"Back at the Gap" Major General Frank H. Smoker, Jr. (USAF, Retired) WWII battle re-enactment on tap at Gap   Article #31 in a series Each January for the past twenty years, Fort Indiantown Gap has been the site for an elaborate and accurate re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge of World War II. This year’s program is scheduled for January 28 and 29. The public is invited and there is no admittance fee. Sponsored by the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge and the World War II Federation, this year will mark the 60th Commemoration of the Battle of the Bulge. The official program starts on Friday, January 28, at 5 p.m. with a wreath laying ceremony, including a 21 gun salute and taps, at the site of the Bulge Monument at the intersection of Fisher and Clement Avenues in the center of the Fort. For the general public, there will be demonstrations by Allied and Axis re-enactors of the World Federation at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 30 in Area 12. Parking will be in Area 13 (look for signs and directions from Civil Air Patrol guides). Then, busses will take the visitors to Area 13 for the battle demonstration and the barracks displays. This will be a narrated event. The narration will include the differences and similarities between the Allied and an Axis company of soldiers. There will be open barracks in Area 12 for public viewing from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. These barracks are set up to represent both an American and a German World War II-era barracks. The public is requested to observe the signs outside the barracks that indicate which are open for public viewing. For the veterans, busses will transport them to the area where the battle demonstration will take place. More than 1,500 re-enactors are involved as they maneuver over the Post’s terrain using privately owned tanks, trucks, jeeps and motorcycles. As many as 30 pieces of World War II vintage howitzers and other armor - Allied and German - usually take part in the show, all of which are used to authentically re-enact a mock Battle of the Bulge using blank ammunititon. Under the leadership of many dedicated members of the World War II Historical Preservation Federation, this living history commemoration portrays soldiers of World War II . The program strives to present its activities in as educational a manner as accurately and objectively possible. The display of the national emblem or other insignia is done as a part of the accurate portrayal of the soldiers of the period. “Objectivity” is stressed and concentrates on the military aspects of the soldier and does not in any way support or in any way condone the politics which directed them. These volunteer re-enactors come from all over the United States and foreign countries including Canada, Great Britain, France and Japan to take part in this tremendous effort, performing in these realistic exercises wearing authentic American and German World War II uniforms and equipment. It is a time of remembrance especially for those who were in the actual Battle of the Bulge and who come to take part or to observe these mock battles. Over fake machine gun and mortar blasts, these veterans reminisce about friends who died in the battle that raged from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. From that mid-December through January, the Allied forces engaged in one of the most fierce combat during one of the coldest and snowiest winters in history in the Ardennes Forest located along the border between German and Belgium. When the battle ended, there were 80,000 American casualties, including almost 20,000 who died. Between 100,000 and 200,000 Germans were killed, wounded or captured. Many of the veterans remember being drafted but said they were glad to serve. One veteran of the battle who attended the 1995 re-enactment, Bill Guarnere, then 72, from Philadelphia, lost his right leg in the battle. “I have no regrets and I would do it all over again if I had to”, he said. “Someone had to do it, we had to stop Hitler.” Another veteran attending in 1995 was Gino Merli, 70, of Scranton, who recalled that his first day of battle in World War II was on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He, too, fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In between these famous conflicts, he became a war hero, earning the Medal of Honor. The open fields and wooded areas at the Gap are very similar to the area of the actual battle near Bastogne, Belgium. Also, the January weather at the Gap usually duplicates the actual weather in Belgium at the time of the Battle of the Bulge - some years the ground has been snow covered and others, it has been bitterly cold, all of which added to the authenticity of the re-enactment. The re-enactors are billeted in World War II barracks in Area 12 and they start arriving several days before the Saturday battle with their American and German vehicles and equipment on trailers. By Friday evening, the billeting area will be loaded with World War II-era vehicles and guns awaiting to re-create history in the woods of Indiantown Gap during the weekend battle. At an earlier enactment, Frank Barone came all the way from Los Angeles to take part in the battle. He wore an authentic uniform of the 12th SS Hitler Jugen Panzergrenadiers. He carried with him several anti-tank weapons, which the Germans called Panzerfausts. “My grandfather fought in the real Bulge,” Barone said, “He had just gotten over there the first week of December.” During last year’s program, Hank Arias, a Luftwaffe officer and re-enactor from Oyster Bay, N.Y., said he really enjoys participating in living American history. He explained that the re-enactors purchase their uniforms and other gear from the dealers who specialize in authentic WWII gear. He said these dealers also furnish the gear for movies such as “Saving Private Ryan”. The interest is extremely high, and the re-enactors boast that everything you see is authentic from head to toe. But it is clear that participation as re-enactors is an expensive hobby considering the cost of procuring authentic American and German uniforms and restoring the 1940’s foreign and American vehicles including jeeps, half-tracks, tanks, weapons, and all of the other related material and equipment. On Saturday, the program usually begins about 8:30 a.m. in the barracks area where the American and German re-enactors fall out in their respective formations for inspection. These are no nonsense formations. You can hear the German and American sergeants call the men to attention, and if you didn’t know better, you’d believe you were right there watching roll call on the day of the 1944 battle because these soldiers are fully living their actor roles. The Keystone Canteen is available for the visitors to obtain hot beverages and warm their hands and feet. The flea market opens at 11 a.m. For most Americans, young and old, their glimpse of World War II has been from history books. However, the re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge provides a valuable sense of immediacy not otherwise available and these re-creations of the Battle of the Bulge have become an integral and important part of the history of Fort Indiantown Gap. I must acknowledge past feature articles about the Battle of the Bulge written by Rahn Forney and Barbara West, Lebanon Daily News reporters, for some of source material used in this article. Also, for more information, the reader may contact the World War II Federation’s web site at www.wwiifederation.org.   Published in the Wednesday edition, Lebanon Daily News, on January 12, 2005 © 2005 Frank H. Smoker, Jr. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of the author. Go "Back at the Gap" Index