European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 2, 1986 the stars and stripes Page Michael Schenk of Wiesbaden dressed As a 5th . Cavalry Soldier watches authentically equipped soldiers of opposing forces carry out a training exercise. Yanks rebels tenting again in Story and photos by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau Sermersheim Germany it was the wrong Cen Tury and the wrong continent and the opposing armies occupied the same campsite. Other than that the tents horses and other military equipment assembled on German army land in the Sermersheim Woods looked like one of Matthew Brady s american civil War photographs come to life. Several dozen would be Yankee soldiers rebel soldiers and nurses also looked authentic although there was t an american among them. The gathering was composed of germans who belong to the Union and Confederate re Enactor an association of clubs for hard Core civil War buffs. We try to go As close to reality As we can said Jurgen Stritesky a tall bearded re Enactor vice president who dressed for the occasion As a 1st Texas cavalry officer inthe Confederate army. As he spoke a mixed group of soldiers dressed in Blue and Gray struggled through a series of training exercises marching and wielding old fashioned rifles to commands barked in English. White capped nurses toted first Aid kits across a Clear ing. Oil lamps Straw mattresses and other conveniences typical of the period adorned every tent. The air was filled with campfire smoke and the Aroma of Pinto bean soup. It was ample evidence that the re Enactor take their Hobby very seriously. The Only modern conveniences in sight were water wagons and portable toilets borrowed from the Sermersheim . Military sub Community. The group held its first Encampment last year but civil War interest is greater now because the conflict started 125 years ago this month with an attack on fort Sumter . Members also plan a civil War Battle re enactment later this Spring in Baum older Germany. Stritesky said the Sermersheim event Cost about 10,000 Marks $4,338but the difficulty of obtaining proper insurance and government permits far outweighed the expense. The hobbyists association has about 500 Active Mem Bers mostly in Germany Stritesky said. About two thirds Are sympathetic to the Confederate forces he said Proba Bly because of the Southern army s underdog image and the Caliper of its leadership. Many hobbyists have adopted nicknames reminiscent of civil War figures from the South. The tents of the two armies were fairly integrated in Sermersheim however. Sometimes you have to take care not to put the res by the yanks said Stritesky a German air Force officer who trains american military flight traffic controllers in nearby Karlsruhe. Some people take it seriously. We put the fire eaters in a  most participants limited their aggression to debating the causes of the War lubricating the conversation with homemade sour Apple wine. The re Enactor pitched 48 tents at the Encampment. The tent designs copied those used during the War including a single Sibley cavalry tent that holds 12 to 14 men. Germany As a proud Confederate officer Jurgen Stritesky poses in a stance eerily typical of those in the Era s photos a reproduction of that is very rare said club member Jan Boger author of a Book on civil War weapons and equipment. It was a copy of the Plains Indian  Many smaller items used at the event were original. Stritesky displayed a Maynard carbine made in Spring Field mass., one of about 10 or 15 that still exist. Another club member carried a Saber of the Era with an original Lade. Uniforms were meticulous reproductions reflecting even the wartime shortages of materials. Roland weit Brecht a mail Carrier from Heilbronn supplemented his Confederate uniform with homemade gaiters wooden strips that protect a Soldier s shins and instep in the absence of High boots. Stritesky said most club members have paid at least 2,000 Marks $870 to assemble a presentable uniform. And because 125th anniversary observances Are planned in America this year dealers who sell authentic materials Are Short of supplies. The few people who Are Good Are so overloaded with orders they Don t have time to take care of us Stritesky said. He also bemoaned the Lack of historical information in German available to his fellow members. Most club Mem Bers gather information from american books or from each other. And some including Stritesky have visited civil War Battle Sites the u a. Library of Congress and other places in the United states where information about the War is available