Enthusiasts re-enact Napoleonic battle in Germany

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday October 14, 2006

Jena, Germany- Dressed in colourful uniforms and firing 24 cannons and muskets Saturday, 1,600 enthusiasts re-enacted Napoleon Bonaparte's French victory near Jena in Germany, exactly 200 years and 6 hours after the original event. Some 32,000 people gathered to watch the spectacle at the battle site where the French drubbed the Prussian-led armies in the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt on the same day.

Enthusiasts for military history from 17 nations took part in the full-dress re-enactment, with Mark Schneider, a 37-year-old American from Virginia, playing Napoleon. Spectators called "Vive la France" as he passed by.

About 100 horses were used for the performance by infantry, cavalry and artillery units.

Among the spectators was Charles Napoleon, a descendant of the emperor who personally commanded his corps on October 14, 1806.

"It's hard to even imagine we used to be enemies," said French Ambassador Claude Martin, who was also watching. "We live in a Europe today where Germany and France are friends, almost brothers."

About 240,000 soldiers took part in the Battle of Jena and the Battle of Auerstedt, 25 kilometres away, with historians estimating 30,000 to 35,000 were killed or wounded.

To commemorate the dead, church bells rang later Saturday in nearby villages that were overrun in the battles.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency