 |
17-18 September 2005
“ A Jump Into History 1944-2005”
1° Open Air Museum
 
in collaborazione con
|
|
Associazione Nazionale Genieri Trasmettitori d'Italia
Sezione di FIRENZE
|
|
|
|
A REPORT OF THE EVENT
 The event “A Jump Into History”, 2005 edition, originally scheduled for the weekend on September 17-18, 2005, took place on Saturday only: the dire weather conditions which prevailed over the Giogo Pass Area throughout Sunday prevented organized outdoor activities. A thick, swirling fog enveloped the area, while a very strong wind blew a hail of freezing, needle-like rain the whole daylong. At least, our friend “Lupo Alberto” took the opportunity for clicking out some interesting pictures while our groups of drenched-cold “soldiers” put down tents, removed equipment, and maneuvered heavy vehicles over slippery, muddy hillsides. Soon to be seen on this site!
Preparations for the event started on Friday 16 September, when the first participants arrived at the Giogo Pass. Among them, the Clemente group from Sanremo, perfectly organized and bringing a lot of top-class equipment and vehicles, as usual. The balance of participants arrived early on Saturday morning, and soon the hillside was alive with reenactors digging out foxholes and slit trenches, using original pioneer equipment, so as to complete the job of setting up camp by 3:00 p.m., when the event was scheduled to be opened to the public. And so it was. The audience, which had already started strolling around camp during the morning, gathered for the official ceremony of inauguration in the afternoon, together with Public authorities, and then started touring the area asking questions, taking pictures, and generally enjoying the show – kids were happy fore and foremost.
The sight was rather impressive to the eye: at center stage, a White M16 half track with its 4 cal. .50 coaxial MG’s and a Ford M8 armored car. Echeloned up hill from the vehicles, a line of US foxholes and dugouts, complete with 60-mm M2 mortars, cal. .30 M1919A4 MG’s, bazookas, radio and telephone equipment, and the whole gamut of individual and personal equipment characterizing the American soldier of the WWII era. At the base of the hillside, a First Aid station, complete with Dodge Ambulance truck, tent, nurses, stretchers, and medical equipment was set up. Uphill, well-camouflaged German positions (recreated using original WWII dugouts) dominated the area, also complete with personal equipment, MG’s, ammo boxes, etc., and protected by trip wires and AP mines (deactivated!). A large 45-feet long US tent (which provided sleeping accommodations to many reenactors) and a British 25” lbs gun marked the left and right borders of the reenactment area, while camouflaged loudspeakers at times diffused the sound of overhead planes, maneuvering tanks, MG and cannon fire – incoming and outgoing, and the notes of WWII era songs.
More than 70 re-enactors gave life to a scene rivaling with a big production movie set – only historically more accurate! We cannot find adequate words to thank all people that gave their careful and knowledgeable contribution to the effort. A special mention goes to several: the MVGC Group from Sanremo, which also brought the M16 Half Track and Dodge Ambulance; the Pauletto group, which, apart from bringing with them the US M8 armored car the British 25-pounder, took position with our friends Mrs. Cottini, Castelli, and Arbuaddi, donning impressively accurate German Fallschirmjäger uniforms; Mr. Giovanni Sulla and his “10th Mountain Division brothers” group, acting as German troops for the occasion, also displayed a wealth of rare items of Wehrmacht equipment; Mrs. Cancelli, Genovesi, and Ludovici, other friends of ours from Rome, provided the British side of the show, wearing Royal Artillery attire and manning the 25-lbs field gun; finally, the “88th Infantry Division” group from Imola (for once, wearing 85th and 91st Division patches!) provided the cadre for the foxhole section of the show. They also proved to be the most willing and effective diggers! All participants behaved impeccably throughout the show. The Wehrmacht reenactors, in particular, displayed the right attitude to prove to skeptics that the showing of German WWII uniforms in a historical context does not necessarily constitute or imply a political statement.
We must also thank the Mugello Mountain Community administration and the Municipality of Scarperia, which, with their wholehearted support, were instrumental in making the Giogo Pass area available and prepared it for the event. The hotel-restaurant “Il Giogo”, for its part, provided tasty meals to reenactors and offered much needed shelter during the Sunday storm.
Finally, a special thank and apology must go to the many people and friends who tried to reach the Giogo pass on Sunday, starting from places as far as Milan, Cremona, or Bologna, only to find the horrible weather had compelled us to cancel the event before schedule. We hope they will be with us next year, together with all others who had no opportunity to visit “A Jump Into History 2005”!
|
