Warbirds Over the Beach

[kfrank]

Warbirds Over the Beach
May 17-19, 2019
Military Aviation Museum 
Virginia Beach, VA

We are starting to make plans now for the annual Warbirds airshow.  This year we are working with the Airmen's Preservation Society (Army Air Corp) to do something truly special.  The APS, Capital Wing and Old Dominion Squadron often bring a very large contingent to this airshow and have developed a great relationship with the Museum.  They have been allowed, in the past, access that other units and the public do not have to buildings and aircraft (like the owner's prized P-51).  This year they decided to do Troop Carrier Command as it is the 75th Anniversary of both D-Day and Market-Garden.  They have chosen to focus on 79th TCS for purposes of staging a briefing using the museums original WWII British control tower.  This tower from Goxhill, England was disassembled and shipped here and reassembled and fully restored.  We will therefore have an opportunity to use this tower for operational briefings and photo shoots.  The APS not only brings a sizeable number of personnel but also a ground display encampment that will literally cover 1/2 a football field.  This will include a functioning vehicle maintenance tent large enough for a M3 Stuart tank.
In cooperation with the Air Corp, several airborne units will work alongside them to create a companion setup of First Allied Airborne Army.  This will include British 1st Airborne, 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne units.  The CO will serve as airborne liaison to the Air Corp for planning and operations.  Recon Platoon will operate primarily in a HQ capacity with troopers also portraying HQ/506 or 1/506.  This allows us to partner with the 79th TCS portrayed by the APS for briefing and other activities.  Additional airborne units will help round out the FAAA setup providing a broad representation of the planning and preparation for Operation Market.
Other "living" history activities are desired and being planned to include operational/intelligence briefings and medical training/demos.  The APS is planning a baseball game between the Air Corp and the Airborne.  This will be played with period style equipment.  This would be especially fun and also a great photo opportunity as well.
The museum is home to an amazing collection of, mostly operational, warbirds.  This includes: P-51, Spitfire, ME-109 (yeah a real one), P-40, FW-190s, Wildcat, TBM Avenger, PBY Catalina, B-25, JU-52, Mosquito.  The museum also has an original WW2 German hanger, an operational 88mm Flak gun, plus a WWI hanger with replica WWI aircraft.
A hanger dance takes place on Saturday evening with various musical performers.  A big band, an Andrews Sisters style trio and Frank Sinatra are all usual parts of the lineup.
Also Joe Bemis has already made plans to attend to photograph the event, the reenactors and this incredible venue.
More details and registration information will follow as it becomes available.  Make plans now for what should be an amazing weekend.

That Is All!
Captain Kevin D. Frank
HQ, 101st Airborne Division

[frank]

Isn't this the same time as Airborne Week at Bragg?

[kfrank]

This is the weekend before.

[kfrank]

With Military Through the Ages concluded, planning resources now shift to Warbirds Over the Beach (normally we just call it Warbirds but most of you will associate that with Monroe, so I will attempt to refer to this as VB). The Air Corp unit has a lot of pull at the museum and are doing Troop Carrier fro Operation Market. As airborne units we will work alongside them but in a separate camp adjacent to theirs. British 1 Para, XXI IPC (British Pathfinders), British VAD (civilian nurses) alongside 505 and 101 to form one large airborne compound. Joint activities like medical and weapons demo?, operational briefings, mail call are all being planned. Joint briefings with the Air Corp are also being planned as is talks of a baseball game. Details will be posting soon. Much of what was done or planned for MTA will carry over to this event, just on a much larger scale.

[JayJones]

Is there a battle at this event or is that at Peachtree?

[kfrank]

I think there is one at Peachtree. Nothing currently planned at VB.

[kfrank]

Currently we have about 50 reenactors on the airborne side and 30 on the USAAF side for Operation Market Garden at Warbirds Over the Beach. The museum has even included our operational briefing - being done on the museums ORIGINAL WW2 British control tower - in the official program schedule of events. Communications center between the airborne camp and the "airfield" will be setup and operational (with assistance from the WAC battalion). A baseball game between the airborne and the "flyboys" is also planned. Chow line, mail call, weapons, medical and pathfinder displays (both British and American) along with parachute demos will all be part of camp activities. Units representing 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, British 1st Airborne Division, XXI Independent Parachute Company (Pathfinders), SOE/Jedburgh teams and WACS will make up First Allied Airborne Army "Camp Comet" along with civilian and military photographers and ladies of the British Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Any C/505 members who have not already reported in can still attend, just contact Lt. Torrence to sound off and get further details.