Military historical reconstruction has become extremely popular in Russia and abroad over the past two decades. It is also known that initially she had deeper roots. The first reconstructions of important events and great battles were carried out in Ancient Greece and Rome. Now they decided to revive this tradition.
Event History
Military-historical reconstruction was also carried out in Ancient Egypt. The organizers arranged costumed performances. The audience could see with their own eyes how key battles unfolded. Sometimes special arenas were even built for such events.
This type of performance survived the next wave of popularity in the 17th century. This time, the country where they began to carry out mass military-historical reconstruction, became England. Here, in the years 1620-1630, demonstrations of combat drill were presented to the public by units of the London militia.
And in 1687, King James II took part in a military-historical reconstruction dedicated to the siege of Budapest, in which his own son, Duke Berwick, took part. The event was held near London.
During the war with Napoleon in Hyde Park, exercises for which the public was allowed regularly conducted regiments of British police.
In the United States in the mid-19th century, various military units participated in demonstration trips across the country, which were very popular. During these speeches, the public demonstrated combat techniques, practiced various elements of the use of weapons, and even sketched out their scenes from the recent war with Mexico. This led to an increase in the popularity of the army among the population, as well as aroused genuine interest in certain historical events.
From under the wing of the army
The fundamental difference between all these military-historical reconstructions of the battles from the modern ones is that earlier the regular army units were directly involved in the organization. These days, these features have been passed on to enthusiasts. As a rule, these are civilians or military personnel who have retired.
The first such performances of the clubs of military historical reconstruction in order to play genuine battles and display certain events of history date back to the 1960s. Such social movements appeared almost simultaneously in the USA and England. They were engaged in the applied history of civil wars.
The first such theatrical battles involved several dozen people on each side. They were theatrical or genuine elements of uniforms and military equipment. Today, these clubs have become one of the largest military historical clubs in the world. For example, about 15 thousand soldiers who have at least 200 guns at their disposal are playing a civil war between federalists and confederates.
The military-historical movement gained great popularity on the eve of celebrations dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the formation of the United States. In 1976, historical clubs and individual fans of 18th-century history came to America from all over the world. Almost 4 thousand participants arrived for the celebrations. They played a series of events of the American Civil War.
The fame of the reconstruction quickly spread to all countries. More and more people became interested in the new hobby. Clubs representing various military units began to appear: Roman legionnaires, English infantrymen, Russian hussars, French musketeers and many others.
The development of military history clubs
If at first the costumes of members of military-historical clubs only vaguely resembled the real equipment of army units, then over time they began to approach the details more carefully, study photographs and chronicles before starting to sew a uniform.
The armaments of the reenactors also changed. In place of modern rifles, loaded with blank cartridges, and dummies came copies that are fully consistent with historical counterparts.
A whole developed industry has appeared. Historians searched for archival materials dedicated to the period of interest, tailors manually sewed unique uniforms and costumes that have not been used for centuries, gunsmiths made sophisticated replicas of cold steel and firearms.
In recent years, even special companies have appeared that are engaged in the reconstruction of armored vehicles from the Second World War.
Battles and life
In addition to battles, participants in military-historical clubs recreate army life. They often set up camp a few days before the reconstruction and live the lives of people of the time they recreate. They forget about mobile phones, use only those items that their historical prototypes had.
All the time a camp is set up, tourists can visit it to learn not only how they fought, but also how they lived in the old days.
The life of soldiers and officers in field camps is recreated down to the smallest detail. Carefully copy the tents, utensils, the cooking process and the menu, which was popular at that time.
Reconstruction Places
Most often, the organization of military-historical reconstruction is carried out by club leaders with the support of local authorities. The reconstruction of the battles themselves most often takes place in those places where real historical events took place. This applies, for example, to the festival dedicated to the Battle of Borodino near Moscow or the battle of Lubino in the Smolensk region.
But there are exceptions. There are festivals during which the Ardennes operation of the Second World War in the United States is conducted, and the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War in the United States is recreated in France.
The role of cinema
A large role in the development of the military historical movement around the world is played by cinema. Often after the release of world premieres devoted to historical events, interest in the era shown is growing.
Military history clubs themselves also often make documentaries in which they pay maximum attention not only to the details of the battle, but also to the everyday life of that time. Some clubs do specialize in peaceful life without being interested in battles.
Reconstructors in Russia
In Russia, interest in historical reconstruction appeared in the mid-80s. Then the clubs were actively supported by the Komsomol. The main topics of military-historical reconstructions are the Second World War (Great Patriotic War).
In second place in popularity were the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812.
Battle of Berlin
One of the most popular military historical festivals of recent years is the Battle of Berlin. The reconstruction is dedicated to the assault on the German capital by Soviet troops in 1945.
The event takes place in Moscow at the end of April. In the Patriot military-patriotic culture and recreation park of the Russian Armed Forces, the reenactors recreate the main points of one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War.
At the very center of the battle are the guests of the Battle of Berlin festival. Reconstruction allows you to plunge headlong into this operation of the Soviet troops. In the park, the streets of real Berlin are recreated, through which tank units and the Motovoysk pass. The real artillery cannonade sounds, and uncompromising air battles unfold in the sky. You can feel in your own skin what an assault on Berlin was like. The reconstruction is attended not only by history buffs, but also by professional stuntmen and pyrotechnics who carefully prepare the performance in memory of the heroes of that war.
It is worth noting that the storm of Berlin played an important role in the history of the war. The reconstruction allows us to imagine how it really was.
