It's Not Just the Airplanes
By John Dorcey
World War II comes alive just off the Warbird flight line at
AirVenture 2005. This is not another aircraft display but a
recreation of a 9th Air Force Army Air Force Base in Italy sometime
between 1942 and 1944. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Wisniewski,
the reinactors have been an official part of the Warbirds area of
AirVenture since 2000.
"The reason for this living history display is three fold:
recognition of the sacrifices of those involved, sharing the
history with AirVenture visitors, and providing support to the
Warbird aircraft owners." said Wisniewski. "Our reinactors support
the Warbird aircraft owner's requests for photo ops and other
support missions."
Catching up with Wisniewski, a career fire fighter in the
Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield couldn't have been more difficult
had the war still been going on. The base was being established as
we talked.
The base is divided among the allies - British, Canadian, and
United States and consists of living quarters, repair facilities,
gun emplacements, ground equipment, and of course, a latrine. The
area provides a living history of how it was for the "working
stiffs" and how they lived 24/7.
Colonel Wisniewski, sounding like a good commander, reminds us,
"Keep in perspective that the war was fought by kids; kids that may
have never been away from home before, kids that were flying the
'hot-rods' of the day, aircraft that were 'state of the art'.
Another reinactor, Nate Rader of East Troy (WI) will live the
week at AirVenture as a member of the 509th Parachute Infantry. The
509th, the "Gingerbread Boys" as they were known, were the
country's first paratroopers. Nate brought tent, jeep with machine
gun mount, and lots of other equipment typical of the Parachute
Infantry.
Rader participates in other events throughout the Midwest -
Rockford, IL and Lowell, IN. He told of a recent event where a 200
man German force was pitted against an Allied force numbering in
excess of 225, made up of British, Greek, French and Russian
military.
While visiting AirVenture, pause here to walk back in time, to
experience what it was like to be in Italy in 1942, to see the
equipment, to smell the smells, to hear the sounds. Visit with the
reinactors and learn what they relive for us - a tribute for those
that were there.
Those of you that know your history may find some 8th Air Force
personnel in the area, Colonel Wisniewski, said,"8th Air Force
crews may visit the base from time to time." Look close and see if
you can note the difference in patches.