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WWII
Comes To Life at Reading Airfield
By Leslie Rosenberg
For
three days this Spring, Reading, Pennsylvania, will travel back
in time, to an era when Glenn Miller ruled the airwaves, men tipped
their fedoras at passers by, and stars like Spencer Tracey and
Katherine Hepburn graced the silver screen. The annual transformation
is a result of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend
Airshow and Living History Airfield, scheduled this year for June
8-10. The mammoth gathering attracts thousands of visitors
from around the globe and features living history reenactors;
vintage WWII aircraft, vehicles and artifacts; skirmishes and
battles at the recreated airfield; a big band gala dance; victory
gardens at the Home Front; a huge militaria collectibles flea
market; and most important of all, the story of the world’s greatest
conflict, told by those who were there.
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Image
Courtesy of
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum |
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Guests
at this year’s event include a special "Black Sheep" fighter squadron
gathering, featuring VMF-214 pilots Warner Chapman and Allan McCartney,
who will be joined by aviation historian and author Bruce Gamble.
Another USMC special guest is Thomas Begay, who will share the
story of his fellow USMC Navajo Code Talkers. Colonel Robert Morgan
will be autographing his newly released autobiography, The Man
Who Flew the MEMPHIS-BELLE. Also appearing are Dutch Van Kirk
and Don Albury, veterans of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic
bomb missions. In addition, Ethel Finley, F.G. "Shutsy" Reynolds,
Scotty Gough, and other members of the Women’s Airforce Service
Pilots will be in attendance.
Visitors
to the WWII Reenactment weekend can also take a ride on the
"Yankee Lady," a classic B-17 still in sound condition. At $400
a trip, the cost is a bit steep, but where else can you personally
fly through history? Joining "Yankee Lady" for the show will
be two more B-17s: the National Warplane Museum’s "Fuddy Duddy"
and Aircraft Restoration Corporation’s "Memphis Belle."
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Image
Courtesy of
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum |
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To
find out more about this year’s event, including ticket prices,
nearby accommodations, directions, and schedule information, visit
the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum online at http://www.maam.org.
And if you’re planning to attend the reenactment, be sure to stop
by the ATOMIC booth in the hangar and introduce yourself to our
team!
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Behind
in your reading?
Check out past ATOMIC features.
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