YOUR SOURCE FOR M1 HELMET TRIVIA & WWII REENACTING NEWS!!

Did you know?

During WWII, (between January 1942 and December 1944) only 148,000 US M2 (D Bale) paratrooper helmets were ever made

HBO THE PACIFIC

Well, it is official!  Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks are producing HBO companion piece to BAND OF BROTHERS.  HBO has kept parts of the pre-production of THE PACIFIC remarkably quite, but word is spreading about this much anticipated 10 hour HBO mini-series about the USMC during WWII.  As I get the small "tid-bits" of information about the film, I will post the updates here:

 Rumours of a film entitled THE PACIFIC have been circling since November, 2006 (with reports of two DUKWs being purchased from a closed NSW military vehicle museum)

 The film is to be loosely based on two books WITH THE OLD BREED by E.B. Sledge and HELMET FOR MY PILLOW by Robert Leckie (both about US Marine exploits during WWII)

 March 2007, a group film production purchasers beat me to punch on some surplus at an auction

 April 8th, 2007, the official "go ahead" was given to begin production of HBO THE PACIFIC in Australia, with a reported budget of between $150,000,000 - $200,000,000 US dollars

 Reportedly, a casting call for 200 Australians to play US WWII Marines went out earlier this year (complete with a two month training boot camp)

 On June 22nd, 2007, Douglas Shire Council gave permission for filming of HBO THE PACIFIC to begin in Tropical North Queensland

 Filming for HBO THE PACIFIC is set to begin in Queensland in August, 2007 and expected to be carried out elswhere in Australia throughout 2008

 Two North Queensland locations have already been slated for filming; one is a cane farm outside of Mossman and the other is the coastal area of Rocky Point

 A complete replica of Henderson Field has already been constructed near Lara, Victoria (complete with shell grit runway, fake buildings and control towers)

 August, 2007 - field training for principle actors and primary squads of both Japanese and US Marine Corps infantry have been completed in Queensland

 August, 2007 - beach landing scenes with five period LCVPs and over 200 Australian extras playing US World War II Marines are currently being filmed

 More to come....