Authenticity: Tactical Events at Newville, PA

Our main battle events occurr biannually at the GWA-owned Caesar Krauss Great War Memorial Site near Newville, PA. Here, on a 100 acre sight in south-central Pennsylvania, a portion of the Western Front has been authentically recreated as it may have appeared circa 1917-1918.

Unless otherwise stated, the events at Newville, PA represent a late-war scenario. The primary reason for this is to allow for the significant American presence in the field. Thus, we are portraying the period of 1917 to 1918. The French infantryman had changed greatly since the first months of the war. Years of terrible, senseless slaughter, inept leadership and foolish strategy had beaten any illusions of glory on the battlefield out of the poilus. Following the disastrous Aisne offensive of April 1917, significant drops in morale occurred throughout the French army. Gone were the days of blind, unquestioning obedience, along with any notions of pomp and panache. Mutinies and lesser acts of "collective indiscipline" occurred from the spring of 1917 to the beginning of 1918. Generally, these incidents of insubordination were in reaction to orders that the men saw as senseless or lacking any real objective. Yet the French army never suffered a complete breakdown. Instead the men consciously resolved to finish the fight.

The events at Newville, PA represent a 'passive' and 'quiet' sector. The three largest factors that determine this scenario are: lack of numbers; absence of artillery; and the proximity of the opposing lines. The first two factors are determined outside of the world we recreate. Because we lack the true strength of wartime forces, we cannot mount the raids and large assaults that would help define our sector as 'active.' Likewise, with a complete lack of artillery to stage bombardments on any scale, we must assume again that the sector is quiet. The third factor is the proximity of the enemy's trenches to our own. In the war, such a circumstance as this proved to be either one extreme or another: either a very active, deadly sector or a relatively calm one. And as just determined by the first two factors, we cannot accurately portray the former. Thus, we must assume the latter--a quiet sector. The combat operations conducted on such a front--reconnaissance patrols, small and limited raids, and light shelling--can be realistically recreated for the most part.

At Newville events, all unit members should treat the dangers as though they were real even though they are not. When you are in the field don't take stupid risks, especially during the day. For instance, one should never expose the head over the parapet in daylight hours. Most poilus were not looking for a chance to die but to live. So while the allure of an "over the top" assault for a reenactor is undeniable, the reality of the war must be maintained first and foremost. The sense of mortality was very real to these men. They saw first-hand the violence that could be inflicted onto flesh by steel and high-explosives. By 1917 in particular, very few troops were eager for combat. Their main interest was in staying alive and in one piece.