Choosing Your Impression & Starting Your Research

*Disclaimer, this blog is meant to be both educational and entertaining.  The information shared here should not be a substitute for your own research.  Additionally as new information comes to light through books and other reputable sources, facts shared here are subject to revision.  Constructive feedback is welcome as long as it is appropriate and professional*

Now that we got introductions out of the way and you've learned a little more about how I got into the WW2 hobby let's start exploring some topics which might be helpful to those looking to develop their own impression.

Allied or Axis, Military or Civilian?

When choosing to develop a new impression you'll need to answer two questions right away to determine what direction you want to go in.  First and foremost, do you want to represent the Allied side or Axis side?  Portraying an Axis impression is not for everyone but you can't truly represent the conflict and events of WW2 without having both sides represented.

Female Allied Military Impression, photo by Tom Davison

Once you've decided whether you're going to represent the Allied or Axis side the next question to answer is whether you'd like to represent a Military impression or a civilian impression.  Remember as a woman in the hobby you aren't required to do a one or the other although an Allied civilian impression often seems to be the most common.

Female Civilian Impressions at Rockford WW2 Days, photo by Tom Davison

Find the right fit for you

The best piece of advice I can give is to find the impression that is going to be the best fit for you.  You might have friends in the hobby and they may do civilian impressions so initially joining up with them might work well.  You might have a significant other who does an Axis impression and you want to attend more events with them so you're choosing to do an Axis impression.  Or you might be entering this hobby because you want to do an impression that you are passionate about and are doing this for your own enjoyment.  Don't choose an impression because someone told you to do it, if it doesn't fit your personality there are plenty of other options available to you.

I personally thought I could never do an Axis impression when I started researching what direction to go in.  After a lot of contemplation and additional research I did decide to do a German Helferin impression.  In particularly, I chose a Luft-nachrichten Helferinnen impression which is a woman who served in the German auxiliary services of the Luftwaffe branch specifically the Nachrichten role was a communications role.

This impression was not an easy impression to develop or research and required a lot of dedication in order to be successful.  While developing the impression, many suggested I forego it and choose another that might be easier.  As I said above though, you need to choose an impression that fits you and the goals for what you want to get out of this hobby.  I stuck with this my chosen impression and I don't regret it for a moment.

Heer & Luftwaffe Helferin, photo by Matthew Sperzel photography

Now you're settled, what's next?

So now you've settled on your impression where do you go from here.  Before you go to any events it's important to do research.  No matter what role you represent, remember you are representing actual women who lived and served in these roles and they deserve accurate representation.  Going to an event is more than dressing up, sitting around camp or the event site, or drinking and partying.  Thousands of people pay to attend events throughout the country to learn more about this time in our history and several veterans still come out to these events who's history you will be representing too.

The best way to start your research is to start networking within the hobby.  Do you have a unit you'll be joining? Talk to the unit commander, ask them what are good resources they recommend.  Start talking and getting to know others in the prospective unit you'll be joining for recommendations as well.

In today's world of social networking, the power of Facebook can be indispensable.  You can connect with people all over the country or world who may already be doing your chosen impression and can give you invaluable guidance.  If you are willing to listen and learn, there almost always is someone out there who will be able to help you.

Never underestimate an old fashioned book

Sure anyone can do a google search for information or look up a topic on Wikipedia but these aren't always good or accurate sources of information.  Many times in this hobby a good old fashioned book is the best source of information.  If you're new to WW2 go to your local library and check out what they have on their shelves pertaining to the war.  Don't always judge a book by it's cover either.  The title may not appear relevant but sometimes some of the most interesting facts I've found for my impression came from books I wasn't expecting to have anything useful.

For specific areas and beginner research look into the Osprey books sometimes referred to as the Men-At-Arms books.  These are available from online retailers like Amazon in both hard copy version and e-reader versions.  They are good starting points but don't stop there after one book with your research, it's always good to have secondary sources to back up your initial research.

For those that are doing Axis impressions, particularly a German Helferin impression or DRK impression and can read german there are a few good books printed in that language.  They also have several original images of these women in service so even if you can't read german the photographs alone can be great reference material.

Recommended Books

Osprey Books:
World War II German Women's Auxiliary Services
World War II Allied Nursing Services
World War II Allied Women's Services
Women at War 1939-1945
The German Homefront 1939-1945

German Published Books:
Blitzmadchen:  Die Geschichte der Helferinne der deutschen Wehrmacht im Zweiten Weltkrieg by Franz W. Seidler (published by Bernard & Graefe Verlag)
Frauen fur die Front:  Gesprache mit Wehrmachtshelferinne by Rosemarie Killius (published by Militzke)

Remember there are countless other books out there that are good resources, these are just starting points.  Do you have a favorite resource?  I'd love to hear what it is so feel free to share it in the comments!