My first official History Blog post will be about an amazing event that I went to with my dad on June 3rd. This was my first time attending the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s WW2 weekend event. This was the 32nd annual event and it was running Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My dad had gone the previous year and told me that I would really enjoy it. It far exceeded expectations. The event contained all things WWII at the Reading Regional Airport in PA. There were WWII planes, weapons, tanks and other army vehicles.

One aspect of the event that I really enjoyed were the army encampments. Spread around the grounds were the different army encampments from the different countries. Men and women dressed in full WW2 garb answered questions as if they were in the army themselves. One actor from the British camp explained in detail, their role as paratroopers for the British army. Playing in the background throughout the event were oldies from the 1940’s with all of the belongings and supplies that the soldiers would have carried in their camp. For brief moments, you honsetly felt like you were going back in time as a soldier. The dread they must have felt and experienced, knowing they were going off to battle and wondering if they would ever going to see their families again.

After touring the camps, and chatting with the actors, my dad and I settled down on lawn chairs for the airshow which went on for a couple of hours. It was amazing to see these WWII planes still in action even though they were 80 year old planes. It was very entertaining watching the stunts and tricks of the pilots. During the airshow, seven jumpers lept from the planes using parachutes from that time period. We were told that steering capabilities were extremely limited. Luckily, they skillfully tumbled to the ground.

I would recommend this event to people of all ages. I couldn’t believe the size of the crowds. But everything was so spaced out that you didn’t feel cramped at all. It was nice to see that so many people respected the history and had such an appreciation for WW2, that they’d take time out of their busy lives to attend. I saw young and old all enjoying themselves and having a good time. I would compare this event to a large festival but all for WWII, with music, food trucks, and vendors selling souvenirs. I’d give this event a 10/10 because it far exceeded expecations. The event is always the first full weekend in June, so I will definately plan to attend again. For more information check out the website: https://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html

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