84th Infantry Division,
334th Regiment, D & H Companies
"The Railsplitters" Living History Group
Your Impression
The next step in becoming a WW2 reenactor with the 84th is to decide what impression you are interested in portraying.
We are an infantry unit, so we need most of our members to be infantrymen. However we also have Medic's , motorpool/drivers, MP's and Cooks. The impression you choose is up to you. You are not limited to one impression, several of our members have more than one uniform. Once you have decided upon the impression you wish to do, you will get help and friendly advise from the unit members to get the right equipment and uniform. We are here to help you get started on the road to a very rewarding hobby.
​
Your impression will build over time, but you need a basic uniform to get started and attend your first event as a Railsplitter.
But don't think you have to spend a fortune and turn up to your first event with everything on our uniform and equipment list.
Most of us turned up for our first event with just one pair of pants, a shirt, jacket, boots, helmet and maybe a weapon. Over time your impression grows, you'll get a second pair of pants and shirt, so if you get rained on at an event, your not then wearing wet wool clothes all weekend. After your first winter event, you'll go out and get some cold weather clothing etc.
​
Part of the fun on these events is "living the lifestyle" meaning we try hard to only use what they would of had in WW2, even when the public is not around, we still keep "in character". Visit our camp in the late evening and we'll have a camp fire going. We have old oil lanterns for additional light and WW2 style flashlights. Inside our tents, most of us have authentic WW2 style military cots, sleeping bags and footlockers, our mess kits and canteens are not just for display we use them for eating and drinking. You'll likely see a GI cleaning his rifle, another lighting up his smoking pipe and maybe a card game going on.
At some events we end up at a WW2 style dance, our wives and girlfriends join us in period costume. Evenings are also a time for fraternizing with the enemy, it is not uncommon for us to have Germans or Russians around the camp fire swapping stories and shooting the breeze. After a long week at work it is a great way to relax, escape the real world and unwind, with good friends.