The History Channel is great and publications on the war are a wealth of information, but once you put on 60 pounds of equipment, stand knee deep in muck, and enjoy cold bully beef out of the tin on a damp chilly morning, the pictures on TV and the text from a book don't carry the weight they used to. | |
| 27th Battalion CEF (USA) -- | |
| The Black Watch (USA) -- | |
| Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Canada/USA) -- The PPCLI Living History Unit is one of a few projects in the Canadian Military Heritage Society (CMHS).The members are dedicated Historians / Antiquarians who study all aspects of Canadian military history and re-enact several time periods of interest |