Axis HQ: Hours of Operation, Soldbuchs, Cafe Trois Passes, etc.
For 2018 the German Hauptquartier at FIG will again be operating as a functional Wehrmacht office as part of an ongoing effort to enhance the event for German participants. Axis and civilian participants will need to report to the Hauptquartier to obtain passes for Cafe Trois and may also report to have military or civilian paperwork completed for the event. Please read below for specifics on how this will work.
Hauptquartier Hours
The Hauptquartier will be open:
Thursday 11:00 - 19:00
Friday 09:00 - 18:00
Saturday 15:30 - 18:00
There will be no access to the Hauptquartier building after closing unless you are part of command staff, intelligence or police services. Visitors to the Hauptquartier during the hours of operation are to remain "in character" while inside the building, you must report in your Axis military or period civilian impression and refrain from talk of modern subjects. Allied military impressions are not permitted in the Hauptquartier.
Cafe Trois Passes
Passes to Cafe Trois will be issued by the Hauptquartier clerks during the regular hours of operation only. If you desire a pass you must report in your "reporting" or "walking out" impression- no camouflage, felt boots, or equipment in disrepair. You will need to present your event registration card as well as your Soldbuch or civilian ID to the clerk to obtain a pass. German military personnel MUST present a Soldbuch and a Cafe Pass to enter-- no exceptions, no other forms of identification will be permitted for German military impressions without specific permission from the Cafe staff. The clerks will be looking at Soldbuch pages 1-5 and the awards page and will be checking to see that the information therein (such as branch of service, rank and awards) matches the uniform the soldier is wearing, the Soldbuch must be correct and fit your impression. You must know your German name, unit designation and rank as the clerks will be asking for this information. Military ranks will be written on the passes so if you are presenting multiple impressions during the event, you need to make sure you are reporting for a pass wearing the uniform you intend to wear to the Cafe, with the appropriate Soldbuch or other documentation as required. You will also need to present both your pass and your period ID at the door of the Cafe where this information will be checked again. Passes are free and are good for the duration of the event.
Military and Civilian Paperwork Service
For participants who need work done to ensure that their paperwork for the event is in order, we will have a staff working in the Hauptquartier performing this service. Those with civilian impressions can report to the Hauptquartier and have standard civilian identification issued to you at no charge. Military participants must first obtain a blank Soldbuch which we can then fill out. If your Soldbuch is completely blank we can fill out the first few pages and the awards page, this (in addition to your event registration card) is all you will need to get a pass for Cafe Trois and should prevent problems anywhere else your papers may be checked by the Feldgendarmerie or other participants. We can also do updates and new entries for people who already have a completed Soldbuch and can fill out other types of military paperwork and civilian documents in the Hauptquartier as well. A few points on this service:
-There is no charge for working on your paperwork
-This service is strictly first come, first served.
-You will need to be present while we work on your book, you will not be able to drop it off and come back later. Filling out a few pages with basic entries or updating an already completed book should only take a few minutes.
-You are going to need to know (at a minimum) the most basic details of your persona such as your German name, where you are from, profession, birth date, your unit, enlistment date, etc. It is up to you to research your own persona, we will enter whatever information you provide whether it is historically correct or not.
-If your impression is of an NCO or officer who has been in the Wehrmacht since 1936 and you have been through a dozen units and have every medal awarded by the German military we will need to fill out your paperwork as a Zweitschrift or Ersatzausfertigung (replacement for a lost or damaged book) to cut down on the amount of entries needed, this is of course still entirely realistic. Filling out every page of a blank book and cramming the book with every possible entry pertaining to any persona will generally not be possible due to time constraints; we will make sure your book meets the basic minimum standard for the event.
-We are doing this for free and offering this as a service, we must reserve the right to refuse to work on any paperwork for any reenactor, for any reason, if it is not possible to do the work requested.
Please note that there are usually others at the event who will completely fill out your book for a fee so this free service is unlikely to be your only option.
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers who are willing to perform sentry duty in shifts at the Hauptquartier. The need for a sentry is especially acute on Saturday when the base is open to spectators. Anyone willing to pitch in and help is encouraged to inquire at the Hauptquartier building at any time during the event.
Hauptquartier Hours
The Hauptquartier will be open:
Thursday 11:00 - 19:00
Friday 09:00 - 18:00
Saturday 15:30 - 18:00
There will be no access to the Hauptquartier building after closing unless you are part of command staff, intelligence or police services. Visitors to the Hauptquartier during the hours of operation are to remain "in character" while inside the building, you must report in your Axis military or period civilian impression and refrain from talk of modern subjects. Allied military impressions are not permitted in the Hauptquartier.
Cafe Trois Passes
Passes to Cafe Trois will be issued by the Hauptquartier clerks during the regular hours of operation only. If you desire a pass you must report in your "reporting" or "walking out" impression- no camouflage, felt boots, or equipment in disrepair. You will need to present your event registration card as well as your Soldbuch or civilian ID to the clerk to obtain a pass. German military personnel MUST present a Soldbuch and a Cafe Pass to enter-- no exceptions, no other forms of identification will be permitted for German military impressions without specific permission from the Cafe staff. The clerks will be looking at Soldbuch pages 1-5 and the awards page and will be checking to see that the information therein (such as branch of service, rank and awards) matches the uniform the soldier is wearing, the Soldbuch must be correct and fit your impression. You must know your German name, unit designation and rank as the clerks will be asking for this information. Military ranks will be written on the passes so if you are presenting multiple impressions during the event, you need to make sure you are reporting for a pass wearing the uniform you intend to wear to the Cafe, with the appropriate Soldbuch or other documentation as required. You will also need to present both your pass and your period ID at the door of the Cafe where this information will be checked again. Passes are free and are good for the duration of the event.
Military and Civilian Paperwork Service
For participants who need work done to ensure that their paperwork for the event is in order, we will have a staff working in the Hauptquartier performing this service. Those with civilian impressions can report to the Hauptquartier and have standard civilian identification issued to you at no charge. Military participants must first obtain a blank Soldbuch which we can then fill out. If your Soldbuch is completely blank we can fill out the first few pages and the awards page, this (in addition to your event registration card) is all you will need to get a pass for Cafe Trois and should prevent problems anywhere else your papers may be checked by the Feldgendarmerie or other participants. We can also do updates and new entries for people who already have a completed Soldbuch and can fill out other types of military paperwork and civilian documents in the Hauptquartier as well. A few points on this service:
-There is no charge for working on your paperwork
-This service is strictly first come, first served.
-You will need to be present while we work on your book, you will not be able to drop it off and come back later. Filling out a few pages with basic entries or updating an already completed book should only take a few minutes.
-You are going to need to know (at a minimum) the most basic details of your persona such as your German name, where you are from, profession, birth date, your unit, enlistment date, etc. It is up to you to research your own persona, we will enter whatever information you provide whether it is historically correct or not.
-If your impression is of an NCO or officer who has been in the Wehrmacht since 1936 and you have been through a dozen units and have every medal awarded by the German military we will need to fill out your paperwork as a Zweitschrift or Ersatzausfertigung (replacement for a lost or damaged book) to cut down on the amount of entries needed, this is of course still entirely realistic. Filling out every page of a blank book and cramming the book with every possible entry pertaining to any persona will generally not be possible due to time constraints; we will make sure your book meets the basic minimum standard for the event.
-We are doing this for free and offering this as a service, we must reserve the right to refuse to work on any paperwork for any reenactor, for any reason, if it is not possible to do the work requested.
Please note that there are usually others at the event who will completely fill out your book for a fee so this free service is unlikely to be your only option.
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers who are willing to perform sentry duty in shifts at the Hauptquartier. The need for a sentry is especially acute on Saturday when the base is open to spectators. Anyone willing to pitch in and help is encouraged to inquire at the Hauptquartier building at any time during the event.