I had heard of the WWII Weekend at Reading Airport in Pennsylvania before, but usually after it had occurred. Fellow history buff John Buzansky heard about it beforehand, and we made plans to attend.

Cover: P-51D Mustang "Red Tail" used by Tuskegee Airmen. By David Sampler.

Sponsored by the Mid Atlantic Air Museum, this is one huge show. You can see from the links below to the various aircraft that the airport serves as one of the largest fly-ins for WWII-era aircraft. MAAM also brings in the veterans that flew the planes, as well as re-enactor groups -- US, German, Soviet, and even one Japanese re-enactor. These folks stroll around the runway and area in period garb, making a stark contrast to the multicolored tourists. Additional displays from various groups show off their talents and displays, and there's a large open-air flea market with war memorabilia, re-enactor gear, and other bric-a-brac.

You park in designated areas, and a school bus takes you into the runway area. Here, you tromp up the hill to the entrance, paying $15 to get in and (optionally) $5 for the program. The program provides B&W photos short descriptions of the various veterans and aircraft.

We went on June 5, 2004 (the program says it was the 14th annual WWII Weekend) and awaoke to a deluge. The skies were angry and gray, and the drive from Stockton, NJ to Reading PA was dashing in and out of rain showers. It was cold, damp, and a better day to be inside than outside. However, onward through the mud we tramped to the gate, paid our entrance fees, and walked into WWII. All day, we and the rest of the attendees dodged rain showers, not to mention cramming into hangers during the heavy deluges.

Still, it was quite the enjoyable day, although after 5-6 hours, we called it a day and headed home.

Photos

The following selection of photos offer a glimpse into the event. There are many more aircraft on display than I saved to disk, as well as additional re-enacment scenes. I could have sworn I took photos of more planes, displays, and re-enactors, but evidently, those were snapshots in my memory. Certainly there were a load of lectures by veterans, autograph signings, a hanger used as a dealer area, a large display of ship models and a home front display (in another hanger), a field hospital, Russian encampment, and more.

For Information on the next show

www.maam.org

WWII Weekend

Aircraft

B-24 "Diamond "Lil"
B-29 and Other Aircraft

Ground

Grossdeutschland Division (Re-enactors)
American Europe Encampment (Re-enactors)
WWII Re-enactment: US vs. Germans
British Encampment (Re-enactors)
German Afrika Korps Encampment (Re-enactors)
American Pacific Encampment (Re-enactors)