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About Us
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Reenacting
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Unit History
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Vehicles-Weapons
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Projects
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About Us
We are looking for mature and like-minded individuals with an interest in WWII history to join our unit. Our unit is based on the 29th Panzergrenadier Regiment of the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division. The 3rd Panzergrenadier Division was reorganized from the remnants of several motorized infantry and panzer regiments, including units from the eastern and southern fronts. It was then moved to Italy to defend against the allies on the southern front. Later, the 29th Panzergrenadier Regiment/3rd Panzergrenadier Division was transferred to the western front to defend against the allied advance on Germany itself. It participated in several significant battles including the Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine"), also known as the "Battle of the Bulge."
We welcome both men and women, 18 years and older with an interest in WWII military history. Anyone under the age of 18, must have a parent or legal guardian present at all events.
The 29th Panzergrenadier Regiment reenactment unit has a reputation for three things: Authenticity, Courtesy, & Atmosphere.
Appearance
First, we strive to make our historical impression as good as we can make it. Members exercise due diligence when researching material and verifying sources.
Our authenticity staff will provide training on on a variety of topics, including:
Period squad tactics,
How to clean your weapon,
Proper use of field gear, etc.
Courtesy
Second, members of this unit are always courteous to other re-enactors and especially the public. Other re-enactment groups may do things differently, but we respect them because they share our common interest in history. If someone from another unit visits our camp, we greet them with a smile and a handshake. Members of the public are always welcome in our camp. We will always make an extra effort to answer questions and provide educational information to anyone that asks.
Atmosphere
Lastly, we have a fun and enjoyable atmosphere in the unit. We want members to have ownership of this unit. Every member is important and every member deserves to have a voice in how this unit is run.
You will get out of this unit everything you put into it. Members are encouraged to volunteer as unit officers and as event coordinators. Take the initiative and don’t feel you need permission to improve your experience.
You will see our members enjoying a period card game in the tent or a game of chess at the campfire.
Members will help other members by showing them how to sew a button on a tunic.
We welcome both men and women, 18 years and older with an interest in WWII military history. Anyone under the age of 18, must have a parent or legal guardian present at all events.
The 29th Panzergrenadier Regiment reenactment unit has a reputation for three things: Authenticity, Courtesy, & Atmosphere.
Appearance
First, we strive to make our historical impression as good as we can make it. Members exercise due diligence when researching material and verifying sources.
Our authenticity staff will provide training on on a variety of topics, including:
Period squad tactics,
How to clean your weapon,
Proper use of field gear, etc.
Courtesy
Second, members of this unit are always courteous to other re-enactors and especially the public. Other re-enactment groups may do things differently, but we respect them because they share our common interest in history. If someone from another unit visits our camp, we greet them with a smile and a handshake. Members of the public are always welcome in our camp. We will always make an extra effort to answer questions and provide educational information to anyone that asks.
Atmosphere
Lastly, we have a fun and enjoyable atmosphere in the unit. We want members to have ownership of this unit. Every member is important and every member deserves to have a voice in how this unit is run.
You will get out of this unit everything you put into it. Members are encouraged to volunteer as unit officers and as event coordinators. Take the initiative and don’t feel you need permission to improve your experience.
You will see our members enjoying a period card game in the tent or a game of chess at the campfire.
Members will help other members by showing them how to sew a button on a tunic.
What is Reenacting?
Well, reenacting is different things to different people. Like any hobby, people are attracted to it for different reasons, but historical reenactors all have one thing in common: A PASSION FOR HISTORY!
There are several genres to historical reenacting; colonial, Civil War, World War II, and medieval just to name a few. If there is a time period that two or more people enjoy, you can bet somewhere, someone is re-enacting it.
Military reenacting is a kind of "first person history lesson." Reenacting provides an opportunity for first-hand experiences with equipment, uniforms, field gear, weapons, and vehicles of WWII. You can learn a great deal about World War II through research and documentaries, but why not add some personal experience to the mix? How about sitting in a foxhole with snow falling all around you during a tactical event? Or riding on the top of a Panzer as it pushes through the trees looking for Allied armor? How about hastily loading an MG-42 as a wave of Russians begin a charge toward your bunker?
The majority of today's reenactors have a devout interest in the historical periods that they portray, and they work hard to recreate the soldiers of WWII as realistically as possible. To do such a recreation correctly requires diligence and a great deal of research.
Members come and go and as a result the reenacting hobby continues to change and evolve. Units continue to raise the bar towards a higher level of historical accuracy, but its important to remember that re-enacting has to be fun as well. If you are not having fun, you won't stay. Therefore many units are trying to find that balance between better authenticity and the enjoyment of the members.
WWII reenacting offers different kinds of events. The two most common events are: public displays and tacticals.
The public display events are usually done in connection with some kind of holiday or anniversary such as Veteran's Day or the anniversary of D-Day. These events offer the public an opportunity to see and touch original or reproduction uniforms, equipment, and weapons from WWII that they may have never seen before. Its also a chance for re-enactors to educate and teach. Many myths and legends have been created around WWII and public events provide us with the opportunity to inform the un-informed.
Tactical events can happen anywhere at anytime and allow reenactors to participate in simulated war games. These battles can take place over the course of a few hours or a few days. Some tacticals can be fully immersive, while others are strictly for the fun of it.
You can see a video about WWII Reenacting with the WWIIHRS here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SS1bV1XmzM
There are several genres to historical reenacting; colonial, Civil War, World War II, and medieval just to name a few. If there is a time period that two or more people enjoy, you can bet somewhere, someone is re-enacting it.
Military reenacting is a kind of "first person history lesson." Reenacting provides an opportunity for first-hand experiences with equipment, uniforms, field gear, weapons, and vehicles of WWII. You can learn a great deal about World War II through research and documentaries, but why not add some personal experience to the mix? How about sitting in a foxhole with snow falling all around you during a tactical event? Or riding on the top of a Panzer as it pushes through the trees looking for Allied armor? How about hastily loading an MG-42 as a wave of Russians begin a charge toward your bunker?
The majority of today's reenactors have a devout interest in the historical periods that they portray, and they work hard to recreate the soldiers of WWII as realistically as possible. To do such a recreation correctly requires diligence and a great deal of research.
Members come and go and as a result the reenacting hobby continues to change and evolve. Units continue to raise the bar towards a higher level of historical accuracy, but its important to remember that re-enacting has to be fun as well. If you are not having fun, you won't stay. Therefore many units are trying to find that balance between better authenticity and the enjoyment of the members.
WWII reenacting offers different kinds of events. The two most common events are: public displays and tacticals.
The public display events are usually done in connection with some kind of holiday or anniversary such as Veteran's Day or the anniversary of D-Day. These events offer the public an opportunity to see and touch original or reproduction uniforms, equipment, and weapons from WWII that they may have never seen before. Its also a chance for re-enactors to educate and teach. Many myths and legends have been created around WWII and public events provide us with the opportunity to inform the un-informed.
Tactical events can happen anywhere at anytime and allow reenactors to participate in simulated war games. These battles can take place over the course of a few hours or a few days. Some tacticals can be fully immersive, while others are strictly for the fun of it.
You can see a video about WWII Reenacting with the WWIIHRS here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SS1bV1XmzM
Unit History
In October 1940 after the Campaign in France had ended, the 3.Infanterie-Division was moved back into Germany and reorganized into the 3.Infanterie-Division (mot).
Originally of the peacetime army, this unit was formed in Hitler’s initial military expansion by the enlargement of the 8th Infantry Regiment of the old Reichswehr. It included the 8th, 29th, and 50th Infantry Regiments. The 3rd fought in northern Poland in 1939 and in France in 1940. It was reorganized in the fall of 1940, was fully motorized, and had to give up its 50th Infantry Regiment to the 111th Infantry Division. It now included the 8th and 29th Motorized Infantry Regiments, the 3rd Motorized Artillery Regiment, the 53rd Motorcycle Battalion and the 53rd Reconnaissance Battalion. It crossed into Russia in 1941 as part of Army Group North, took part in the initial drive on Leningrad, and fought at Demyansk. Shifted south late in the year, it was involved in the final thrusts on Moscow and opposed the Russian winter offensive of 1941–42. In March 1942, it was reorganized again. The 53rd Motorcycle and Reconnaissance Battalions were combined, and the 312th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion was added to its table of organization. That next summer it was sent to Army Group South, took part in the Battle of Vyasma, the advance across the Don, the push to the Volga, and the Stalingrad fighting. It was encircled in the Stalingrad Pocket in November. It surrendered to the Russians in the southern part of the Stalingrad Pocket on January 31, 1943
A second 3rd Motorized Division was formed in southwestern France in the spring of 1943, by absorbing most of the 386th Motorized Division, a mediocre formation, into a newly formed divisional table of organization. On June 23, 1943, it was redesignated a panzer grenadier division, along with all of the German motorized divisions except the 14th and 36th. The reborn 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, included many veterans of the old division (mostly returning wounded) and performed well in combat. Its 103rd Panzer Battalion had forty-two StuG assault guns and six command tanks.
Sent to Italy in June, it opposed the Allied landings at Salerno in September, fought in the Battles of Cassino and the Bernhard Line, opposed the Allied beachhead at Anzio in January 1944, and took part in the retreat to Rome in May and June 1944. Withdrawn to Florence in late June, it was transferred to the Western Front in August and was initially engaged southeast of Paris.
The 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division took part in the withdrawal from France, the evacuation of Nancy, and was resisting near Metz, covering the Saar industrial area, in September 1944. Two months later it had been rebuilt to a strength of 12,000 men, thirty-one 75mm anti-tank guns, and thirty-eight artillery pieces, making it a considerable combat force for the fifth year of the war.
Sent to the Aachen in November, it both suffered and inflicted severe casualties in the battle for that city. Withdrawn briefly to the interior of Germany for rest and reorganization, it was back in action in the Ardennes in December 1944 as part of the Battle of the Bulge, and fought in the Eifel battles of January 1945.
Defending in the vicinity of Cologne in March 1945, it unsuccessfully tried to wipe out the U.S. Army’s bridgehead at Remagen. It was finally trapped and destroyed in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945. It surrendered to the Americans on April 16.
Composition (September 1943): 103rd Panzer Battalion, 8th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 29th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 3rd Motorized Artillery Regiment, 103rd Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Motorized Engineer Battalion, 3rd Motorized Signal Battalion, 3rd Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 3rd Panzer Grenadier Divisional Supply Troops.
Originally of the peacetime army, this unit was formed in Hitler’s initial military expansion by the enlargement of the 8th Infantry Regiment of the old Reichswehr. It included the 8th, 29th, and 50th Infantry Regiments. The 3rd fought in northern Poland in 1939 and in France in 1940. It was reorganized in the fall of 1940, was fully motorized, and had to give up its 50th Infantry Regiment to the 111th Infantry Division. It now included the 8th and 29th Motorized Infantry Regiments, the 3rd Motorized Artillery Regiment, the 53rd Motorcycle Battalion and the 53rd Reconnaissance Battalion. It crossed into Russia in 1941 as part of Army Group North, took part in the initial drive on Leningrad, and fought at Demyansk. Shifted south late in the year, it was involved in the final thrusts on Moscow and opposed the Russian winter offensive of 1941–42. In March 1942, it was reorganized again. The 53rd Motorcycle and Reconnaissance Battalions were combined, and the 312th Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion was added to its table of organization. That next summer it was sent to Army Group South, took part in the Battle of Vyasma, the advance across the Don, the push to the Volga, and the Stalingrad fighting. It was encircled in the Stalingrad Pocket in November. It surrendered to the Russians in the southern part of the Stalingrad Pocket on January 31, 1943
A second 3rd Motorized Division was formed in southwestern France in the spring of 1943, by absorbing most of the 386th Motorized Division, a mediocre formation, into a newly formed divisional table of organization. On June 23, 1943, it was redesignated a panzer grenadier division, along with all of the German motorized divisions except the 14th and 36th. The reborn 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, included many veterans of the old division (mostly returning wounded) and performed well in combat. Its 103rd Panzer Battalion had forty-two StuG assault guns and six command tanks.
Sent to Italy in June, it opposed the Allied landings at Salerno in September, fought in the Battles of Cassino and the Bernhard Line, opposed the Allied beachhead at Anzio in January 1944, and took part in the retreat to Rome in May and June 1944. Withdrawn to Florence in late June, it was transferred to the Western Front in August and was initially engaged southeast of Paris.
The 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division took part in the withdrawal from France, the evacuation of Nancy, and was resisting near Metz, covering the Saar industrial area, in September 1944. Two months later it had been rebuilt to a strength of 12,000 men, thirty-one 75mm anti-tank guns, and thirty-eight artillery pieces, making it a considerable combat force for the fifth year of the war.
Sent to the Aachen in November, it both suffered and inflicted severe casualties in the battle for that city. Withdrawn briefly to the interior of Germany for rest and reorganization, it was back in action in the Ardennes in December 1944 as part of the Battle of the Bulge, and fought in the Eifel battles of January 1945.
Defending in the vicinity of Cologne in March 1945, it unsuccessfully tried to wipe out the U.S. Army’s bridgehead at Remagen. It was finally trapped and destroyed in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945. It surrendered to the Americans on April 16.
Composition (September 1943): 103rd Panzer Battalion, 8th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 29th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 3rd Motorized Artillery Regiment, 103rd Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Motorized Engineer Battalion, 3rd Motorized Signal Battalion, 3rd Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 3rd Panzer Grenadier Divisional Supply Troops.
Unit Vehicles and Weapons
Our unit currently has three vehicles: Two BMW Motorcycle with sidecars; and a SdKfz. 222 Armored Scout Car.
One of our members is currently working on a Kubelwagen.
In addition to standard infantry small-arms our unit also has the following: MG-42 Maschinengewehr 42; 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 mortar; and a PAK 36 Anti-tank gun.
One of our members is currently working on a Kubelwagen.
In addition to standard infantry small-arms our unit also has the following: MG-42 Maschinengewehr 42; 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 mortar; and a PAK 36 Anti-tank gun.
Projects
Our unit encourages its members to work on various projects that enhance our unit display for public events as well as improve our experience at tactical events.
Various projects that unit members are working on will be posted here along with progress pics.
Upcoming projects include a Kubelwagen.
Ford G8T Truck Restoration - 2013
Various projects that unit members are working on will be posted here along with progress pics.
Upcoming projects include a Kubelwagen.
Ford G8T Truck Restoration - 2013
PAK 36 Reproduction - 2014
Field Radios - 2015
SdKfz 222 Armored Scout Car - 2016-2017