The sixth annual “Operation Anvil” World War II reenactment occurred Saturday, Oct. 5 at Phil Moore Park to honor Kentucky veterans.
According to Honoring Our Heroes Inc. Executive Director Ron Cummings, Operation Anvil is the name given to the Allied invasion of southern Nazi-occupied France. The “Operation Anvil” reenactment showcased typical German Army fortifications and American invasion tactics.
The reenactment was hosted by Honoring Our Heroes Inc., a nonprofit organization originally founded by Cummings and five of his friends. Honoring Our Heroes’ goal is to celebrate and support veterans in the community, said Cummings.
Cummings said he was inspired to raise awareness for veterans after he saw how his father was treated after serving.
“He served two tours in Vietnam and one tour in Korea, and I remember what it was like when he came home,” Cummings said. “They weren’t accepted. They were yelled at and spit on. It wasn’t popular.”
One of the members of the veterans ceremony, Robert H. Minton, was especially honored.
Minton is 102 years old and served in the South Pacific during World War II, working on airplanes for the Navy. While not being as well versed in Army operations in the European Theater, Minton said he thought the reenactment was, “pretty good.”
Reenactors played both the Allied and Axis powers. There were camps of American, British and German soldiers.
The crowd sat in stands alongside German fortifications. American troops and three British soldiers aboard a Universal Carrier advanced on the fortification.
Both sides fired blank rounds out of fully authentic weapons. The German reenactors had one Universal Carrier. American and British reenactors drove several Universal Carriers, Jeeps and one M4 Sherman tank. Hand-to-hand combat was not allowed.
Reenactors “died” or became “injured” on an honor system. Once they were down they could be tended to by a medic.
The Allied forces won over the Germans pushing through all enemy fortifications. Once they were surrounded the remaining Germans were taken as prisoners of war and the reenactment concluded.
For some reenactors, events such as “Operation Anvil” are tradition and a point of lifetime legacy.
“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to do stuff like this,” American infantry reenactor Michael Elliott said.“My father did it when I was a kid, he did Civil War, so I kind of grew up around it.”
Other reenactors had less experience. 15-year-old Nolen Fox joined the reenactment as a medic because he was too young to carry a weapon or drive the equipment.
British Universal Carrier driver Seth Deaton said, “I got divorced and had a midlife crisis. It was something I always wanted to do but didn’t have the time or funds to do it, and I suddenly did.”
To accurately portray a WWII battle in Europe there must be Nazi soldiers.
“The old adage goes, you can’t have Star Wars without Stormtroopers,” said Han Halas, a reenactor for the German infantry.
“It’s not a political motive of any sort,” German motor pool reenactor Randy Smith told the Herald, “If you look around, you don’t see any brown shirts here or any people with flags flying. It’s strictly a hobby. Once you take the politics out of the hobby, it’s enjoyable at that point.”
In addition to veterans and reenactors, the event was attended by a crowd of onlookers. For some, this was their first reenactment while others had been attending for several years.
For several attendees, reenactments were a family affair. “My nana got me into it, but I’ve always liked the battles and the uniforms,” said 12-year-old Grayson Nichols.
The Herald’s photo gallery of the event can be found here.
News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at [email protected].
