Old News - "The Big Red One"

For simplicity, and to make it easier to decipher on the main page what is current and what is not, I added this site that has previous new bulletins, battle reports, and company news.

General Update, June19th, 2008:
We have some good news to announce! After monkeying around for hours, our wrench monkey has our radios back online! Range testing will commence tomorrow, we have a good feeling that the unit will work well.

As for the event, again, July 18 - 20th, we will make landfall on "Omaha Beach" at Fort Stevens State Park, OR.
The scenario is Operation Overlord / D-Day... It was nice knowing you guys.

Sgt. says that he is expecting 18-20 guys show up from our squad. Hot diddly, I think we have a killer event in the making! Get that time off, and get out to the event!

Some notes on the event:

There are other clubs that show up to this event, namely the PNWHG and Friend of Willie and Joe.
We sleep in tents instead of barracks. Thus, bring Proper sleeping equipment, a simple wool blanket might not cut it if it's poor weather, or if the wind pick up from the ocean. There are a few cots that can be used, but don't count on it if you arrive later.
Most glorious way to burn powder! ... Stock up on ammo, M1 users should look at stockpiling 150 rounds minimum, 200+ is what you should have.
There is no event fee!

Sgt. says that he is expecting 18-20 guys show up from our squad. Hot diddly, I think we have a killer event in the making! Get that time off, and get out to the event!

Some notes on the event:

There are other clubs that show up to this event, namely the PNWHG and Friend of Willie and Joe.
We sleep in tents instead of barracks. Thus, bring Proper sleeping equipment, a simple wool blanket might not cut it if it's poor weather, or if the wind pick up from the ocean. There are a few cots that can be used, but don't count on it if you arrive later.
Most glorious way to burn powder! ... Stock up on ammo, M1 users should look at stockpiling 150 rounds minimum, 200+ is what you should have.
There is no event fee!

Added: June 13th
Made a few improvements to the Uniform requirements, and added a few more links that can come in handy.

Event Update, June 4th, 2008:
Gentleman! I think it is finally time to start preparing for the invasion... Our upcoming point of attack will be July 18 - 20th! We will make landfall on "Omaha Beach" at Fort Stevens State Park, OR.
The scenario is Operation Overlord, D-Day... It was nice knowing you guys.

Since April, May, and even June got shot in the foot, and our next event is BIAK in late September, consider this event as maximum effort event! So get your time off, and get your time in with us!

Some notes on the event:
There are other clubs that show up to this event, namely the PNWHG and Friend of Willie and Joe.
We sleep in tents instead of barracks. Thus, bring Proper sleeping equipment, a simple wool blanket might not cut it if it's poor weather. There are a few cots that can be used, but don't count on it if you arrive later.
Most glorious way to burn powder! ... Stock up on ammo, M1 users should look at stockpiling 150 rounds minimum, 200+ is what you should have.
There is no event fee!

General Update, May 16th, 2008:
Gentleman, I am very pleased to announce that we have finally uploaded the Uniform Requirements.

This section will answer and explain all details of the uniform that you are supposed to have, and what you have to watch for while getting your equipment. Pictures will be posted at a later time.

General Update, April 19th, 2008:
We were expecting a great fight this weekend, however this is not true due to factors beyond our control.

We tried to get another location up, but it was too soon for anything to be worked out. We apologize for this inconvenience to all of our members, since some of us took precious time off.

However, we are working on trying to get another event in the near future, so keep your eyes and ears pealed!

Event Update, April 3rd, 2008;

Hey guys, just another update and a reminder of the upcoming event at Camp Adair, OR on April 18 - 20th.
The scenario is still unknown, should be a very fun event none the less.

Cost is still $20 for the event, so bring a bill to make it nice and easy.

Also, there is a new tab called Directions, where some details are included on finding Camp Adair. BIAK will also be posted at a later date.

Hope to see the whole lot of you there!

Duty first.

Double update, March 18th, 2007

Event Update:
Gentlemen, contrary to unpopular belief as posted on the NWHA, we will have an event to go to!

At Camp Adair, OR on April 18 - 20th, the PNWHG is having an event that we can attend. The scenario is unknown, be prepared to plunge into a target rich environment.

Further details of what the event will be will be posted as soon as it comes in.
Also, soldiers coming from North of Portland, take note that some mapping sites might want to take you down to Albany or Corvallis, which is an unnecessary detour. Revised directions will be posted soon.

Battle report from 14th weekend:
Good hustle 1st I.D., we did major damage on D+12 and manage to delay the German forces until further reinforcement arrived... Battle report is as follows:

"Intel provided us much needed information, where we were to primarily eliminate an HQ element of the of the German army, and secondary objectives of capturing an officer and capturing a weather station.
The 1st ID split squads to setup a successful ambush against the German forces, and the other element went scouting. The 1st ID also managed to sneak in with 5 soldiers and eliminated the HQ with extreme prejudice.

At the end end of the day, we were to eliminate another HQ, by that time thought the SS managed to reinforce the area and we took heavy losses.

D+13 we were to marginally defend the Iron O.P. By the end of the day the 2nd SS managed to overrun us, with few of us making it out."

Event Update, February 22nd, 2008; Updated Feb 24th
Our wrench monkey had the fortune of playing war "correspondent" by "visiting" the Eastern front just last the weekend - with firm thoughts of "What the hell am I doing here..."
Now, back to actual 1st ID news!

The March 14-16, event will be at Camp Rilea Training Base, OR, which means that the battles are drawing near! What exactly our scenario will be, we have no idea, keep frosty and we will get through this.

One month later ( April 18-20 ) will be our sponsored events, so make sure that you have the days written in and all of the necessaries to make it out to both events.

Added: Feb 24th
Also uploaded a lot of last years photos from the July, August, and September events with several axis and ally pictures that really make it come alive.

General Update, February 5th, 2008:
Well, after our rather uneventful deep winter months of hibernation, it is time to get back into gear for the reenacting season!
Things to take into consideration for the next couple of weeks before March rolls around;

If you need new pieces for your uniform, don't dink around... Order it! UPS has been rather unreliable in the last couple of weeks.
Acquire/Order your ammo from Swanson or from what source you have. Just be sure that you have what you need!
Make sure to double check that you have the days off! First event is in March and our sponsored event is April.

Event dates direct link to NWHA.

Our C.M.P. membership has also been renewed, and with that there will be a match held, which is at the time "TBA".

Wrench monkeys' personal note: Something that I finally improved is our radio! It always bothered me that the music got cut off when you went to a different page. Now when you click it, the controls will pop-up in a Separate small window, allowing you to browse around the webpage and it won't affect playback. New songs will also be added shortly. Also, if there are any problems with it, shoot me an e-mail.

Double Update January 5th, 2008

General Update
Hopefully in the next couple of days a C.M.P. news section will be added, there is a bit of trimming that has to be done to make it work.

Also, website links for C and K rations are now under the Links section.

As a final note, there is no new info about the upcoming event in February.

As a final note, the wrench monkey is looking into implementing an RSS feed into the website, since some of us can forget to check it once in a while.

Battle report of Dec. 1st weekend:
We also had the good fortune of finally receiving a long-overdue after action report from the December event... Better late then never I guess. Report is as follows:

"Our unit was assigned to the 1/18 Infantry Regiment, 1^st ID, and our objective was to keep the Germans falling out of a pocket where the forces of the RKKA were on the hunt. With the 1/18^th on the frontal push and the 1/16^th on the flank, we were able to achieve the objective with minimal losses and annihilated the Falschimjager regiment that we had cut off.
Following that engagement, the American forces setup a defensive positions, and awaited contact of the Airborne with the SS forces. We were able to push through and accomplish the days objective.

The next day the RKKA forces pursued the Germans who were fleeing towards the American forces. The 1/16^th was assigned to the left flank, the Airborne and 82^nd in the center, and the Rangers on the right. The Americans awaited the German forces at the top of the ridge. The SS, Falschimjager, and Panzergrenadiers were at the bottom of said ridge being defended... It shall be known as “Bloody Ridge”, very brutal. The Germans insisted on fighting till the bitter end, and very few escaped form the 1/16th's BAR, M1919 and a rifle men.

After that engagement the action report is jumbled at best, with reports of Germans shooting Germans, Germans shooting Americans, Americans returning fire, and RKKA shooting everybody.

It is obvious that by the end of the day it was utter chaos."

Sarge mentioned "Bloody Ridge" earlier, and that overall "In the last 7 year of the units reenactment, this has been one of the top 3 victories." Glad to hear that the 1st ID is keeping up quality, good job boys! Proud of ya all!

The report also mentioned an estimate of 50+ German troops, 50+ American troops, and 20+ Russian troops.

Event Update, November 21st, 2007:
We received a very "heartwarming" invitation from the 2nd SS of the PNWHG for the upcoming November-December event. Please take your time and read from beginning to end, it will answer all of your questions.

"""
Hallo Kameraden!!! East, West, Axis, Allies!!!

This is an open invitation to all units and persons in the NWHA, PNWHG
and the RPS to attend our second annual Ost-West Kampf ( East-West
Struggle) which will be held the weekend of Nov 30th -Dec. 2nd, 2007
at the Salem 4-H Center.
We want to make this an event that is open to all units to attend if
they wish. So please consider this a sincere invitation on our part
that your unit attends. Being an Ost-West event all Allied units are
allowed and encouraged to attend.

Many of you are familiar with the 4-H Center grounds. This is a great
location in that it has a little bit of everything, forests, rolling
hills and open meadows, road networks and buildings. Our hosts, The
Oregon 4-H Center, truly make us feel welcome there and give us pretty
much free rein of the place.

The Salem 4-H Center is located at:

Oregon 4-H Conference and Education Center
5390 4-H Road NW
Salem, OR 97304

Phone: (503) 371-7920
Fax: (503) 581-6696

e-mail: oregon4Hcenter@proaxis.com
directions: 4-H Center

Event fees all go 100% to the 4-H Center so your checks can be made
out directly to them. We do not want or expect any additional fees
even though of course we will incur many along the way. The event fee
is $29.00 which pays for the two nights of barracks at $14.50 per man
per night. The cooks there are willing to make us another excellent
Saturday evening meal as they did before which is 100% cooked fresh on
the spot! This huge and delicious, traditional style meal for Saturday
night is a very reasonable $8.00 per person and is open to all event
participants.

If after the event is over and your unit feels good about the event
and has some extra bucks, then of course we would be more than glad to
accept small donations, but it is not mandatory for you to do so.
Throughout history bringing people of similar interests together over
a good meal has done wonders at building bridges and solidifying
existing relationships so please all come if you can.
We are willing to pay the $8.00 fee for 5 men out of each Allied and
or non-PNWHG unit if that will help . If you can pay it yourselves
please do as every little bit helps, but our offer is sincere and is
put out there to help any of your men that may want to come to the
dinner ,but cant afford it.

We will need a commitment on numbers for the dinner no later than
Tuesday Nov. 27 in order for the cooks to be prepared, though I am
sure they will cook enough to cover several extras.

We hope to have several WWII Veterans both Axis and Allied to come for
our dinner and any other activities they would like to partake in and
honor us with their presence.

A note about any of the German veterans which may attend: It is not
our nor their intent to offend or put any one off from attending just
because they will be there. Please remember that these men, just like
all other men of military service age during the 40's fought for their
country and their homes. Like all veterans they made huge personal
sacrifices and suffered deep wounds both physical and mental that they
carry with them to this day.
These men are now all United States citizens and if our government had
the slightest bit of dirt on any of these men there is no way they
would have ever been allowed to take up residence in our country. We
hope that at the least you can accept their participation and not let
their attending keep anyone else from coming.

You may show up by 10:00a.m. on Friday Nov 30 or as early as you wish.
Preferably we need everyone to have left the area by 7:00 p.m. Sunday
Dec 2. Please each unit police your individual areas as mush as
possible before leaving.

It would be nice to have as many people there early as possible so we
can get on with some good times Friday evening ASAP !

Saturday morning we plan on leaving for battle by 0900. Unit leaders
from both Allies and Axis will decide the battle plans and we will
fight until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. This should allow us time
to all get back and clean up and prepare for our dinner and evening
ceremonies and activities. Sunday's fight will begin at 9:00 a.m. and
go until noon at least depending on every ones interest and energy
level.

Lets all get together one more time in ‘07 for a big event and good
time . We would like to see and truly believe it is possible for all
the various parent groups and individual units to work together for
the common good of all and allowing all of us to host events where
everyone is welcome . By doing so we all win . There are only so many
WWII reenactors on the West Coast and we know it is possible for us
all to see beyond any past differences or issues that may have made
their insidious way into what should be a really fun and rewarding
hobby/experience for all.

So, let us all take advantage of the incredible pool of talent and
knowledge we have out here and put it to good use.

Your ideas and positive input are welcomed and encouraged so if you
feel we can do something different or better please speak up.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Stabs
Das Reich Division
PNWHG
"""

If you are wondering, yes you did read correctly that the RKKA is also welcome to the event.
So, if you know reenactors in the area, get the word out!!

November 30th-December 2nd!

Battle report of Oct. 13th weekend:
We went, we saw, and we fought valiantly against the Germans, with overall success and victory for the allies. Our objectives were captured - and in one case blown sky-high - and the final push of the German forces was repelled. There were moderate casualties during the battles.
Sadly, the rangers fled the battlefield abandoning their equipment which has been recovered by the 113th cavalry boys.

In other news, the PNWHG event will be at the 4H center down near Salem, November 30th-Dec 2nd, with massive turn-out, and light armor coming along. There is a good possibility that there will be chow served, expect a call from your commanders.

Event Update, October 1st, 2007:
Alright, after some breathing time it's time to go back into the field!
Between the days of October 12th-14th, we will be grinding up against Germans at Camp Rilea Training Base, OR. The scenario is "Up against the Reichwald", where we are on the Western edge of Germany. For us yankee speakers, "reichwald" means "Forest realm".
By all means, we should expect fierce German resistance. For some reason, they really don't like the idea of us tromping around on their turf.

Check the forums for other info concerning the event.

Also, this will be our last engagement of the season through the NWHA. There will be one more event through the PNWHG, but I - the webmaster - don't remember when exactly it is. Information will be acquired A.S.A.P.

Battle report of Sept. 15th weekend:
First of all, we hadn't had a chance yet to welcome our new members Blake, Jimmy, and Matt. Welcome to the 1st ID guys!

We spent 3 days out on the high desert at BIAK. Saturday had very important training, and members of the Oregon National Guard Retention were on site to watch. We let the new and potential Army recruits watch the training. Training included squad tactics, grenade throwing and rifle grenade exercises
During the tactical portions of the event, we experienced severe losses, with only the BAR gunner walking away from the last battle.

General update:
We are currently working on some important additions to the website, such as a full list of field gear with pictures, and a links section where you can buy original and reproduction gear.

Double update, September 5th, 2007

Event Update:
So, it took a while but the info is finally up. Next event is at BIAK Training Center {our spelling: bēyäk) on the weekend of September 14 - 16th.
Scenario is D-Day +2 in Sicily Jul 1943, so bring your late war gear.
Directions and other details are on the forums.

General Update:
As you might notice, the webmaster is back from Europe with no major physical or mental changes.
Also, the webmaster acquired a laptop so any links, songs, pictures, digital videos, pin-ups, etc. please bring to Biak in either written, CD, or DVD format. Thus we will finally have links that you can purchase gear from for a half decent price!

If you tried register for the forums, and for some reason didn't have your account activated because the webmaster simply deleted it, write an email to wrenchmonkey@1stidunit.org and xelmon@gmail.com .

Thank you for your understanding.

Special Update, July 17th, 2007:
The following DOES deserve a special update.
A gentleman by the name BW Nigel recreated a picture of Jeremiah Hansen in a painting.
Here is a thumbnail to the masterpiece.