Are there any Romanian WWII reenactment societies?

Hello Mihnea and Kepi, and happy new year to everyone. It's getting more and more interesting, so is the person who made your reproduction the same as the one who made the uniforms for the Museum group? Looking forward to learning more about what the uniform details are, at least if one evr shows up on eBay we'll know if it's original or not.

Kepi are you involved with Horia's group? I'would be curious to know if I can meet them in May when the Museum has it's opening event again.

To RHaught and Darius, sounds like you are very lucky in the US to be able to do proper reenacting, but if the laws in Romania permit blank firing demilitarized rifles I would say you Romanians have a lot of potential to build the hobby there.

Only thing I still don't understand, maybe I'm not reading very carefully, if the museum and/or reenactor group is selling reproduction uniforms why not buy them from there?

I hope everyone is doing well this evening! I have just read the latest posting,so I will try to cover all the subject which I can.I agree with you Rhaught about staying away from german items when doing romanian!This is something which I have practice and it is not a easy guideline too follow!But I rather do without than look like a german soldier. I know that german equipment was used by the romanian but from what I have been through at these events it is better not too look german. I will just say that the german reenactors here have alot too learn about the romanian army and one thing that allways happens to me at all events is that Iam always shot by the german because they think I am a red army soldier! They just have not seen fit too take time out too learn the other uniforms of the armys which fought along side with the germans!I have asked Mihnea about the romanian messkits and he told me they are very hard to find even in romania,so we will have to use our german issue one for the moment.Beside the convert west german uniform I have ww1 u.s.army puttees,the belt is a converted civil war one and the buckle is the west german issue found on that canvas belt which is two inches wide,all I did was grind off the pebble finish and paint it black.I have the correct ammo pouches finally! It took years for them to finally show up around here,if you do not have a pair let me know as I have two extras I believe.And I finally found a dutch helmet which I had too paint ,it is too small any way but it is a start,I finally found another my size which now needs a paint job!The cap I made myself out of painted or dyed swedish wool.the canteen is a put together from a west german police canteen which look a little like the romanian canteen.Mihnea told me that the post war bags are close to the original but there is a little difference,I hope too find some of these as the bag I use is not to good. The only part of the impression which there is no trouble is the rifle,there are allot os vz-24 here and at a good price!The only trouble I found is they do not want to cycle the standard 8mm blanks we use for our german k-98! But I have wood tip blanks from the 1930s-early 40s and they work fine! I want to make a promise to Mihnea that as soon as better pictures are taken of us doing romanian I will get them posted on this forum somehow!If I can not find any one here I will be happy too mail them over to any of you gentlemen who can help at my expense.I read the posting from calarasi and I would like to purchase a uniform from the museum over there if they are indeed selling them but It may be a problem as I had email them before and never heard back from them!Is there anyone living close to the museum who amy be able too buy them for us?I do feel that although we may be able too reenact more freely here in the u.s. that you members in romania have too let us know what we are doing wrong and how too make this ww2 romanian army reenacting better.Before I forget,I do not use the wood-tip blanks as they are not allowed at events but I did want too see how they work in the rifle.take care

Yes he is, and he also sells reproductions at the museum store, it is not the museum that sells it is a private store that sells privet owned objects, nothing belonging to the museum.

How good is the material used in the reproductions? If charges a good price (and Darius will tell you this also) and good quality product would be able to get people in the US more involved. Know Schipperfabrik makes a Polish M36 uniform and a M35/36 Belgium uniform for early, early war events but the earliest I have seen is the 1940 France events.

My items are stored at a friends until my wife and I get out of the city so no pics off hand. do have maps and albums here though. Will try to post some later today and look at the list.

It is normal to be shot by German re-enactors; to avoid being shot the, Romanian soldiers fighting on the eastern front were wearing a yellow band on their left arm, you should do the same or, if you want, you could wear an German helmet, after Stalingrad the Romanian army bought a big quantity of German helmets.

I don’t thing that the west German police canteen is similar to the Romanian WWII, the best canteen to use at this chapter is the German WWII canteen, but the closest that I found is the Yugoslavian WWII canteen with an modified communist era cover or an heavily modified Romanian communist era canteen.

Here you are probably referring to the bread bag; the main differences between the WWII and the post war bread bag is the difference in size, the WWII ones are smaller than the post war ones, but you will not observe the difference unless they are side by side the other difference is the color of the leather elements the WWII ones were painted with an gray-green paint the post war ones war not painted.

If you post some pictures with them I could tell you if they are original or pos war as they were also made in after war, the difference is the leather, but I need the photos to tell you exactly.

PS Please, darius1941, next time you post use paragraphs; it is very annoying to read such an endless lump of text.

My uniform is mad of a very good material, a bit better than the one used in original Romanian WWII uniforms and it is also very warm. But for the summer I am going to make a replica of a summer tunic, I had passed out once in it but it won’t happen again.

I can't compare it to a good German uniform replica as I never seen one, unfortunately.

Hi Mihnea,

To clarify matters for foreigners who may be able to find simmilar material abroad, could you specify the following:

1) What material were the tunic and trousers of the Romanian winter uniform?

2) What material were the tunic and trousers of the Romanian summer uniform?

Also, as uniform colours tend to fade in use, what is the acceptable range of colour and shade in which each item may be found to accurately portray a Romanian WWII soldier? Perhaps you could show examples of the lightest and darkest shades of Romanian khaki that are acceptable for each piece of clothing?

Cheers,

Sid.

My apology to everyone for cramming my posting together so tightly!I will start improving things at once!

I bought that west german police canteen several years ago from a mail order company and it is not shaped like the standard issue german canteen but shaped more like the ww1 austrian canteen which I see being sold at times.
The canteen dose not have a screw-on top but only had a cork in the spout with a cord attach to the body,with no cover around the body at all.
Also it is a square in shape not oval.Anyone know more about this canteen?

One of the ammo pouch I have is post war as I can make out a name(look to me as czech)and a date,1952. The other pouches I have look very similar so Iam guessing they are also post war.Is it possible original pouches are being sold on the market? What is the difference in the leather?

I agree with RHaught on the need of getting some sort of uniform in our hands over here in the u.s. as it will help get other more involved.
I know of another gentleman in the German 45th div. here who is also interested in doing romanian and I know he would like a good repro uniform!
And we also need a good summer uniform as the summer here on the east coast can get very hot and very humid!

Back onto the subject of being shot by the German reenactors,I have thought about that yellow arm band and I may yet have too use one too advoid from being shot, but now that I think of it the german have no problem knowing the italian uniform and they do not shoot at those reenactor from what I have seen!

I can contact Ed Walton of Lost Battalions to see at the possible making of uniforms or Paul Schipper? Emailed the company in Italy so waiting for response and will post it here. German or WWII reenactors in general do not see anyone but some Italian, Russian, British, American or German forces. Very few Eastern Front events here like I said only 2 I have been at out of 3 in 3 yrs (can't go to GD event at Newville due to doing SS).

As for items, looks like in the US it is going to have to be borrow, mix-match, post-war items just to get close unless someone knows where we can get these items for a decent cost.

[/QUOTE]I know of another gentleman in the German 45th div. here who is also interested in doing romanian and I know he would like a good repro uniform!


Is this the 135th of the 45th Division here in NJ, PA region?

Will put an email out on reenactors list to see what I can find out.

Good morning to everyone.

The gentleman I know in the german 45th div.is in the same unit located here in the NJ/PA area and when I do run into him at the event we both talk about the romanian impression.
I have not spoken to this guy for a year now so I am not sure how far he has come along with his uniform,ect.

RHaught have you ever been to any of the Bedford event?
I had though of going to one of these events as romanian!
Never been to any of the Bedford events before so I may just plan too attend the next one which I believe is being held this month.
Or so someone said on the Red Army forum.

Before I forget Rhaught are you with the 10th ss that attends the Fort Mifflin,PA events?
I was all set too go to the last event at fort mifflin this pass november but we were hit with that snow storm so I was not sure whether it was cancel!

What I have in terms of uniform/equipment for my romanian impression can pass and it may not be perfect but as I always say"Rome was not built in a day" and it will take time to improve on the impression.

Unfortunately an small number, and I mean very small, of WWII uniforms that belonged to the solders still exist today, even at the MMN has very few, I have seen only three that are 100% WWII and from these one was an summer tunic, one was almost completely eaten by moths and the last one didn't ever seen the battle field, but I think neither the other two were ever used.

The normal uniform, as well as the cloak were mad out of cloth (stofa – in romanian).

The summer uniform was a tunic made out of a lighter material I am not sure what but I will tell you exactly when I get home, at the end of this week. And the rest of the uniform stayed the same.

For winter the soldiers received fur caps, these were two different designs: the Romanian type at the beginning of the war and the Russian type used in the latter years of war; gloves I don’t now any details and the cloaks.

As for the moment I am not home so I can’t post any pictures. There is a picture posted by me, a few pages back that shows the original cloth used.

Some pictures would help, a lot.

If the marking is in an oval it might be Romanian in 1952 they were still made, you could right the text here and I could tell you if it is Romanian or not.

The post war ammo pouches were made of thinner, lighter brown leather and the WWII ones were made of thicker leather, brown for the army (painted white for the guard regiments) and black for the navy and air force.

Yes, have been to the Bedford events held by Andy Zappone. Went to the last one which was an Eastern Front event (and some were actual Russians). Not going to this one coming up, in fact think it might be cancelled. Yes, I know the 45th Division members (some of them). Ft. Mifflin I am there and with the 10th SS that atttends as well (CO is Axis Coordinator) so might see you around then. What unit/s do you reenact with Darius?

Here is the email I received from Italian Front on status of Romanian WWII items:

Hello Rob,
we're currently working on our first order of a basic Romanian kit and expect completion at around the end of February. This includes the M39 khaki wool tunic, shirt, breeches, capela field cap, and puttees, also coming with this kit are reproduction natural color belt, ammo pouches, frog for ZB24 bayonet, and haversack. We're also going to reproduce the mess kit later this year, boots, equipment y straps for cav and mountain troops for example. Also the caciula and greatcoat hopefully in time for next year's winter campaigning as well as the summer issue tunic for warmer seasons. The rest of the kit like original blankets, canteens, e-tools etc we don't have a source for at this time but will be looking.

We want to encourage Romanian reenacting like the other less "considered" Axis powers which we already deal in, like Italian and Finnish, so we are extending our standard 35% off group discount to orders of at least 4 full kits (despite the fact that no one else is selling the kit right now). Lesser discounts are also available starting at 20% for a single uniform package deal. Exact prices will be posted once the items are ready and have time to complete the web page, but considering the custom nature of our repros, quality finish and materials, not to mention attention to details which make our repros real reproductions, the prices are going to be relative to other items we already offer on our site. The kit we're working on with equipment (including the helmet make a total of 10 different items, plus insignia) cost around 800 euros after the single PD discount. A group discount would bring it down significantly more.

Having said that, if I can take one more minute, when considering who might make your repros, there are three important things to remember: 1) Authenticity - there will always be someone willing to make you a kit without doing the hard preparatory work and research that we do for every impression, they hook you up with what seems a great low price then simply pick a picture from a book and voila`, there's your uniform! We invest in purchasing originals (as you can see only in our site) or finding an original to study. 2) flexibility - unlike other businesses in our category, or dealers of stocked items for that matter, we also try to meet reenactor's needs and wishes with flexible payments and volume discounts. Obviously our repros are made in our workshop here in Italy with Italian overhead, production and materials costs, so they tend cost more due to the exchange rate and higher costs generally (when you compare them to repros made in other countries). Lastly, there's (3) convenience - once you put the seemingly higher prices aside, the saying "you get what you pay for" should be the real standard with which to judge our products. It's not just high quality but the convenience of service, like offering about 5 different ways to pay without hassles. But you do an elite German impression and of course you already know what I'm saying and what it can costs to buy the best made repros.

If you need more info don't hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Salvatore Vasta
www.italianfront.com

Hope this helps all of us out!

Yes, I’m a member of the 6th Dorobanti Regiment reenactment group. Horia Serbanescu is Lieutenant of this unit but the commander of the group is Mr. Adrian-Silvan Ionescu. He is a famous PhD art-historian, a good specialist in the 19th Century fine arts, photography, military and civilian costume. He has the rank of Colonel in our group.

There are other 8 uniformed members in our group and for some important activities some other enthusiasts joined us. During the shows the Military Museum helps us by providing some additional parts of equipment and particularly with weapons. Not all the members of the group are collectors but all are interested in military history. The greatest part of their uniforms are reconstructed according the original models. Horia Serbanescu gives all the information concerning the uniforms and equipment and one of the group members, who is a talented tailor and attested textile restorer, make the uniforms and some parts of the equipment. His prices are not too high and he make discounts for his colleagues. Original uniforms are extremely rare and too fragile to be worn on the field. Of course, some original items of equipment (helmets, waist belts, belt plates, cartridge pouches, knapsacks, canteens, gas masks, etc.), sometimes of later models but similar to the originals, were carried. The members who have additional items of equipment help their colleagues during the shows.

As I said in one of my previous posts our group commemorates the 6th Dorobanti (Territorial Infantry) Regiment, from 1873, when it was set up, to 1947. The unit fought during the major campaigns of the Romanian army: 1877-1878, 1916-1918 and 1941-1945. So the members of the group should have three basic uniforms, for the respective historical moments. They were successively made according the events on which the group has participated.

Obviously, new members are always welcomed. They only have to contact me or direct Horia Serbanescu at the Military Museum. Mihnea, who is an experienced reenactor, could be also a good advisor on this matter.

For 2006, our group and the Military Museum intend to organize two shows. The first will be on the Museum’s "Open Gates", on the 13th-14th May. This year event will be dedicated to the king Carol I epoch (1866-1914), so our group will wear 1877-78 Dorobantzi uniforms. The second show will be held on 16th of September and will commemorate the Battle of Arges river of November 1916, the most important battle of the 1916 campaign, when Romanian troops (and a few Russians) faced the Germans, Austro-Hungarians, Bulgarians and Turks. We would like to have an international presence and this will be a fighting reconstruction of that historical moment.

Unfortunately, no WW2 shows are planned for this year. Volunteers are welcome for any of the armies involved in that battle. I will give all the details when these projects will be thoroughly considered.

I forgot to mention that not all historical periods (1877-78, 1916-18, 1941-45) must be reenacted by the same person. The members of the group could select their favourit period, which means one, two or all the three campaigns. This depends on the personal preference but also on the financial resources.

As I said before, the uniforms and equipment could be made gradually, in order to be not a burden for the reenactor. It could be started as a basic (summer) uniform, then rounded with other items (greatcoat, knapsack, winter gear, etc.). The most important for a recruit-reenactor is to decide upon the period and unit he would like to reenact and then to start collecting or securing the uniform and equipment.

For example, for the first show, of 13-14 May, the group will wear M.1873 (War of Independence) uniforms as the topic is "Romanian army of King Carol I, 1866-1914". These uniforms are similar to the Romanian peasant costume and are basically composed of a woolen hat, with turkey plume, white linen peasant shirt with light blue collar, cuffs, shoulder boards and front strap, white cloth trousers (breeches), black jack boots or peasant sandals (opankis), black leather waist belt, front and rear cartridge pouches, white linen knapsack.

I enclose some photos of former shows to have an idea.


(The MMN "Open gates", May 15, 2004)


("Shipka Pass" show, Bulgaria, August 20, 2005)

To these dress some other items could be added in the future (greatcoat that Dorobanti also wore as tunic, knapsack, etc). M.1873 uniforms are more complicate and expensive for officers, but new recruits start as privates, so there is no need for more expenses yet.

I want also to mention that persons interested in reenactment could start their own groups, on different armies and periods. All these reenactment units are welcomed on any reconstruction show.

New units or branches of service are also most welcome. The Museum intend to show a 1877 field gun firing during the event of May (and also for the WW1 reconstruction), so any artillery unit (at least 3-4 members) would be most necessary. I or the Museum staff could help any interested people with appropriate information.