A Signpost in Southern Russia

 

A signpost in southern Russia, 1941. Estate of Oberstleutnant Matthes of Flieger Nachschub Kolonnen Abteilung (motorisiert) II/200.

Akira Takiguchi: Wegweiser (pronounced vehk-veizer, signpost in German) / Schilderwald (pronounced shilder-valt, literally sign forest) is one of the main reasons for me to collect color slides. Signposts are quite often colorful and comes with various unit markings (which units can you find in these?). Also names of commanders are frequently encountered (like Sponeck). These help identification of the location and time of the slides groups.

 

Top sign is for Krankenkraftwagenzug 188 (Kr.Kw.Zg. 188) of 88. Infanterie-Division, while "Sponeck" is for 22. Infanterie-Division commanded by Generalleutnant Hans Graf von Sponeck

 

The oak leaf is the sign of II. Flakkorps, while the clock is for Regiment General Göring (later Hermann Göring Division)

 

Black arrow with bended swastika is for SS-Division "Wiking"

 

"Panzerstrasse M": M may refer to an axis of advance passable for armor, ie route M, A, G etc. At the bottom is the symbol of Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, which had a Pionier-Bataillon with 3 Kompanien

 

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222887987661695&set=gm.1656183317900418

German Sunday Clothing

 

 

This is not a traditional German costume, but Sunday clothing from northern North Rhine-Westphalia. The man is holding a Steinhäger schnapps bottle (also sold under the name Schinkenhäger) made of earthenware. The town Steinhagen, where the schnapps is produced, is not far from Bielefeld, so the clothes should come from this room.These ceramic schnapps bottles are also traditionally used for jenever (in the Netherlands). The womans clothing is closest in style to those in the eastern parts of Saxony but looks like both outfits were reinterpretations and maybe even custom made for this occasion. The mans clothing looks like a traditional sorbish mens church going outfit. The style fits somehow, but the colors are off. Traditionally the long coat was blue and the vest usually red. The collar (of the coat. The shirts collar looks way off) and buttons are on point, but buttons on the sleeves are missing and there's not visible of any pockets on the picture. The cylinder top hat was usually but not always reserved for more festive occasions like weddings. It looks like someone recreated the style from a description or a very old black and white photo, which would make sense because the traditional sorbish mens clothes went out of style decades before the Nazis took power. It is possible that those people were there for propaganda reasons and not so much because of tradition.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222925565841126&set=gm.1658973144288102

Greek Propaganda Poster

 

 

Color slide group of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 in Greece, 1941. A very nice poster grasped the interest of the photographer. March 7, 1941 is the day the British expeditionary force arrived in Greece. The Germans attacked in April and overwhelmed them. 'Aera' is a traditional Greek battle cry going back to antiquity. The distinctive shoes with the woolen pom-pom are Tsarouchia, traditionally worn by the Evzone, the famous light and mountain infantry

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222951073438800&set=gm.1660305074154909

Deutschland Erwache flag from Bielefeld

 

Deutschland Erwache flag from Bielefeld. At front is Gauleiter Alfred Meyer (5 October 1891 - 11 April 1945). He was Gauleiter of North Westphalia from 1931 to 1945, the Oberpräsident of the Province of Westphalia from 1938 to 1945 and the Reichsstatthalter of Lippe and Schaumburg-Lippe from 1933 to 1945. Behind him is SA-Brigadeführer Oscar Jaster (24 September 1894 - 27 April 1945).

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Meyer
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222963349385691&set=gm.1661012610750822

Panzer IV of Panzer-Abteilung 8

 

This slide is from the estate of Siegfried Keller, which belonged to Panzer-Abteilung 8. The Panzer-Abteilung 8 was formed in October 1943 as replacement for the destroyed Panzer-Regiment 8 and was assigned to 20. Panzergrenadier-Division. The detachment was established in late 1943, and there is no information about Keller's previous career. This tank, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G, chassis number 82849, was sent to the unit in May 1942. The entire surface is factory painted in Tropen 2 scheme, but inside of the hatches remain gray as seen, and it suggests that gray painted parts was assembled at the factory and painted in Tropen 2 before shipment. The gun tube was later installed, therefore the gray primer color is retained. The spare wheel at the front is in red primer but when you look at it closely the center hub is painted in Tropen 2. Other interesting features like red cross painted on the superstructure front, light gray fire extinguisher, etc.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.axishistory.com/about-ahf/153-germany-heer/heer-other-units/9181-panzer-abteilung-8
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222991026797609&set=gm.1662913953894021
https://panzermaenner.blogspot.com/2021/01/panzer-iv-of-panzer-abteilung-8.html

Göring Keitel Dönitz

Three top notch of the Wehrmacht chats together while waiting for the arrival of Adolf Hitler at the demonstration of the first twenty Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz.138/2) "Hetzer" (Baiter or Troublemaker) in Arys (Orzysz) in East Prussia, as a part of a somber 55th birthday celebration for the Führer, 20 April 1944. From left to right: Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe), Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), and Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine). The picture was taken by Walter Frentz.

Source :
https://waralbum.ru/337613/
https://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2016/05/hitler-watching-parade-of-hetzer.html

Vice Admiral Victor Crutchley

 

 

British Royal Navy Officer Vice Admiral Victor Crutchley VC (1893-1986), Flag Officer Gibraltar, posed in full dress uniform in Gibraltar in July 1946. Admiral Sir Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley VC, KCB, DSC, DL (2 November 1893 - 24 January 1986) was a senior Royal Navy officer during the Second World War and a First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Crutchley
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=428772178391612&set=gm.1663045997214150

Japanese War Correspondent to the Hungarian Army

 

 

Japanese war correspondent to the Hungarian Army, Lieutenant Dr. Sunji Sasamoto, while he was attached to the Hungarian 2nd Army in the area of Kursk, 1942. 1st Lieutenant Dr. Sasamoto served alongside other Hungarian war photojournalists in the Hungarian 2nd Army on the Eastern Front in 1942. He was even officially decorated by the Hungarian government for his service. He is with the Hungarian Army and not the German due to the fact that the Wehrmacht and German government were very strict when it came to journalists traveling with military units, and tended to limit it to official members of the propagandakompanie.

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4252111331484742&set=gm.1662998617218888

Aerial view of Hiroshima Bomb Damage

View from above of atomic bomb damage to the city of Hiroshima in the Chugoku region of Honshu, Japan in June 1946. On 6th August 1945, during World War II, the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' was dropped on Hiroshima and detonated 600 metres above the city centre causing enormous damage to the city's infrastructure.

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=428755015059995&set=gm.1663022240549859

German POWs in England 1947

 

A group of German prisoners of war, classified as 'Grade C' with probable Nazi leanings, take part in a 'brains' trust' debate at a World War II POW re-education camp for 'Black Nazis' at Wimbish in Essex, England in August 1947. The black symbol in the back of their clothes is for identification. It meant that any escaped POWs could be recognised at a glance from front or back. Photo by Kemp / Popperfoto

Source :
https://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s-pows.htm?fbclid=IwAR0mqMzjQCnpW2ARxT-zdZmr4S7bbqmRrRx0U2LGVyKHjG2brqKT8CulGl8
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=427320771870086&set=gm.1661152220736861

U-boat Ace Wolfgang Lüth with SS Officer

Agfacolor color slide of U-Boot Korvettenkapitän Wolfgang Lüth with an unknown officer of the Waffen-SS

Wolfgang Lüth (15 October 1913 - 14 May 1945) was the second most successful German U-boat captain of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total displacement of 225, 204 gross register tons (GRT), was second only to that of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) Otto Kretschmer, whose 47 sinkings totaled 273,043 GRT.

Lüth joined the Reichsmarine in 1933. After a period of training on surface vessels, he transferred to the U-boat service in 1936. In December 1939 he received command of U-9, which he took on six war-patrols. In June 1940 he took command of U-138 for two patrols. In October 1940 he transferred again, this time to the ocean-going submarine U-43 for five war-patrols. After two patrols on U-181, the second being his longest of the war, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. He was the first of two U-boat commanders to be so honored during World War II, the other recipient being Albrecht Brandi.

Lüth's last service position was commander of the Naval Academy Mürwik near Flensburg. He was accidentally shot and killed by a German sentry on the night of 13/14 May 1945. On 16 May 1945, Lüth was given the last state funeral in the Third Reich.

 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Lüth
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=427652551836908&set=gm.1661641007354649

Yak-9 Aircraft in Bari Italy

Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9DD at Bari, Italy. A large formation of the Yak-9DD version was transferred to Bari (the capital of Apulia, in Italy) to help Yugoslav partisans against the Germans in the Balkans.

 

 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-9
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3560402530725650&set=gm.1662345440617539

Testing New Weapons at Aberdeen Proving Ground

Soldiers testing new weapons at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, 1942. Photos by Bernard Hoffman. Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving Grounds) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1656920917826658/?__cft__[0]=AZW8flX6_CPTaDnXSztsHb0FAPeWgivDN1_TRzjvTHK7d-WyJqYyLZjEuZ3J1Cmcdj0CA70m-ZEjQxpaZ7FrWSsScG6C55ceEt1YJsXZzwOWb2R1MyblxHT8s6oQRQOf0ubpKgw1INMR0RJZXw6zYTQxtyg6aChPWE7jr4nRUiwmjRGw9Mrbi8v5uaBAr_Lz6QE&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Pilot Veikko Härmälä of Finnish Air Force

Captain Veikko Härmälä of the 2nd Flight of the 6th Naval Aviation Squadron of the Finnish Air Force in the cockpit of a captured Soviet-made SB-2M-103 reconnaissance bomber in flight over the Gulf of Finland, June 1944. Photographer: Niilo Helander.

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1657759404409476/?__cft__[0]=AZW-WKN084Jvvwzs7qGLPAjaESj1H93QqhVQBwkTwdUB_y7JjOQfwQwGudkaO_QVotMkBvAlELxtcv0Ropqbu-qERMg8Wzuf6ZJjcUJSg4DXg5ej0huDhelD_79E2Dh78o0iWU9fGgqgQe24RwsZ20S81cNwEEaL6Ow0_uLeAfvmJ0CiRJEKerfu6a8Ksr1N0IU&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
http://sa-kuva.fi/neo?tem=webneofin

US Marines Practice at Sea

 

 

Off the coast of Dunedin, Florida, autumn 1941. Marines of the Amphibian Tractor Detachment practice formation driving at sea. Semaphore flags were used to communicate since most early amphibian tractors lacked radios. The LVT-1 alligator (seen here) revolutionized ship to shore movement of troops and equipment. First intended strictly as a cargo carrier, the tractors were soon adapted and improved. FMC built about 1,200 LVT-1s, some of which saw combat service through the end of the war. Life Magazine Photo by Dmitri Kessel

LVT-1 Alligators maneuver off the western coast of Florida in the autumn of 1941. Designed by Donald Roebling, the Alligator revolutionized amphibious warfare and was the first true amphibian vehicle. The LVT-1 was the first in an evolutionary line of amtracs and is the forerunner of the AAV-7 tractor still used by Marines.

 

Autumn 1941, near Dunedin, Florida. Marines of the Amphibian Tractor Detachment practice formation driving at sea. Amtrackers used several basic formation during ship-to-shore movement: column, line and wedge. Most early amtracs did not have radios, so semaphore flags and hand signals were used to signal formation changes.

Autumn 1941, near Dunedin, Florida. Marines of the Amphibian Tractor Detachment practice water movement in a brand-new LVT-1 amphibian tractor. The detachment was formed in May 1941 near the Food Machinery Corporation plant in Dunedin, on Florida's western coast. The new tractors were delivered from the factory straight to the detachment. Such was the need that many of the initial batch of tractors were clad only in the red anti-rust coating. The Amphibian Tractor Detachment was assigned to the 1st Marine Division in December 1941, becoming the nucleus for Co A, 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/Fixbayonets1985/photos/a.114279460312369/232247321848915

Finnish Bombers at Luonejärvi

Bombers of the 17th training squadron of the Finnish Air Force at the Luonejärvi airfield. Finland, March 28-30, 1944. Photographer: Niilo Helander.

 

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1657767927741957/?__cft__[0]=AZWfu-HJ9ckr94TdnGR7xPWM2mhbrmmz_h6DaSpdELcOpJ1wgzMNZ-VGjPgKLZRYrAHA1zfq_nfbcrV3ELaNs--JFJgpwMGF30sQ9uHXezgf7z7eMBOfPNzshlSqQaC-V0kVuJrOpnZiQ-J5PC6FSgLl0aZZl0CQU66e3n6lgG_LTo7ZRf9cRYeLwSiIMuXESYU&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
http://sa-kuva.fi/

Bio of Major Adolf Clemente

 

Major Adolf Clemente (born 13 July 1910) from Dingolfing, in a picture taken in early 1944. This highly decorated officer from the Artillerie-Regiment 7 / 7.Infanterie-Division received the following awards and decorations: DRL Sportabzeichen in Bronze, Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse (6 October 1939) und I.Klasse (1 August 1940), Allgemeines-Sturmabzeichen (18 November 1941), Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1 December 1941), Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (20 July 1942), Deutcshes Kreuz in Gold (21 April 1943), Anerkennungsurkunde des Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres (27 Oktober 1943 and 5 November 1944), and Nahkampfspange in Bronze (8 January 1944).

Promotions:
January 30th, 1939: Leutnant der Reserve;
May 1st, 1941: Oberleutnant der Reserve;
January 1st, 1943: Hauptmann der Reserve;
August 1st, 1943: Major der Reserve;
October 1st, 1943: Major.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=420727422529421&set=gm.1653101868208563
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/3173/Clemente-Adolf.htm?c=aw&fbclid=IwAR1Fo0aJVQANE4ZOJIdYwYw89DMbYsELTfWckkZ8nSKs-MBh3BjS5G2ejHs

Severe Winter in Russia 1941-42

Winter in the Eastern Front, 1941-42. The winter of 1941–42 is known as the coldest European winter of the 20th Century. The temperature was much below normal from the beginning of January until the end of March 1942. Blockings and cut-off lows were frequent, particularly during January and February 1942. The role of quasi-stationary waves during this winter has been studied by decomposing the 500-mb geopotential height data in a low-pass, filtered, quasi-stationary part and a traveling part. The phase of the quasi-stationary wave was such that a ridge was present over the eastern Atlantic and a trough over western Russia throughout most of the winter. As a result, the majority of migratory cyclones that approached Europe from the west were steered either south toward the Mediterranian or north of Scandinavia. Photos by Dr. Paul Wolff and Alfred Tritschler.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1653292204856196/?__cft__[0]=AZXVbR-ov97tjXfW9zk4mYHF4ga0e1_E2XXLpRZ5lTxcrzqaGdgmfR6RLyeoAeYbR1z9F3WcYJT9qUaJTRhDlCwvA4Z9B69BQCEqfQSEUfku00_bKTcu8opbtFy5wcpXqItcjkKkTeFmUhz2oDMR2LnHs02DyB_7jMZC7LwkBWQF3Lnp9zZLQ5_KcfduSE3_xY0&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/70/3/1520-0477_1989_070_0271_tswiet_2_0_co_2.xml