Clean Sweep was the code name for a city-wide re-enactment in the little town of LaVernia which is located approximately 15 miles Northeast of San Antonio.  The event was centered around a static vehicle display and living history re-enactment for spectators and a full-scale tactical battle for the re-enactors later in the afternoon.

I trailered his M38A1 down and set-up camp with a local Boy Scout troop (118) from LaVernia.  There, I was treated to camp fire beef stew and Dutch oven peach cobbler.  After spending several hours around the campfire with the scouts and adults including scoutmasters Don and Margaret, everyone turned in for what was to prove a below freezing temperature night.

Early the next morning, Toby C and Barry F from Austin showed up as did Jim S with his MB and Jim W with his M38 both from San Antonio.  Throughout the morning, other club members started arriving including John K with his MB, and Jeff McD with his MB.  Ray V also arrived from San Antonio to watch the show.

The basic premise was the town of LaVernia (South of New Berlin) had been taken by Axis forces.  The Allied forces were to liberate the town.  With that in mind, about 75 Allied forces began their assault on the town streets.  With as many as 15 vehicles, the Allied forces began methodically working their way through the town encountering heavy resistance at every turn.  Medics tended to the injured and the CAF provided a few aircraft as well.  (Albeit 2 AT-6's as Zeros and an AT-6 chase plane)  editor note: This was however the anniversary of Pearl Harbor so the CAF did a fine job of remembrance through their display and participation.

As the battle progressed through the town, so did the spectators.  Around Chihuahua Street, the forces and spectators made a sharp turn and the battle continued into a large area where the Axis forces were stationed in a series of abandoned tin buildings.  With mortars flying high in the sky, smoke screens in place and the chatter of 75 forces with blank adaptors and gas fired sim-guns, the Axis contingency could not keep up.  After a lengthy battle of approximately 20 minutes, the Axis groups surrendered.  At the conclusion of the battle, all participants lined up in unit formations for pictures and answered questions from the audience.

After the battle was completed and the brass and un-spent muntions were secured, the majority of vehicles and participants headed for the static display area.  There, the towns people and others were able to view the vehicles up close and ask questions of the owners about the vehicles, uniforms etc.  About 12:30, the majority of the group began to assemble for the tactical battle.

After the completion of the static display, me, Toby and Jim W had packed up and headed out.  Jim S, John K, Tim W and Jeff McD all remained for the tactical battle.