Thibodaux Rotary Club | Benjamin Bernard – WWII Reenactment
September 18, 2012
By: Kevin Gros
Tuesday’s presentation was by Benjamin Bernard, a sales representative from Hyundai of Houma and Living Historian. Ben is a native of Cut Off and now lives in Thibodaux with his wife Lara and son Logan.
Ben is a historian and when he’s not selling cars, he’s busy teaching history through living reenactments for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Regional Reenactments, and visiting area schools teaching children about the life of the soldier in wars from the American Revolution, the Civil War, Vietnam and everything in between.
Ben has appeared in several History Channel programs based on World War II and the Vietnam War and assisted with the development of World War II Video games such as the popular “Call of Duty”. Ben’s grandfather was a Major in the Korean War and he became interested in war history at an early age. Ben has spent many hours with our fighting soldiers gaining an understanding of how war feels, and what is life really like for the men on the front lines.
Ben stressed that for reenactments to be successful, the participants must really take on the role of the soldier they are portraying and attend to every detail, no matter how small. When done correctly the participants become that soldier and are able to convey a more accurate picture of the life of the person they are portraying. He went on to say that it’s not uncommon to sleep in the field amongst the other “soldiers”, to experience life as it was during the conflict they are portraying.
Today’s presentation focused on the life and times of the ordinary German soldier in World War II. Most of us have not fought in wars and might wonder what our fathers and grandfathers really saw as they stormed the beaches of Normandy, or fought through Holland on the way to Germany. Typically we see grainy black and white photographs or films which do not paint the complete picture.
Through Ben’s presentation we were able to glimpse the German soldier through the eyes of our soldiers by seeing what the enemy really looked like, from the uniforms they wore, the equipment they were carrying and the weapons they used. What was apparent was how well equipped German soldiers were. In fact, prior to Operation Overlord (D-Day) the allies underestimated Germany’s ability to outfit their soldiers as they did. Each article carried was a high quality piece of equipment from the helmets, boots, and backpacks to jackets and rifles.
Ben presented an impressive assortment of uniforms, gear and weapons, including the standard M-35 Shell (helmet), the MG-42 machine gun, dubbed “Hitlers Saw” by the allies due to the sound made by it’s very high rate of fire, and the PPK know by many as the “James Bond Gun”. Concepts such as using the same ammunition (8mm) for multiple weapons originated with Germany. Innovations such as camouflage and reversible jackets were presented and illustrate the some challenge the allies faced.
As the war dragged on, and Germany’s resources were stretched to their limits, the appearance of it’s soldiers changed. Implements such as boots, uniforms, helmets and grenades became cruder and less effective. Soldiers became less comfortable and their ability to fight was no doubt diminished. Additionally, there was a disparity of outfitting between ordinary soldiers and Hitler’s elite units such as the SS, who remained well equipped throughout the war.
The presentation was enlightening and reinforced what a formidable enemy the German soldier was. Another impression was the effect of the strategic war on Germany’s resources and how it affected the men on the front lines. Hopefully from now on when we consider World War II history we will all have a deeper understanding of the real events being portrayed in the books we read or programs and photographs we see. Thank you Ben, well done!
