WAIVER FORM

 Click here 

BLITZKRIEG 1940  !!!

May 13, 1940 The German assault on France and the Low Countries is in full swing.  The advance units of German Army Group B have reached the French border days before the French High Command suspected that they could.  As the first ominous signs of a mighty force grow more apparent to the junior field officers in the Allied forward areas, their superiors, safe in their chateaus miles from the front vacillate. The moment of truth for the future of Western Europe is fast approaching . . .

Join us for a day of combat recreating the first great campaign of the Second World War in the West.  French and British forces manning the French Frontier will try to defend themselves against the all out attacks of the German Wehrmacht.

WHO:  French, British and Belgian infantry vs  German infantry and Recon units.

WHEN:  March 26 - 28, 2004.

WHERE:  Brett Johnson's Battlefield Farm 20 miles west of Fredericksburg, VA  in Orange County, VA.  Nearest community listed on most paper maps is Locust Grove, VA.  We're about 70 miles Southwest of Washington, DC.

BATF ADDRESS:

Johnson Farm
33640 Indiantown Rd
Locust Grove, VA 22508
Orange County

1.        Belong to one of the established 1940 units who are sanctioned for this event.  As a member of such a unit you are automatically eligible since the unit commanders will vouch for authenticity and behavior.  Listed below are the sanctioned units and their commanders name.

2.        If you don't belong to an established unit you MUST make application through the event host or one of the combat commanders who may grant you temporary status with their group.  DON'T JUST SHOW UP expecting to be welcomed.  This event must maintain standards for those who've put together correct kits and expect others to do likewise.  If you do just show up you may or may not be allowed to participate, simple as that, so CHECK first !!!  We encourage interested individuals to become part of an established unit for everyone's sake.  We're not trying to be exclusionary, on the contrary we want this event to grow but we want it to grow in the correct manner.

3.        If you portray an alternate impression (Engineers, RASC, Fallschirmjager, etc) and are not aligned with any of the traditional units, you will be accepted/rejected on a case by case basis and utilized at the Combat Commanders discretion but again, don't leave it to chance, if you have any doubt about your particular status, CHECK FIRST.

SANCTIONED UNITS:  

FRENCH: 92^nd R.I. (Brett Johnson)

BRITISH: Welsh Guards (Bill Bethke), "B" Company Units (Iain Burns), North Country Platoon Units (Jeff Bockert).
                   

GERMAN: 11^th Panzer (Mike Hamady)
                         I.R. 226 (Doug Kingdom)

YOU MUST FILL OUT A WAIVER FORM IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN YOU BEING ASKED TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY!!!

Click here to get a copy of the waiver form. You must have Adobe Acrobat loaded in order to bring up the waiver form.

DETAILS:  This is a campout event on private property.  You may arrive anytime after noon, Friday.  www.mapquest.com or other on - line mapping sites will assist you to find the place ( 33640 Indiantown Rd,  Locust Grove, VA) if you don't have access to these, follow the printed directions.  You must be self sufficient although firewood will be provided.  Stores and fast food are close by at Lake of the Woods Shopping Center on US Rt 3 or BJ's Exxon on US Rt 20.  Lake of the Woods Rescue Squad is also available within minutes in case of accident or injury (God forbid !).  1940 Authenticity rules apply and are included for the Allies.  For German authenticity standards contact either Mike Hamady or Doug Kingdom.  There is no event fee but EVERY participant must submit a signed waiver and be listed on or attached to  someone's roster.  The bottom line is, this is private property and we want to know who's coming onto it with weapons - not hard to understand, right ?  NO LIVE AMMUNITION is to be brought on the site under any circumstances.  We will invite Tim Ketchum for blank ammunition sales but you should arrange to purchase it now as he may or may not be able to attend.

PHILOSOPHY:  My property comprises 42 acres in Central Virginia, approximately 15 acres of which are devoted to the battle site.  There are numerous fighting positions, foxholes and other combat features designed to make things more interesting.  Each side has a camp located at either end of the battlefield so there's no mystery about who is where.  We don't care about high strategy or death marches, we just line up like two football teams and slug it out all day long.  Grenades and smoke are welcome as long as they meet safety  guidelines.  Bring your picks and shovels, at this place you can dig to your heart's content, fight all day and enjoy a few cold ones around a big fire at night.

SAFETY RULES: 

1.   Handle all weapons as though they are loaded and ready to fire.  Never point directly at someone especially when close.  Never fire within 20 feet, blanks can do damage to eyes and ears at close range.  Always fire up when in doubt about your enemy's location or proximity. 

2.  No fixed bayonets during combat.  Hand to Hand combat is limited to rubber knives or bare hands, no butt stroking or simulated bayonet thrusts. 

3.  No flares or bird bomb devices, too much of a fire hazard.  Grenade's bodies must be constructed of soft squeezable type plastic, not the hard stuff that splinters.  Black powder or Pyrodex are the only explosives and are limited to 20 grains.  Baking soda is the ONLY filler used.  No sand, salt, kitty litter or fullers earth.  No metal or wood is to be used in the construction except in the case of a throwing handle.  Same rules apply to mortar rounds or cup launcher rounds.

4.  Take care when assaulting or even approaching fixed positions.  many times the defender has limited vision or hearing and may not know you're there.  Don't peek inside only to catch a face full of muzzle blast after the defender has cleared a jam or reloaded.

5.  In case of fire, all action will cease and everyone nearby needs to rush in to put it out. 

   Most reenactors don't need to be told this, we've all seen people get hurt in silly careless ways.  The main thing is don't hurt anyone and don't let anyone hurt you.  If you feel threatened, run away, lie down, roll into a ball, do whatever you have to do to keep from getting hurt.  It's just not worth it !  Our continued use of this land as a battlefield depends solely on YOU !

HOST / ORGANIZER:

BRETT JOHNSON
2302 Canteen Circle
Odenton, MD 21113
Cell: 540 273 8324
brettvj@hotmail.com

Best contact response is through Email.  Please don't call me unless you've exhausted other means and never after 10:00pm please.

THANKS ! Lets have some fun !!!

1940 British Uniform & Equipment Regs

Uniform