Top 12 of 2012 - Number 4:D-Day Conneaut

Number 4 on my Top 12 of 2012 countdown is our first visit to something that will become a summer tradition.  All the way up in the far east corner of the state is the town of Conneaut, OH.  For years I've heard about this massive WWII reenactment that is held there every year that includes a full D-Day reenactment WITH landing craft.  Well, after going this year, I've learned a few lessons about shooting this reenactment.  First, there are a LOT of people that turn out for this one.  I mean a LOT.  So when your trying to get close to the action to photograph it, you have to make sure you get there early and prepare yourself for a wait. I learned that lesson with the bridge battle.  I thought we got to the site early enough only to find out that I was way too far back to catch anything good on "film".  But I made sure to get down to the beach VERY early to have a good view of the beach landing.  The event runs on a Friday/Saturday and we've already decided that next year, we WILL be going to both days.  The group of pictures I enjoyed the most from this shoot is the old vet talking to the reenactors.  It was something to see a group of guys gathered around this man as he told his stories of his experiences in France after he landed on D-Day.  Everyone in the group held on his every word. 

D-Day Conneaut - Part 3 - Operation Overlord

To finish off the day in Conneaut was the reenactment of the Normandy Invasion.  I had seen photos of the event from years past and even some video, so I was very excited to see it in person.  And to take pictures of it, of course.  I headed down to the beach early, but not early enough to secure a spot to be able to see the troops being off-loaded from the landing craft.  But, I was happy in the end with the results of the photos.
I have to give a lot of respect to these reenactors.  Really, any reeanactor.  These folks aren't trying to glorify war.  Rather, they are making sure that the history of what had happened and the sacrifices made by those are not forgotten.  They give our modern world a view of what life was like back in these times.
Between the B-25, T-51's, amount of participants and all the sounds of the automatic weapons fire, this truly was the finest reenactment that I have ever witnessed.  

D-Day Conneaut - Part 2 - Lessons learned at the bridge

One thing I did not do ahead of time is get an idea for the layout of how the reenactment runs. At Zoar and Dennison, it's easy. This reenactment was very different. A lot more people brings a lot less opportunity to get in to a position I wanted to to get the best shots possible of the action. For instance, the battle for the bridge. The scenario was that the French Resistance was going to attack a bridge held by German soldiers and after being driven off, US Army Airborne troops would come in a save the day. Great setup for catching action. However, where I was located was too far off to catch any of it. I did snap a few of the Airborne staging their entrance, but that's really about it. Next year, I will be more prepared. On top of that, I didn't realize that the German camps were on the other side of that bridge. Again, something I will have to plan for next year. After the battle, we headed up to the main vendor area to enjoy some lunch and some of the local color and soon after I was off to scout a position for the invasion.

D-Day Conneaut - Part 1

This past Saturday, my wife and I headed up the road to Conneaut, OH to attend the annual D-Day event.  The reenactment is inspired by the events surrounding the Normandy invasion of 1944.  While just a reenactment, the intensity of the event is like one I've never seen before.  With the use of actual landing craft, men portraying American soliders are brought on-shore to attack the hillside manned with German soldiers.  To add to the chaos going on around you, a B-25 bomber as well as 2 P-51 Mustang replicas, (officially called T-51), are added to the mix doing low flybys and with the help of flash-pots dug into the beach, simulate bombing runs.  But the real awe striking moment of the day was hearing a WWII veteran give his personal accounts of being in France after the invasion.  As my wife put it, he is the true definition of swagger.  He enjoyed being with the men sharing his experiences so that they can add that to their memories and continue his story and the stories of his comrades.  As you could expect, I shot a lot of images there.  Here is the first set of those.