What does it look like when a group of enthusiasts does an amazing job of preserving their historical heritage, promoting their region and developing the tourist offer? TCN talks to Mutila, an airsoft club from Istria dedicated to WW2 reenactment on January 29, 2018
Two months ago, we brought you the story of Vižinada, a small Istrian town which hosted the famous war drama Kelly's Heroes in 1969. Although unintentional, my timing proved so fortunate, one could almost call it a case of divine intervention: only a week before I looked into the charming place that welcomed a star-studded cast headed by Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland, another grandiose manifestation played out in Vižinada.
Meet Mutila, an airsoft club based in Medulin dedicated to World War II reenactment. Members of Mutila regularly organise themed events which, while based on airsoft, take the story to a whole another level with the help of authentic historical gear, props, and replicas of WW2 weapons. They recreate actual historical events, reenacting WW2 battles with an astonishing degree of historical accuracy. Even though airsoft is usually played in uninhabited areas such as forests, the Mutila crew recently took it up a notch and started to reenact combats in authentic locations.
Kelly's Heroes meetup, Vižinada, November 2017
In November 2017, they staged a mind-blowing reenactment of Kelly's Heroes in the very same town where the filming took place. Around 90 participants played out the original script in Vižinada and its surrounding area, once again transforming the quiet town into a lively theatrical set. Upon seeing the photos, I simply had to find out more about this impressive initiative, so I reached out to Mutila eager to share their story.
One last thing before we get to the interview: I kept referring to Mutila's events as tournaments until they informed me they're more fond of the term 'meetups', as they don't like to focus on competition as much as on socialising and creating a friendly atmosphere. Just when I thought they couldn't get any cooler.
First things first: what exactly is airsoft?
Airsoft is a hobby/game which originates from Japan, later making its way to the US where it's been developing for the last 30 years. Soon thereafter, the team game found its way to all parts of the world, including Croatia where it was introduced in 2005. The game simulates a battle between two (or multiple) teams/sides, with a focus on various tactical assignments, both combatant and non-combatant, carried out with a good deal of team play and cooperation.
Airsoft is played with replicas of electric and gas powered guns which imitate legitimate weapons in their design, dimensions, and other details. While airsoft might give off a stern vibe at first glance owing to the weapon replicas and military equipment, the game is quite different in reality. The focus is on social gathering, adrenaline-ridden entertainment, spending time in nature, taking care of the environment and meeting people from Europe and all over the world. Recreation in nature is an especially significant factor, considering we tend to spend most of our time indoors in this day and age.
Tell me more about the club - what are your primary activities and goals?
The association Airsoft Club Mutila was founded on March 1, 2016 in Medulin by president Nenad Cukon, co-president Franko Frgačić and secretary Lara Vujica, along with two other members. We could say we started small as a club, but nowadays we have eight members from Medulin and other parts of Istria.
In order to properly explain the initiative behind Mutila, we have to look at a wider context and elaborate in a somewhat poetic way. You see, growing up in Medulin entails living in close contact with historical heritage which bears witness to empires, countries, and invaders who have left their mark on these parts. You'll find a historic monument at every step, gems that are sinking into oblivion as they wait to get properly introduced to the wider public. This is where we jump in: Mutila is an association which, through the means of airsoft, participates in social initiatives and aims to promote Istria's cultural heritage, especially its historical segment.
While these goals might seem grand, our president Nenad Cukon has years of experience in event organisation. He's been a part of the airsoft community since 2006; he founded the association AK Delta dedicated to modern airsoft, and has organised several outstandingly successful airsoft meetups which saw up to 200 participants from Croatia and other neighbouring countries.
Premantura, Medulin Municipality, August 2017
How did the club develop? Who makes up the Mutila crew these days?
The club keeps expanding; we initially had two members and got to eight in less than two years of activity. One could say the main characteristic of that growth is chaos: we get two new members in a single day, then no one for the following ten months. The club has a colourful profile, our members vary from 18 to 50 years of age and come from all walks of life. We're an interesting crew: there are firemen, historians, medical technicians, chauffeurs, and entrepreneurs, all in one place. What unites us is our love for history, with merry social gatherings being our top priority.
How do you go about your activities? Do you gather on a regular basis, or focus on individual themed meetups?
We get together whenever we have some time to spare, depending on our personal and professional obligations. The only thing you need to practice this particular hobby is good time management skills; we've been successful on that front so far, especially considering some of us have parental obligations.
We also focus on organisation of historical airsoft meetups all over Istria, and manufacture historically accurate equipment to create an authentic atmosphere for all meetup participants to enjoy. Speaking of organisation, we could say we leveled up as we've acquired a small truck to make the logistics less complicated. Apart from that, we regularly participate in activities aiming to revitalise the historical heritage of our municipality and remove all traces of former devastation.
Speaking of your equipment... I was blown away by the level of historical accuracy reflected in your uniforms and gear. How do you go about that part, do you make it yourselves or acquire it someplace?
We buy our equipment online, from specialised webshops where any interested individual can purchase the gear. Such stores are mostly based in Europe, where this hobby has been popular for some time now. Every time we acquire new equipment, us and our friends aim for the highest attainable level of historical accuracy, as we strive to unite the game of airsoft with reenactment. Apart from uniforms and replicas of historical weapons, we focus on authentic props and vehicles. We're especially proud of our replica of a WW2 armoured vehicle Sd.Kfz. 223, which we built on our own, based on our knowledge and skills.
Authentic props aren't actively used in the game, but provide a certain cinematic feeling and make the play look like a historical film setting. For example: you get to a crossroads and come upon an authentic historical signpost, whose design originates from the 40s. You scoop some water from a 70 year-old barrel and fill up the tank of your vehicle using authentic cannisters, then pass by a sentry box where the guard raises the ramp to let you through.
Replica of Sd.Kfz. 223, built by members of Mutila / Airsoft Club Alfa, photo by Danijel Meštrović
Tell me more about your meetups: where has the road taken you so far?
Seeing that this type of historical airsoft inspired by WW2 was introduced two years ago, every meetup counts. Organisation is taken care of by our friends from airsoft associations who are members of the Croatian Airsoft Union, the main association tasked with coordination of events related to our hobby. We have to mention our friends from Slavonia, the WWII airsoft group Front, who organised the first meetup based on the eastern Russian front OP Stalingrad in 2018 in Bilje. There's also the Airsoft Association Podravina from Koprivnica, whose members organised the first meetup in their region last year. Our friends from Sveta Nedjelja, the Airsoft Club Alfa, have an actual castle at their disposal to host themed meetups - the castle Kerestinec.
We should also mention our fellow Istrians from the Airsoft Club Buje who are of great help when it comes to event organisation; two years ago, we collaborated on the first meetup visited by our friends from the Czech Republic. There are also Dalmatians from the Airsoft Club Predator Split. Seeing that cooperation overcomes borders and politics, we're currently collaborating with the Society for Tactical Games from Ljubljana on an airsoft meetup which takes place in the history museum in Pivka, Slovenia. The Park of Military History allowed us to incorporate WWII tanks from their collection into our play. This is the type of collaboration we wish to strive for in Croatia as well.
We aim to help each other as much as we can in all matters related to organisation and travel to international meetups in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, meetups that involve over 150 people, numerous authentic vehicles and heaps of historical props. Visiting abroad is an adventure that entails travel, sight-seeing and meeting new people with whom we share our love for this hobby.
Our local meetups currently count around 60 participants; the number is growing and can easily get to 100, but there are always extraordinary circumstances which can prevent people from attending.
Galižana, a small Istrian town perfect for historical reenactments
What about Vižinada - what's the story behind the Kelly's Heroes meetup?
The meetup was thought up by our member Tin Veljković who lives close to Vižinada. The film Kelly's Heroes with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland is one of our favourites, especially owing to its filming location.
Planning the event took us an entire year, from the initial idea to the realisation. We reached out to Mayor of Vižinada Municipality Marko Ference who generously accommodated our requests, along with the entire local community. Three months prior to the meetup, we took a tour of the local roads and surrounding hills to scope out the place and create the scenario. Unlike the film, airsoft doesn't involve a precise script; instead, the plot moves forward spontaneously, following some general guidelines we set in advance. We weren't able to cover every part of the film with our game, but we tried to bring the film's atmosphere to life as well as we could. And of course, we sort things out with accommodation providers and owners of local hospitality venues; we took care of this in the last three months prior to the meetup whenever we had a moment to spare.
Kelly's Heroes meetup, Vižinada / Airsoft Club Alfa, photo by Danijel Meštrović
Another important thing was promoting our event on Facebook to engage the European community interested in airsoft and reenactment. Thanks to our efforts, we managed to attract guests from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, along with our old friends from neighbouring countries. We're hoping to see some guests from England, Austria, Italy and France next time around.
Every overnight stay we generate adds to tourism in general, and this is exactly what we aim to achieve with our game, regardless whether the tourist in question is about to ride a bike along the famous cycling trail Parenzana or dodge airsoft ammo fired by his opponents. Airsoft is actually the ideal way to develop a new tourism niche, namely a branch of adrenaline tourism which calls for an interesting profile of guests: financially comfortable people who like adventure and history in equal measure. They'll have fun with the airsoft crew, and take a tour of historical heritage the next day.
Tank destroyer M36 Jackson. OP Crucifix Hill, Pivka, Slovenia / Airsoft & MilSim news blog
I've noticed a couple of locals on the photos taken during the Vižinada meetup. Istria was considerably affected by WWII, so I was interested to know how the locals reacted when you staged such an event in an inhabited place. Are the residents informed in advance, do they participate as spectators?
Every meetup has to be reported to the municipal authorities and the local police station, and it's important to sort out documentation for a public gathering in advance. This is how we eliminate all potential inquiries to what we're doing at a certain location. We also strive to communicate with the locals as well as possible. Once they see us live, they usually think that another film is getting made and that an entire production train rolled into their small village. The locals were delighted; for a single day, their town was taken 70 years into the past.
They regard the presence of people clad in military uniforms of former opposed parties as a part of set, a certain sort of theatre, whether the participants play the Allies or the Axis forces. To make the cinematic impression even more palpable, we make sure to invite numerous photographers and cameramen to every event we plan. Actually, the elder residents of Vižinada recalled the filming of Kelly's Heroes when they again witnessed people in German uniforms walking around their village, so they shared some of their anecdotes featuring stars such as Clint Eastwood.
To have met a young Clint Eastwood in uniform... I'll admit I'm kinda jealous. Speaking of filming, some of your members are starring in the upcoming war thriller Renegades. What's the story behind that?
It happened on accident. I can't recall where the casting ad was published, it might have been the paper or the Istrian Film Commision, but it sparked our interest. We came, we applied as extras, we played our part. And we experienced what a large-scale production looks like. We also got some valuable new experience, as other European groups dealing in the same activities as we do play a major part in history films, because they have an enormous deal of knowledge and experience related to this historic period and they will gladly share that on a film set. For example, the film Fury starring Brad Pitt involved a large number of English reenactors.
Bukov Vrh, Gorski kotar, 2016
Any plans for the future? A new meetup in the making?
There's no shortage of plans and ideas, the only thing we're short on is time. We take care of the funds, as we think enthusiasm is what counts the most.
We have long-term plans to improve the quality of the game and increase the number of participants in our meetups, whether they're Croatian or foreign. We'll also continue to build a positive image of our hobby, taking every measure to prevent inconvenient things from happening. A combination of team spirit and common sense is the most significant factor of what we do.
We'll try to plan a sequel to our Kelly's Heroes meet-up; in the meantime, we'll open an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI on July 1 in collaboration with Medulin Municipality.
We're looking forward to forging new friendships with existing and future airsoft clubs all over Croatia, Europe and the world, and of course - development of our Istria County in the off-season, in collaboration with the municipal authorities and tourist boards.
Thanks to the Airsoft Club Mutila for sharing their story - make sure to keep up with their adventures on Facebook.
