ARTICLE VII - AUTHENTICITY

SECTION 1: GENERAL MATTERS

Any member of the CHG while engaging in a sanctioned CHG event in uniform must meet the following authenticity requirements:

  1. All uniforms, weapons, vehicles, haircuts, facial hair or carried accessories must appear to be completely authentic to the period being represented.
  2. All articles falling under this guideline shall be inspected by a unit or Allied or Axis authenticity officer appropriate to the country being represented.
  3. All articles falling under this guideline must appear to be authentic from a distance of ten (10) feet, when standing alone.
  4. Any vehicle having the physical appearance of a military vehicle of the 1939-1945 period (regardless of the date of manufacture) may be used during the course of a reenactment meeting, with the approval of the CHG Safety Officer. These vehicles must be checked by the CHG Safety Officer for operational safety at each reenactment meeting.
  5. Authenticity of all items shall be reviewed and approved by the appropriate (i.e., American, British or Axis) representative of the Authenticity Committee appointed by the President. Regulations regarding authenticity may be promulgated by the Authen-ticity Committee, subject to Executive Commit-tee approval.

SECTION 2: WEARING OF HISTORICAL MILITARY GRADE INSIGNIA

  1. All Regular Members may wear the military grade insignia up to, but not exceeding that of the highest grade of a private soldier. Unit Leaders, Assistant Unit Leaders, the Unit Secretary, Unit Safety Officer, and appointed subordinate officers, if any, may wear military grade insignia above the highest grade of private. Each individual Unit shall determine the military grade insignia for each office.
  2. Unit Leaders may wear insignia at or below the following grades.
    1. United States of America - Master Sergeant.
    2. Great Britain - Sergeant.
    3. Germany - Stabsfeldwebel (Heer and Luftwaffe). SS Sturmscharfuehrer (SS).
  3. Regular Members of the CHG will be allowed to wear the insignia of a com-missioned officer only after complying with the following criteria:
    1. Only one (1) commissioned officer is allowed per 25 Regular Members in their Unit.
    2. The Unit must petition, in writing, the Executive Committee for permission for each officer grade maintained in their Unit.
    3. The Unit members must unanimously approve of promotion to an officer grade.
    4. A Unit may suspend the limits of Section 12C for a specific reenactment.

SECTION 3: WEARING OF HISTORICAL MILITARY UNIFORMS

  1. Each active Unit of the CHG shall submit to the Execu-tive Committee a "Table of Organization and Equipment" ("TOE") for their Unit which shall include:
    1. A list of the Unit's standard uniforms and allowable variations.
    2. A list of the Units standard armament and allowable variations.
    3. A chart of the Unit's combat organizational structure.

    The Executive Committee may amend a Unit's TOE for the purpose of guiding the Unit toward an accurate historical perspective.

  2. During a re-enactment meeting, all Regular Members shall wear the military uniform of the 1939-1945 era as correct for the active Unit of which he or she is a member, except as noted below in paragraph C of this Section.
  3. A Regular Member may wear the uniform of an active Unit other than his own if:
    1. He gives prior written or oral notification to his Unit Leader and has written or oral permission of the Unit Leader of the Unit of which he is not a member.
    2. He remains in that same uniform for the sunrise to sunset.
    3. He will conduct himself as a private, regardless of the military grade insignia on his uniform, unless otherwise permitted by the Unit Leader.
  4. A Regular Member may dress and participate as a "partisan" in any re-enactment only with the prior approval of the Executive Committee and the consent of the Unit responsible for sponsoring and conducting the reenactment.
  5. In the interest of historical authenticity, it is required that all Regular Members, while attending a re-enactment meeting, keep their hair in a military style; i.e., off the their ears and collars, either by haircut or by use of hairnet. No facial hair is allowed, except mustaches which do not extend past the ends of the member's mouth and which are trimmed neatly above the lip. No beards beyond two or three days' growth will be permitted; i.e., no full beards.

SECTION 4: PERIOD MILITARY ENCAMPMENTS

  1. It is CHG's philosophy to maintain the most accurate impression possible. The goal of this section is to delineate general criteria for regulating authenticity of period encampments at battle re-enactments. Rather than specify in detail the items required for replicating period military encampments of any given nationality, this section shall set forth general standards relating to military bivouacs.
  2. Definition of "Period Military Encampment": The term "Period Military Encampment" or "Encampment" is defined by these Bylaws as a World War Two-era military bivouac. The authenticity and safety of the Encampment is to be maintained with the highest possible adherence to military specifications and/or standards.
  3. Encampments shall be within the CHG authenticity officers' jurisdiction for authenticity enforcement.
  4. All Encampments shall have the following characteristics:
    1. Encampments shall be nationalized;
    2. Encampments shall be organized and conducted pursuant to prescribed military standards;
    3. Encampments shall utilize latrines as prescribed in official WWII military regulations to the greatest extent possible;
    4. Period vehicles shall be routed and parked according to official WWII military regulations;
    5. Military kitchens shall utilize stoves, burners, pots, utensils, etc. that are genuine or an accurate facsimile thereof and shall be operated according to official WWII military regulations;
    6. All tents and accessories thereto shall consist of genuine and/or accurate facsimiles of genuine equipment; and
    7. Chairs, tables, bedding, cots, lights and lanterns, tent stoves, etc. and any other form of interior and exterior camp equipment shall be genuine or accurate facsimiles thereof.

SECTION 5: AUTHENTICITY VIOLATIONS

  1. When any member of a Unit has been found by the appropriate (i.e., American, British, Axis) representative of the Authenticity Committee to be in violation of any of the foregoing rules or the Unit's Table of Organization and Equipment ("TOE"), the following procedures shall apply:
    1. Upon the first infraction a written citation shall be given to the Unit Leader, preferably at the time of the alleged violation. The Unit Leader should be requested to acknowledge receipt of the citation by signing it in the presence of the Authenticity Committee representative, but the failure to do so will not affect the citation's validity. The Authenticity Committee representative issuing the citation shall file a copy with the Secretary, who shall report receipt of the citation at the next succeeding Executive Committee meeting. The Secretary shall immediately thereafter mail a copy of the citation to the Unit Leader and advise him or her of the Unit's right to an adjudicatory hearing by the Executive Committee. Unless successfully appealed as described below, upon issuance of the citation for the first infraction, a six-month time period will begin to run.
    2. If within the six-month period, the appropriate representative of the Authenticity Committee records two (2) further infractions within the Unit, the Unit shall immediately be placed on probation and will not be allowed to attend any subsequent CHG events.
    3. At the time of issuance of the first citation or any subsequent citation during the six-month period, the affected Unit may make a written appeal to the Executive Committee. If an appeal is made, an adjudicatory proceeding conducted in the same manner as prescribed in Section 3 of Article V shall be conducted by the Executive Committee at its next succeeding meeting, at which evidence of the infraction(s) shall be received and an opportunity given to the affected Unit to rebut such alleged infraction.
    4. Following imposition of probation for such period as the Executive Committee may impose, the affected Unit may further appeal at any time thereafter for relief from the probation and , upon demonstration of good cause why the probation should be lifted, the Board may permit the Unit to again attend CHG events.
    5. In the event that the Unit is permitted to attend CHG events, the Unit must attend three (3) consecutive events free of an authenticity infractions. Upon doing so, the probation of the Unit may be lifted by the Board either upon its own motion or that of the affected Unit.
    6. For purposes of this Section 5, multiple infractions by members of the same Unit at the same re-enactment shall only constitute one infraction for purposes of the foregoing procedure.
    7. Upon expiration or earlier termination of probation by the Board, the affected Unit may again attend CHG events if the Unit is otherwise in good standing and constitutes an active Unit within these Bylaws.

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