| The Official Newsletter of Das TeufelsAlpdrücken Fähnlein. Published monthly, or whenever I get around to it. Any opinions contained herein are strictly my own, as are any typographical errors. For external use only - but you may read this inside. Entire contents copyright 1996 by Paula Peterka, unless otherwise noted or authored. Yeah, like you'd WANT to steal anything out of here! Prices shown for comparison only, options extra. |
| Volume 3 | Issue 3 |
Date Unknown | |
TWO WEEK WARNING! (A little less than two weeks, actually.) Marching Through Time at Marietta Mansion will take place April 13 & 14, 1996. Like Jamestown, this is a timeline event, and many of the groups who were at MTA will also come to MTT. MTT has no formal judging, however, and tends to be a little more relaxed.
Since this event is so much closer to us than MTA, it would be good if we had more members participating with us here than we did at Jamestown. The unit fielded 16 members and one guest at MTA, it would be wonderful if we could top that number for MTT!
The meal fee for this event is $7.00 per person, which includes breakfast and lunch for both days. Dinner on Saturday night is on your own. We will probably head out to Wendy's or Sizzler. Food money is due to Paula or Kellie by April 8, unless you call and make other arrangements. The kitchen staff and any other interested parties will be meeting at Paula's apartment on April 8 at 6:30 p.m., for a food shopping trip to BJ's Warehouse/Price Club/ Whatever. Purchases will then be divided among the participants to prepare and transport to the event. Anyone is welcome to come on this trip.
A small but enthusiastic group was at the Marietta site on Sunday, March 31, making physical improvements to our camp area. We now have a cleared area back into the woods, with a woven lean-to and a sapling dome frame shelter. These structures will be covered with fabric, and used to store items during the event. Marietta will host local elementary school groups on the site on Friday, April 12, to promote the event to the community. Anyone who can come out on Thursday evening to help set up a few things, and then either stay over or comeback Friday morning to talk to the children, parents, and teachers would be appreciated. Larry will be doing so, and would like some help. Because of this, the site will be open practically all day on Friday for set up. You will also be allowed to come in early on Saturday morning, but all non-period items must be out of view by 9:00 am.
Although this event is not judged, we should still hold ourselves and the unit to the highest levels of historical accuracy. Therefore, if you know something is "farby", leave it at home. If you're unsure, bring it. There will be a camp inspection Saturday morning, and anything that doesn't pass muster will be removed from camp. This includes all aspects of your kit, including, weapons, tentage, and clothes. As Larry says, "If it ain't period, it ain't here!"
At the last meeting, the unit decided that it would hold monthly practices and drills, starting this month. These will give everyone more opportunities to get together, work on characters and group interactions, and practice with the pikes and other weapons. By having these practices in costume (if possible) and in public parks, we also hope to recruit more members, and get more publicity for the group.
These practices will take place on the third Sunday of the month, which means that the first one will be held on April 21, the week after MTT. It will begin at 1:00 p.m.. The site for the first practice is Roundtree park, in Falls Church, Virginia. We will move the sites every month, so if you know of a suitable park in your area where the unit will have room to drill and attract attention, call one of the unit commanders to let them know.
The practices are not mandatory, but it will be helpful to have as many members as possible attend. Additionally, for the purposes of these practices, and to allow the unit to practice a wider variety of tactics, the campfollowers will be able to learn and practice the pike drills with the soldiers, if they wish.
The unit received a very nice letter from Paul Zona (Herr Derek) of Der Sonnen von Krieg, thanking us for our hospitality at the Winter Campaign. He said that his people enjoyed themselves during their weekend with us, and wished to return the favor by inviting us to their second Landsknecht Musterung, June 14-16. Paul also asked if anyone had found a pair of Deerskin gloves at the event. They were made for him by his wife, and as he put it, his "personal safety may depend upon their return." They are marked inside with the name "Derek." Please call Larry, Drew, or Paula if you have found them.
The Musterung is sponsored by the SCA Shire of Eisenthal, in their East Kingdom. It will be held at the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. The site opens at 4:00 p.m. Friday and closes on 3:00 p.m. Sunday. This event will include a rattan tournament emphasizing Zweihänder and Polearms, an Archery range, an Arts & Sciences competition (including a codpiece contest), a merchant's area, and a swimming pool. Unfortunately, no gunpowder is allowed on the site, so they will not be able to fire their cannons and arquebuses, but they have said they would like us to do a pike demo if we have enough people. The food plan includes a buffet breakfast and a lunch sideboard Saturday, a feast limited to 125 Saturday evening, and a hot breakfast Sunday morning. The fee for this event is $18.00 for both nights, and $11.50 for one night or a day-trip. Paula will be sending in our reservations as a group, so if you are interested, please let her know and give her your money by April 30. This should prove to be a fun event, and give us yet another chance to hobnob with fellow Landsknechts.
The unit fielded seventeen people for Military Through the Ages, our largest turnout yet! We did not pick up any awards this year, but we did have a good time, and it was overall a very successful event. We should remind ourselves that we do not do this to win awards, but rather to educate and entertain both ourselves and the public, and, primarily, to have fun This event is a showcase for reenactment units, w had an opportunity to visit and earn from groups who represented everything from the XX Roman Legion and the Iron Age Celts through the Vietnam War and the current National Guard.
MTA is a judged event, and our unit entered the cooking, tactical, clothing, and general camp environment competitions again this year. Competition was very tight this year, with judges walking into camp and picking up things to look at their bottoms and see how they were made. Like last year, one judge even kicked over the edge of a Persian carpet. The judges can get very nit-picky, especially if the competition is tight. Even so, they all remarked at how well we were doing, and that we had improved over last year. The score sheets bear this out, the unit having picked up a few points in each area of competition, except drill. It is also interesting to note that the judges' comments reflect different concerns than last year, which indicates that we took care of the problems they pointed out last year (and then they found new ones). They gave us score sheets for the four areas in which we competed.
Like last year, we received our highest score in the Unit Demonstration competition. We received 40 points out of a possible 50, which was down four points from last year. We received 10 of 10 points for adhering to safety regs, and beginning and ending the demo on time (9 points last year). The judge's comment was "very safe." We received 4 of 5 points for degree of difficulty (5 points last year), with the comment "16th century materials armor, clothing, & weapons difficult." We received 7 of 10 points (8 last year) for the historical accuracy of the drill and activities, with the comments "was accurate & representative of people & time - did mix languages Intl & German - very appropriate noted modern glasses on a pikeman."
The historical and contextual accuracy of our equipment took 7 of 10 points (10 last year), with the judge commenting "glasses (modern) watch treaded shoes." For providing an effective interpretation and demonstration to visitors, we received 12 of 15 points (same as last year), because we "spoke to audience - explained weapons & use, & who group was - relative wealth etc -."
Our next highest score was for the General Camp: 37 out of 50 points (we took 36 points last year). The historical and contextual accuracy of our camp, including equipment, appearance, materials, clothing, layout, etc., earned 7 of 10 points (8 last year), for being "drum makers mark & steel; silver tray 20th century, modern glasses on one individual - much improved over past - overall camp well done." For high level or accurate interpretation to visitors we received 11 of 15 points (10 last year): "very good - need more organized & structured activities for public interaction nice characters, good knowledge & made us feel welcome - thank you."
For anachronistic materials present in the camp, we first took 5 out of 10 points, but then the number was scribbled out and changed to 6 (last year was a 7, scribbled out, and changed to a 6). "See comments #1 - talk to other groups with drums regarding your problem." For the degree of difficulty in presenting our camp, we received 8 out of 10 points, (10 points last year - I wonder how it got easier?), with the comment "camp has difficult aspects to it." Lastly, we received 5 of 5 points (2 last year) for adhering to all safety regulations: "none noted."
Our next area of competition was in Individual Dress, where we received 36 points out of 50 possible (up from 31 last year). We received 4 points out of 5 (1 last year) for historical documentation because we "need Bibliography" (Mea Culpa) and 6 points out of 10 (7 last year) for historically correct textile, trim, cut line, and silhouette, with the rather unspecific comment "? textile & trim." We received 7 points out of 10 (5 last year) for historically correct construction and construction techniques for "leatherwork, armor very nice handwork." We took 7 of 10 points (8 last year) for historically correct use of accessories and accouterments, with the comment "question extravagant pearls, need documentation for shoes." We received 12 of 15 points (10 last year) for degree of difficulty, with the comment "very nice handwork on hand constructed garment" Representing the unit in this competition were Kellie (Danica), Tim (Friedrich) and Mike (Heinrich), who wore Larry's armor. (And we think they judged Paula, even though they weren't supposed to, which may be where the question on textile & trim came from). Congratulations!
Our last area of competition was Camp Cooking, where we received 34 points out of 50 possible (30 points last year). We received 0 points out of 5 (same as last year) for historical documentation, which we still claim is unfair, because the recipes were in the documentation that they received the week before, including English translations from the German, and equivalent contemporary English recipes. (Snarl)
In the category of use of historically correct equipment, ingredients, and preparation, we received 5 out of 10 points (4 last year). Their comments were "1. Used Granny Smith apples & Bartlett pears - not accurate to period. 2. Cheese in wax questionable 3. Lard (butter?) just as it came out of Food Lion (?) in an unwrapped block. Old style apples, etc. are available." We received 10 of 15 points (12 last year) for a consistently high level of interpretation maintained during the meal's preparation, with the comments "Equipment, etc. is improved from last year language good." For the taste and appearance being pleasant, similar to the documentation, and correct for having been prepared over an open fire, we received 9 of 10 points (8 last year), with no comments (well, what can you say after blood and egg yolks?). We took 10 of 10 points (6 last year) for degree of difficulty, also with no comments. The judges made extensive comments about on how good every thing looked, how much we've improved since last year, and emphasized that we are a welcome addition to the event. They also said they were a little harder on us this year, since we were no longer newcomers.
The best comments however, came from those who visited our camp and enjoyed our interpretation. The Civil War Soldiers were so impressed with our campfollowers that they kidnapped three of them, along with some of the food! The WWI German women were very friendly, although their men seemed a little lost, and the Burgundian Swiss, who have seen us at practically every event we've done, were very complimentary and gracious, especially considering how many awards their camp took.
Overall, a very good performance for our second year. We improved in most areas, and the judges critiques covered different points than they did last year. For my part, I promise no more Granny Smith's and Bartletts, and that I will put a Bibliography, information on shoes, and a Table of Contents in our documentation binder, so that the cooking judges can find our recipes! Thank you for all of your hard work, and we'll get 'em next year!
Drew has requested that all members pay their yearly dues by April 30. By May 31, the membership lists will be revised, and anyone who hasn't paid their dues will be dropped from membership, unless they have made prior arrangements. They will also be dropped from the mailing list. This will not affect anyone on the "Friends" list, who receives complimentary issues, or those who pay for newsletter subscriptions only. Paying your dues keeps your membership current, supports the unit, and entitles you to all rights and privileges of membership. Dues are $20.00 for individuals, and $30.00 for families.
At least, not if it's period! We are going to start a garbage pile at our events, which will consist of broken dishes, bowls, pottery, and other period items, to give our camp a more realistic look. It's something no one else is doing, and was suggested by Simon Spalding as one of those little details to help improve our impression. So if it's period, broken, and nonperishable, save it for our next event!
There are two parades coming up fairly soon that the unit has the opportunity to participate in. These parades would provide good exposure and publicity for the unit, and might even garner us a few recruits. The first is the Hyattsville Parade, on May 11. The other is the Brentwood Parade, on June 1. If you are interested in participating with the unit, please call Larry, Drew, or Paula as soon as possible, so that we can get the unit registered.
Additionally, if you know of any community historic or heritage events in your area that would be good opportunities for publicity and recruiting (especially recruiting), please let the officers know about them. The unit is always in need of new members, particularly soldiers.
In addition to his letter, Paul sent some of his unit's songs for our enjoyment. This song was also sung at the Winter Campaign, so those who were there might remember it.
Marching Through Poland
Lyrics by Paul Zona/Derek Fairhair
Music Traditional: Sherman's March through Georgia
Sing a good old marching song to start the column on,
Sing it with a spirit that will keep our swordarms strong,
As we wade into the fray our fear is all but gone,
While we go marching through Poland.
Chorus:
Huzzah! Huzzah! The Landsknechts are here.
Huzzah! Huzzah! The people flee in fear.
We'll burn and plunder, take no prisoners,
And then drink all your beer,
While we go marching through Poland.
It's "Raise your pikes," and "Light your match,"
"Forlorn hope to the rear."
The Hauptmann's shouting "Where the hell are all my Halbardiers?"
It seems they've found some tavern girls
Who serve up more than beer,
While we go marching through Poland.
Repeat Chorus
The ladies of the train, they feed us from their wagon stores,
And some of them are merchants, and some of them are whores.
But to us they're ladies, worth their weight in gold and more,
You know they keep us happy, 'cause we're always back for more.
Repeat Chorus
It isn't fair for Cannoneers, they never get to sack.
So we keep them happy when we bring the churchbells back.
The silly buggers pass up loot, they go for brass and bronze,
But where in hell would we be if it wasn't for their guns?
Repeat Chorus
The powder-monkey's running scared, the Provost's in pursuit.
It seems the boy pinched someone's purse and made off with his loot.
Look, he's made it to the cannons, "Amnesty!" he cries.
How can so much mischief come from one so small in size?
Repeat Chorus