03-26-2014, 06:34 PM
Reviving topic a bit, I will do a bit of boasting.
Last weekend our group had a chance to participate in a rather untypical re-enactment event. The Polish Arms Museum in Kołobrzeg organised a march to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the "wedding" of Poland with the Baltic Sea in 1945 (the tradition of stressing the fact that the Poland has access to the Baltic sea, started in 1918 - the ceremony included tossing a gold ring into the Sea and making state flag/unit banner "kiss" the sea; in 1945 it was repeated few times by various units). This Year the march was linking the three main "wedding places of the 1945 - Dziwnów, where the Soldiers of the 1st armored brigade organised the first known ceremony in 1945, Mrzeżyno where the similar ceremony was organised by the 1st Independent cavalry brigade and Kołobrzeg, where on March the 17th the largest, most famous and the most official ceremony was held after the city was captured after heavy fights. The March distance was around 60km (a bit less) and we did it all using only re-enactment equipment - (starting with footwear and the traditional Soviet veshchmeshok rucksack ending with the food consisting mainly of dark bread, onion and smoked speck). The distance wasn't large (it was to be done in 2 days) and the road was flat, but unfortunately most of it was on paved or asphalt roads, which in conjunction with the footwear caused a serious foot damage (even tough we have already practiced long-distance marches in mountainous region in this kind of boots) - a daily occurence for new recruits in the Army of that time (let me just say, that one of ourmen walked most of the timebare-footed, and another one, after removing his boots at the end of the first day could use his socks as national flags - they were white, but became white-red).
Our group scored 2nd in general classification and 1st among the Re-enactment groups (let me add that only one "contemporary" group and 2 re-enactment groups finished the march, even though more of them took part in the event).
At the end, everone who finished the march was issued a diploma and a badge.
Also, the end of the march covered a meeting with the veterans of the Fights for Kołobrzeg in 1945 as well as free visit to the museum with it's director as a guide.
This Year we couldn't stay for the official celebrations on th 17th, as we had to return home (on the other end of Poland), but last Year (the distance was around 20km, only from Mrzeżyno toKołobrzeg) I have managed to takepart in the ceremony.
Here's one of the only 2 photographs we took during the march - in the seaside forest, during the firs day of the march. Me standing first to the right.
Last weekend our group had a chance to participate in a rather untypical re-enactment event. The Polish Arms Museum in Kołobrzeg organised a march to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the "wedding" of Poland with the Baltic Sea in 1945 (the tradition of stressing the fact that the Poland has access to the Baltic sea, started in 1918 - the ceremony included tossing a gold ring into the Sea and making state flag/unit banner "kiss" the sea; in 1945 it was repeated few times by various units). This Year the march was linking the three main "wedding places of the 1945 - Dziwnów, where the Soldiers of the 1st armored brigade organised the first known ceremony in 1945, Mrzeżyno where the similar ceremony was organised by the 1st Independent cavalry brigade and Kołobrzeg, where on March the 17th the largest, most famous and the most official ceremony was held after the city was captured after heavy fights. The March distance was around 60km (a bit less) and we did it all using only re-enactment equipment - (starting with footwear and the traditional Soviet veshchmeshok rucksack ending with the food consisting mainly of dark bread, onion and smoked speck). The distance wasn't large (it was to be done in 2 days) and the road was flat, but unfortunately most of it was on paved or asphalt roads, which in conjunction with the footwear caused a serious foot damage (even tough we have already practiced long-distance marches in mountainous region in this kind of boots) - a daily occurence for new recruits in the Army of that time (let me just say, that one of ourmen walked most of the timebare-footed, and another one, after removing his boots at the end of the first day could use his socks as national flags - they were white, but became white-red).
Our group scored 2nd in general classification and 1st among the Re-enactment groups (let me add that only one "contemporary" group and 2 re-enactment groups finished the march, even though more of them took part in the event).
At the end, everone who finished the march was issued a diploma and a badge.
Also, the end of the march covered a meeting with the veterans of the Fights for Kołobrzeg in 1945 as well as free visit to the museum with it's director as a guide.
This Year we couldn't stay for the official celebrations on th 17th, as we had to return home (on the other end of Poland), but last Year (the distance was around 20km, only from Mrzeżyno toKołobrzeg) I have managed to takepart in the ceremony.
Here's one of the only 2 photographs we took during the march - in the seaside forest, during the firs day of the march. Me standing first to the right.
