I'm sending the following for the Moeringen Forsvarskoeretoejers Union,
who have thier headquarters around Tonsberg in Norway, where I visited this
weekend. If anyone is interested, get in touch directly with Arve Andersen
at the following address for details - I expect this to be one BIG party !!!
This is a long letter - so if you want to delete it without reading
further, now's the time to do so....
And to Jerry Cleveland at Supply LIne - Arve aksed me to translate his
invitation to English and pass it on for inclusion in the magazine at your
earliest possible opportunity. I also promised to send you his regards for
an excellent magazine - That's easy, because I fully agree with him....!
Regards
Gerry Davison - Denmark
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Arve Andersen
Chairman for MFU
H.Wilhelmsens Alle 13
N-3116 Tonsberg
Norway
phone +47 33314102
Fax +47 33314269
SNAFU 97
Situation Normal - All Fouled Up : Apart from being a comment on the
situation of the ordinary soldier in WWII, SNAFU was also a name which
covered units put together from the remains of other units.
We think that just about covers what we intend to arrange for AUGUST
1997, because the people who collect military vehicles are a motley crew
of various backgrounds and breeds, all with one thing in common, military
vehicles.
Taking care of old military material is also an expression of the will to
defend, and many of our vehicles are still on the active duty rosta in the
Norwegian National Guard, alongside thier owners. They bring continuity from
the struggles of the past to the peaceful defence of the present, and remind
us that not so many decades ago, the tune was different.
Every SNAFU arrangement has a theme which is either connected to the
history of a place or to specific circumstances which existed during WWII.
The first SNAFU arrangement was centred around fuel, everything from hay to
corn, wood burners and various home-made petrols to be used in vehicles.
SNAFU has turned out to be an annual event, presenting material and
machines from WWII in the most authentic environment possible. We pay a
great deal of attention to show the whole picture of the time period. This
year, in order to focus on a less warlike period - we have decided to focus
our attention on the SUMMER of 1945. Memory of the war is very strong, but
so are the feelings of freedom and optimism. This particular summer, the
country was overflowing with all kinds of material from the war, both Allied
and German. It is natural to emphasize that German equipment was the most
common at that time. The Germans had enormous amounts of equipment
stockpiled in Norway, much of it advanced. Understandably enough, this
equipment received harsh treatment at the end of the war. German material
became rarities which we think are important relics of one real part of our
history.
In the summer of 1945, the Norwegian people were short of almost
everything, especially food. What people ate was by todays standards, a
catastrophe. It was amazing what people made use of. Revisiting the summer
of 1945 also means eating what people ate and drank then, which we
thoroughly intend to do. We may even have home-made tobacco! We will play
authentic music of the period - from Jens Book Jensen, German schlagere
and American swing a la Glen Miller and Benny Goodman. The equipment we will
be using to play these will as far as possible also be authentic, with radio
tubes and horn loudspeakers. Rationing cards will be issued for the
participants. In the summer of 1945, the war was over in our part of the
world. Uniforms were more or less normal, although most people had ruffled
shirts, knickerbokkers, knee-high stockings, traditionally-patterned
sweaters, flowered dresses with puffed arms. We wish the participants to
wear ordinary clothes of the period. Kodak Norway is providing old fashioned
6 x 9 black and white film for those with box cameras.
Saturday evening, there will be a great party, where our honoured guests
are war veterans, and the food, drink and musik are from the period.
We have done our best to find the neccessary artifacts, but we also hope
that those who participate will bring things which are, these 50 years on,
real rarities, large and small.
We cordially invite other interested parties and clubs - Norwegian and
otherwise, to take part with vehicles from before 1946.
Regards
Arve Andersen - MFU - Norway