“Medic!”
“Go, Go, Go!”
“Fire!”
The cries of men are drowned out by the sounds of gunfire. Automatic machine guns are rapidly exploding with
ammo and smoke is billowing out of the gun barrels. The German infantry has the high ground — the vantage
point — and the scene is intense.
Men decked out in army gear — black boots, camouflage suits, masks, helmets, guns and extra ammo strapped
onto their backs — are sprinting from one abandoned fortress on top of the hill to another, hoping to get a
better angle of their enemies below.
One German soldier has been shot in the abdomen. He’s crouching helplessly on the ground waiting for a
medic, while bullets whizz by his head and the commotion around him surges on.
Meanwhile, in the trenches just below, the scene is still. The high grass and dense bush is concealing the
American allies from the Germans who are just above the ridge. I stumble across one American pressed tight
against the murky water-logged ground. He’s breathing heavily as his eyes scan for any slight movement in the
distance.
My shoes are slowly sinking deeper into the mud and I realize I can’t crouch down for much longer. I stand up
and hear a shot ring through the air. My eyes squint in pain because I feel like someone just stabbed my
lower leg. Sharp pains are beginning to spread and it’s going numb.
I clutch my shin immediately — but it’s all wet. I open my clenched eyes only to see my hands and leg covered
in neon green paint.
All of a sudden a German exposes himself and paintballs are firing through the air. Green paintballs are
raining and I cover my head and run out of the fake battlefield.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies consisting of Americans, Canadians and the British landed on the beaches of
Normandy, France to battle the Axis forces of Germany.
Now, 66 years later, it’s 1944 all over again at Flag Raiders Paintball in Kitchener, Ont. The event they
held on Sunday, June 6, was called the Phoenix Project 22 “D-Day Invasion,” which was a recreation of this
historical day.
There were more than 800 participants decked out in army gear and paintball equipment, ready to “shoot some
paint” as one German put it. The teams were pretty much even and the animosity between them couldn’t have
been farther from the original day back in 1944.
The battle began at 10 a.m. with a debriefing of the rules from the commander. The generals on each army then
gave a pep talk and discussed strategies with their 10 squads consisting of privates, radio operators, medics
and engineers who on the German side were given names like Hanz Herman, Alec Hann and Lutz Fuchs.
The battle was all mission-based, comprised of 10 missions and four supplementary ones dispersed throughout
the day, which the Generals of both teams would relay to the radio operators of each squad. The 800
participants had five lives and if they were hit below the neck, a medic (marked with a red band on the
forearm) would have to go to them and hole-punch their lanyard. If someone suffered a major wound by getting
hit anywhere above the head, they had to leave the battlefield for 30 minutes.
Gavin Sherman, who was the German general, says that in previous games he always played the villain and
terrorist. Just like how in this battle, participants can die by getting hit with shrapnel, Sherman says,
“I’d strap hot dogs to my chest and go into buildings.”
This all-day event ended at 4 p.m. when the commander announced who won. Did history repeat itself or did the
Germans beat the Allies on this epic day?
Like the last Project Phoenix game they held, the Allies did triumph and bring home another victory. Even
though the Germans had more kills and territory points, the Allies won because they won more missions.
Good job, blue! The Germans are once again seething and already plotting their revenge and battle strategies
for next year.
Check out upcoming games at flagraiders.com.•
Photos
courtesy of Sarah Divito
