The Victory show. 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015

Hi Shaun, Gotchya - I shall redirect my compliments towards yourself & Singe - you were the 'most WW2 looking' chap at the show according to my other half. She also liked the 'fully kitted' look of your vee-hickle, all those signal flags etc.

Speaking as a punter - it's a good show, and has that feeling that it's only a matter of time before it becomes something altogether more substantial - a whiff of really great potential.
Great battle (my 7-year old loudly announced "BEST DAY EVER" while getting a tad excited at the explosions) on a good arena - not that common to get the 'scale' and view that Cosby provides (though the attacking yanks looked a tad like they were 'strolling' as they came in). Nice to see Tommy A turning out in force (loved the Dingos etc. coming over the bank on the German's left), good air show, and an overall friendly vibe. Entry prices not too mental either - £12.50 for the grown-ups & a fiver per kid is damned reasonable these days.

One mild criticism is the usual - that all groups could maybe do with bringing their own 40 feet of 'authenti-rope' to replace the blue nylon stuff - a small thing maybe, but it has a big effect on trying to get decent shots, and the overall 'feel'. And also... too many modern cameramen in amongst the reenactors - they need to be issued with uniforms, Speed Graphics, & Leicas.

In short - More power to all those involved, we appreciate the effort put in, and had a fine day out.

Cheers,
~Adam.

 

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-AOIR.html


1943 Thruxton Jackaroo C/N 82882

 

Well you took your time .
Fanks.


Think we might shamble down there this weekend. Good show, and I haven't seen a tank for ages...

 

Aeroplanes:

One of the best things about this Show was the constant stream of aircraft in the sky.~
Really adds value, and them landing in the field next door to the showground is marvellous.
Previous years, the airshow was mostly set to a particular time, but this year there was something up all through the day.

Seafire & Spitfire. Ragging about the sky. One of the best displays of WW2 machines we've seen:

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Dutch B25 from the RNAF Historical Flight, & a couple of little friends.
Was not expecting this. Never seen a B25 in the air. really impressed at the agility - you somehow think of Bombers being a little clumsy, but that just wasn't the word.

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Partly went to see the Blenheim.
Very nice indeed, absolutely purring when it was close by - really sounds smooth.
It's second time up was wing tip to tip with a Hurricane, but no pics as I was standing on a T34, and sometimes you just have to put the camera down and watch...

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Nice old Chipmunk:

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Didn't see these in the air:
Shame, as we watched what Buckers can do one year:

Boeing Kaydet & Bucker Jungmeister:

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Texan:

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These were good.
At one point a substantial pack of them took off together and despite a slight giveaway in the movement they're big enough to really give an illusion of a sky full of dogfighting WW2 gear:

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No meteor on the Saturday (that I noticed).
To make up for missing the Bucker, we got a bloke in a rising Sun pattern Pitts type thing haring about. Didn't get pictures of him as me and the sprogs were enjoying that ' bloody hell, is he going to crash?!' sensation.
Didn't want to look away - proper barnstorming.

 

2 of what guys?
no image showing

 

Reenactor-y stuff & veehickles:

Quality climbing still in WW2 reenactor world.
Feels like the campaign to get the , ahem, not-exactly-sylph-like middle-aged guys like myself to stay in the vehicles for certain presentations is still going, and the sheer amount of obscure 'stuff' is rocketing. Really impressed with the detail on display, and the number of ersatz squaddies that actually look the right age etc.
Used to be that the Germans had the sharper edge on individual's presentation, correct kit etc. (I sometimes thought to counter the inevitable grief some give them), but Tommy A & the doughboys are surging ahead now, definitely closer to the cutting edge these days.


Cracking stores/medical(?) tent. If you're gonna do it, do it properly:




These guys were great (which will make a certain member here rather smug) despite their unconscionable racism re. God's own county :

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And this US mob (first couple of pictures) really impressed:
Didn't take many pictures of them as I was enjoying the scene they set. The Telegraph pole you can see was one of three they'd bought with them (big trucks...), the camp was set out presumably to a correct manual (massive signals/Ops tent with others laid out in lines behind), but most importantly they, and the Tommies above, were always doing something rather than the old reenactor disease of just lounging about looking like modern people with authenti-clothes hanging off them.
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T34, crewed by someone I've known for a long time in the world of early modern reenacting, who is now learning that one can spend retirement in a world full of pockets, zips, ladies in stockings etc. while only needing a boiler suit and funny hat as you're in the vehicle when on proper show.
He very kindly let us clamber about on the old dear. Not many luxury fittings really...

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More heavy metal. Think I counted six running M4s at the show, which considering that seeing one a decade ago was a big deal is remarkable.
All the vehicles have caught onto set-dressing too. Used to be 'there's yer tank' and that was fine, despite missing fittings and ancillary stuff - that'd do nicely. Now everything is dripping in correct vehicle-specific gear and other bits that make for a far more complete presentation:

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Assorted vehicles etc.:

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Some good Home Guard stuff there, including a Northover projector (they cannot be cheap to acquire, surely?)
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Steyr:
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Lovely tractor wrecker, International M1 maybe? Parked sort of out of the way. new to me on the show circuit and one of the best things there.
as is traditional with new things, I slipped on camera setting attention and took some grim pictures.

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More trailers visible these days too. Perhaps people realising they're part of the story too.

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This frankenstein jobby was interesting. Despite being what happens when a commer van is mated with a universal carrier and given German clothes, it can at least claim some history in having been made for A Bridge Too Far:

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The Mock battle...
Bit disappointing this year. Perhaps too many running tanks (did I just say that?) and the old syndrome of milling about without anything really 'battle-like' happening.
Shame, as it is usually quite good.

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Run away!
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Not sure what's happened, as I thought it'd died completely, but the Victory Show appears to be planning to happen this year:
The Victory Show - WWII Re-Enactment 3rd - 5th September 2021

Been some cracking bits & pieces there over the years.
Maybe something to look forward to...