Close Assault

ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, the Texas Military Forces Museum’s Living History Detachment (G Company) held their first battle reenactment “Close Assault 1944” in over a year at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. The event was a resounding success, with 763 visitors attending the event including many veterans.

The two-day event provided visitors the opportunity to witness firing demonstrations of the most famous U.S. and German small arms of World War II. Among the weapons that were demonstrated were the 1903 Springfield, German K98 rifle, M1 Garand rifle, Browning Automatic Rifle (the famous BAR), Thompson submachine gun, MP-40 German submachine gun, the Browning .30 caliber machine gun, mortars, the bazooka and many others. Visitors were able to see everything from tents, radio equipment, GI baseball gloves and mess kits to operational vehicles, such as an M4 Sherman Tank, M3 Halftrack and Jeeps.

Museum Director Jeff Hunt said, “Our first living history program since March 2020 was a huge success. It felt great to be back in uniform and out in the field with the museum’s living history detachment. Despite not putting on a Close Assault during the preceding 18 months, our reenactors hit the ground running and never missed a beat. So too did the museum’s staff and volunteers as well as those of the TXMF Historical Foundation. The audiences were standing room only and shared our excitement to be back in the business of honoring our history and America’s veteran.

The next living history event at Camp Mabry will feature a World War II Close Assault on November 6-7, 2021 and a big World War I reenactment “Over There 1918” on November 20, 2021. H