Old Ft Mac Days

Re-inactors can provide great samples of real history. This is from Old Ft. Mac Arthur days in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California this morning. Here is an M-16 quad .50 caliber AA gun.

Roman bolt thrower. Very impressive.

US Army WWII 155 mm coast defense gun.

Army nurses, WWII US Army with hospital tent.

Spanish American War US Army troops defend a hill with a Gatling Gun. The firing of cannons and rifles was very impressive.

A Horse is a Horse

Did you realize that the US Army used horse cavalry up to the end of World War Two? Even after they were disbanded in 1943! In Italy and France horse cavalry were considered so valuable by commanders in the field that they rounded up horses and men with knowledge of horses and formed ad hoc cavalry units. They even requested cavalry units be formed in the United States and shipped overseas but were denied saying the shipping requirements did not justify the value of the units.

These are more photos of Old FT Mac Days.





















As World War Two approached, the horse cavalry knew they needed to be able to keep up with the motorized units and so they too motorized into Horse/Mechanized units. These were horse cavalry units with trailers to carry the horses and supplies to the combat areas. This is similar in concept to the "Battle Taxi" idea of carrying infantry in armored vehicles and having them dismount to fight on foot.





















This is a two horse trailer used to transport the two horses seen in the top photo.





















This photo shows a horse ambulance, horses were returned to be treated so they could return to combat. It takes years to raise and then train a good cavalry or even towing horse.

I have considered several methods of making US Army Horse Cavalry for WWI and WWII. Tumbling Dice makes really nice US Army Horse Cavalry for WWI but they are metal and a bit expensive compared to plastic. The number of poses is also limited. I have done a few body swaps with the old Airfix US Cavalry lower bodies and the upper body from the Airfix Americans for WWI. These work okay. I have also used upper bodies from the Airfix 8th Army to get early WWII US Cavalry, since the 8th Army set is wearing the flat hat and some have Thompson SMGs.

Most other gamers don't expect US Army horse cavalry, especially late war. They are faster than men on foot, charge very fast and are quieter than vehicles. Makes a nice secret weapon!

Old FT Mac Days

The weekend after Fourth of July, Independence Day, Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles, CA has
http://www.ftmac.org/ Old Fort Mac Arthur Day with more than 70 different groups of historical re-enactors present. Groups acting as Roman soldiers, pirates, and all American wars were present. People show up on Friday and stay, camping out until Sunday afternoon.






















Groups camp in authentic style, Indians in teepees, Romans in tents, and First World War Germans in trenches! Some units bring vehicles, artillery and one year even an airplane. We spoke with several of the groups and they told us all about their units and individual equipment and weapons. This is an excellent way to learn more about history and get an infantryman's view of warfare. Many of the units have extensive weapons collections and they display them and even demonstrate them for the visitors. Gatherings like this happen all over the nation, particularly in the summer when the weather is nice. Visit a reenactment and you will get some good ideas about your wargame rules, vehicle conversions, and individual weapons, uniforms and equipment.






















This is a 1942 Ford car in authentic WWII era US Army markings. Typical of the type of vehicle used for administrative transportation all during the war on and around military installations. Most any late 1930's or early 1940's civilian car will work for this era.