Panzer IVs Before Operation Barbarossa

Two German Panzer IVs moving towards the German-Soviet demarcation line on 21 June 1941, less than 24 hours away before the start of Unternehmen Barbarossa, German invasion of Russia. In the foreground road sign "Grenze 1 km". For the campaign against the Soviet Union, the Germans allotted almost 150 divisions containing a total of about three million men. Among those units were 19 panzer divisions, and in total the Barbarossa force had about 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft.

Source :
https://9gag.com/gag/ajgVB0Q
https://en.topwar.ru/188854-21-ijunja-stalin-dilemma-prinjatija-reshenija.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa

German Soldiers Visiting Cemetery in Channel Islands

Channel Islands, German officers visiting the graveyard of their comrades, circa 1940. The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are two island countries and British Crown dependencies in the English Channel, near the coast of Normandy. The Channel Islands were the only de jure part of the British Empire to be occupied by Nazi Germany during the war. However, Germany's allies, Italy and Japan also occupied British territories in Africa and Asia, respectively. Anticipating a swift victory over Britain, the occupying German forces initially experimented by using a moderate approach to the non-Jewish population, supported by local collaborators. However, as time progressed the situation grew gradually worse and ended in near starvation for both occupied and occupiers during the winter of 1944-45. Armed resistance by islanders to the German occupation was nearly non-existent. Many islanders were employed by the Germans, and Germany imported thousands of captive workers to build extensive defensive works on the islands. Island leaders maintained some authority, independence, and freedom of decision from the German occupiers.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_the_Channel_Islands
https://forum.axishistory.com/index.php

Heer and Luftwaffe Officers

Officers of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) in coats with luggage, including two officers of the army (left and 3rd from left) and the air force (2nd from left and 4th from left).

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/index.php

German Soldiers Observe the Coast

German soldiers observe the coast during the occupation of Normandy by German forces in the spring of 1944. The Germans expected the Allies to come ashore at Calais on the French coast, as this is the narrowest point along the Strait of Dover between England and France, and had heavily reinforced the Atlantic seawall with a vast network of shore batteries, beach obstacles, and minefields. The Allies instead chose to invade the European continent along the Normandy region coastline in the Bay of the Seine, roughly between Le Havre in the north and Cherbourg on the Cotentin Peninsula in the south.

Source :
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/d-day-rare-photographs/

German Soldiers and Civilian in the Eastern Front

German officers in front of a shed on the Eastern front, where women work with hay. The war inflicted huge losses and suffering upon the civilian populations of the affected countries. Behind the front lines, atrocities against civilians in German-occupied areas were routine, including those carried out as part of the Holocaust. German and German-allied forces treated civilian populations with exceptional brutality, massacring whole village populations and routinely killing civilian hostages (see German war crimes). Both sides practised widespread scorched earth tactics, but the loss of civilian lives in the case of Germany was incomparably smaller than that of the Soviet Union, in which at least 20 million were killed.

 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_(World_War_II)
https://forum.axishistory.com/index.php

Mechanics at Tuskegee Army Air Field Maintain an Engine of a Vultee BT-13A Valiant

Mechanics at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama, maintain an engine of a Vultee BT-13A Valiant. This aircraft was used for basic flight training for the Tuskegee Airmen. History has often ignored the contributions of Black Americans, leaving heroes like the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military pilots, overlooked. They flew nearly 1,500 missions and shot down 112 German aircraft. These men flew above prejudice, racism and hate to serve their country and drive positive change in America. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying crosses and helped lead to the integration into the U.S. Armed Forces.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 342-C-K-409
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.adforum.com/agency/5096/creative-work/34630046
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

P-51D Mustangs of the 52nd Fighter Group

P-51D Mustangs of the 4th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, 15th U.S. Air Force. These planes flew escorts for Italian-based bombers attacking targets in southeastern Europe late in the war. The USAAF 52nd Fighter Group enjoyed an outstanding record in World War II, but to date its story has never been told. Activated in January 1941, it moved to England in July 1942 for an assignment with the Eighth Air Force. It flew combat missions in Spitfires to France during the summer of 1942 before being reassigned to the invasion force attacking North Africa in November 1942. After moving to North Africa, it was assigned to the Twelfth Air Force and was again equipped with Spitfires. As part of the Twelfth Air Force, it flew combat missions in the Tunisian campaign, and during the invasion of Sicily. In mid-1944, the 52nd was reassigned to the Fifteenth Air Force and converted to P-51 Mustangs. During the remainder of the war, it flew bomber escort and strafing missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, and Yugoslavia. For its outstanding service the Group was twice awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. During its long campaign, the Group destroyed more than 425 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and damaged 135 plus many more on the ground. The 52nd Fighter Group produced 21 Aces.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 342-C-K-2741
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://www.specialtypress.com/spitfires-and-yellow-tail-mustangs-testing-british-and-us-carrier-aircraft.html

Height and Weight Measurements for Diver

Standard height and weight measurements are made on a U.S. Navy candidate during the deep sea diving physical examination, circa 1944. Photo taken prior to July 1944. Weight, height, and other anthropometric measurements were obtained on a cohort of 194 U.S. Navy divers 20-42 years old. Percent body fat was computed for each man using an established prediction equation derived from a population of U.S. Marine Corps personnel whose age, height, and weight characteristics were comparable to those of the divers. Among the divers, weight, weight-height indices, and percent body fat increased across age strata. The body mass index (W/H2) was the best predictor of adiposity, as it had the highest correlation with percent body fat and the lowest correlation with height. Regression analysis quantified this relationship. The relative obesity of the divers (18.2% body fat) and the implications for using the body mass index as a measure of adiposity in the medical examination of divers are discussed.

Source :
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/underwater-activities/1940-1949.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6732694/

PBM-3D Mariner Prepares to Launch from a Coastal Naval Air Station

A Martin PBM-3D Mariner prepares to launch from a coastal Naval Air Station to patrol for German submarines, probably in late spring 1943. The landing gear had to be manually removed before takeoff and reinstalled before exiting the water. Mariners were one of the most effective of the Navy’s long-range flying boats.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-K-16065
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

German Bicycle Soldiers Before Barbarossa

German soldiers on bicycles (Radfahrtruppen) driving towards the German-Soviet demarcation line to their deployments before the attack on the USSR a.k.a. "Unternehmen Barbarossa" (Operation Barbarossa), June 1941. The Wehrmacht did invest in bicycle troops for Barbarossa, but the soviet road system was bad enough that most bike columns looked like this and mobility was effectively foot mobile with perhaps slightly greater combat load per soldier. As well, German bike troops frequently lacked organic artillery and engineers that the giant kessels that Barbarossa created forced the infantry to use to grind them down, and this further limited bike troop’s utility.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry
https://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22483
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/h0afzb/why_no_bikes_in_barbarossa/
https://www.themodellingnews.com/2015/05/build-review-135th-german-military.html

U-952 Submarine

Pictures from Walter Nödinger's estate (arrow point). In World War II he served as a sailor on the German submarine U-952, a Type VIIC U-boat whose career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 10 December 1942, followed by active service on 1 May 1943 as part of the 3rd Flotilla for the next seven months. On 1 February 1944 she transferred to serve with 29th Flotilla, based in La Spezia, for Mediterranean operations. In five patrols she sank two merchant ships, for a total of 13,374 gross register tons (GRT), plus one warship sunk and a further merchant ship damaged. U-952 was decommissioned on 12 July 1944 after being badly damaged on 5 July 1944 by US air raid. Her wreck was captured by French and broken up in 1946. The veteran crews met regularly for many years. Walter Nödinger passed away in May 2014.

Source :
Uwe Rakel photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2773465416277933/posts/3164685217155949/?__cft__[0]=AZVH9TBiEoEL3XWxCH_o0jefbMbaYMWRM7R0PylpYWxzwJvwQvYdOdwPlafZJU055WriN7rBD8biBHZjaqbrCijarxSE8AX22vr5kFB03euIEXQJzuxwjkwGBf1jw4Nn6NiF7AwpV-fD-na6HgCJOM0E0Ppra5ympX0FnsuTVhd-XlxQp8jHHvSF-pl85_SieJA&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

SS General Karl Wolff in Italy 1944

SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Karl Wolff (Höhere SS und Polizeiführer Italien und Bevollmächtigter General der deutschen Wehrmacht in Italien) in a ceremony in Italy, October 1944. The picture was taken by Walter Frentz.

Autoblindo fiat-ansaldo

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/691098008051629/posts/1461330584361697/?__cft__[0]=AZUBmDqMXNf_IXm28f7flb_XoOyQrTQa2HdYvqQtp-c6Y9FRoSok2KAsdHetzqocPo1w3NQ-NkC-IDQf_x-rrSiEOQkI8wzu6E3SOCHWdpi_KW8o1K6aPM23KtKf1o7pRvfyExQuG6U0mt0ucEr6ptFY&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

German Pioneers Cutting Barbed Wire

Operation Barbarossa - German pioneers cutting through barbed wire on the German-Soviet demarcation line behind the Granitza River at the beginning of the Russian campaign. On June 22, 1941, more than 3 million German and Axis troops invaded the Soviet Union along an 1,800-mile-long front, launching Operation Barbarossa. It was Germany’s largest invasion force of the war, representing some 80 percent of the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces, and one of the most powerful invasion forces in history.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/index.php?sid=78b247827f7aa5bebb247cf9956130ce
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa

Two Marines on USS Randolph

USS Randolph -CV-15 Two of the ship's Marines standing lookout watch beneath 40mm gun barrels. They are PFC H.J. Zukowski -left- and PFC Sam Paladins. On February 10, 1945 USS Randolph departed Ulithi Lagoon with Task Force 58 (TF-58). On February 16, 1945 and February 17, 1945 her aircraft participated in attacks against Tokyo area airfields and the Tachikawa factory. On February 18, 1945 her aircraft attacked Chi Chi Jima. On February 20, 1945 launched three sorties to provide ground support for the U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima plus two strikes against Haha Jima. Over the next four days attacked targets on Iwo Jima and Combat Air Patrols (CAP) were flown over the invasion force. On February 25, 1945 launched aircraft for strikes against Tokyo area airfields and Hachijo Jima then returned to Ulithi Lagoon.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=7632619293491484&set=gm.2175342095984535&idorvanity=237076659811098
https://pacificwrecks.com/ships/usn/CV-15.html

Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka (Baka) Piloted Flying Bomb

Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka (Baka) piloted flying bomb which had been captured intact by Marines on Okinawa. Photographed 26 June 1945. During the Okinawa Campaign, the Japanese utilized the Yokosuka MXY-7 Okha "Baka Bomb" against U.S. Navy warships. USS West Virginia (BB-48) is believed to be the first ship damaged by a Baka Bomb on April 1. USS Mannert L. Able (DD-733) was the first ship to be sunk by the weapon on April 12. Other ships damaged by these weapons during Operation Ten-Go were: USS Gayety (AM-239), USS Hugy W. Hadley (DD-744), and USS Shea (DD-750).Usually carried and transported by a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M2 "Betty" aircraft, the "glider weapon" would be released when close enough to its target, then aimed to subsequently destroy it.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=7632613603492053&set=gm.2175341095984635&idorvanity=237076659811098
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/okinawa/yokosuka-mxy-7-ohka.html

German Generals and Admirals at Führergeburtstag

Generals and admirals of the Wehrmacht stood in the stands of honor at the culmination of Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday celebration, which was held in Berlin on April 20, 1939. They all wore paradeanzug (parade uniform), complete with feldbinde (brocade belt), auszeichnungen (medal bars) and schnurr (lanyard). Front row from left to right: Generaloberst Erhard Milch (Generalinspekteur der Luftwaffe), General der Flieger Hans-Jürgen Stumpff (Chef der Luftwehr), Generalleutnant Ernst Udet (Generalluftzeugmeister und Chef Planungsamts der Luftwaffe), Admiral Max Bastian (Präsident Reichsfürsorge- und Versorgungsgerichts der Wehrmacht), and Generalmajor Friedrich Fahnert (Höheren Kommandeur Luftnachrichtenschule Berlin). For additional identification: Generalleutnant Walter Petzel (Inspekteur der Artillerie) is the bespectacled man standing behind Fahnert; Generalmajor Hermann von Hanneken (Bevollmächtigter für Eisen- und Stahl auch zum Leiter der Hauptabteilung II Industrie) stood between Bastian and Fahnert, Generaloberst Wilhelm List (Oberbefehlshaber Heeres-Gruppenkommando 5) between Udet and Bastian, and General der Flieger Friedrich Christiansen (Korpsführer NSFK) between Stumpff and Udet. This photo itself was made by Hitler's personal photographer, Hugo Jaeger. Note that Milch and Stumpff both wear the Star of the Yugoslav Order of the Crown on their chests!

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2010/10/koleksi-ratusan-foto-berwarna-dari-life.html
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m064km4b?hl=en

The carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) Prepares to Dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

The carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches Manhattan as it prepares to dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. The Franklin’s deck shows the melted and burned decking and aircraft parts resulting from a March 19, 1945, dive bomber attack while the carrier was involved in attacks on the Japanese home islands. Over 800 crewmembers lost their lives in the explosion and fires that resulted. When Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, USS Franklin was still undergoing repairs. A few months later on Navy Day, 13 October 1945, she was opened up to the public and inspected by thousands of visitors. Her extensive repairs were finally completed on 15 June 1946, and two days later, she reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for inactivation. On 17 February 1947, the carrier was placed out of commission at Bayonne, New Jersey.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-K-4761
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/alphabetical-listing/f/uss-franklin--cv-13-0.html

African American paratroopers Preparing to Jump from a C-47

During Operation Fire Fly in 1945, the African American paratroopers of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion made over 8,000 individual jumps as smokejumpers on wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. Here they are preparing to jump from a Douglas C-47 on a wildfire in Wallowa Forest, Oregon. The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, more commonly known as the "Triple Nickles," was the first all-Black paratrooper unit in U.S. history.  First organized in 1943 during World War II, the Triple Nickles trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, but were eventually transferred to Camp Mackall, North Carolina, to prepare for duty in Europe. At the time, the U.S. military was segregated and most Black soldiers were relegated to support roles, rarely trained as combat units let alone elite paratroopers.  For some in the unit, the prospect of fighting Hitler's army presented an exciting opportunity — a chance to prove that Black men were as brave and capable as their white counterparts. But they were never sent to fight the Germans. By 1945, the Axis armies were in retreat and a new threat was developing in the American West — Japanese balloon bombs.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 342-C-K-3751
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/history/triple-nickles-first-black-paratroopers-oregon-secret-mission/283-dad8cff6-840c-478d-8af4-16c6353fef92

Bio of Knight's Cross Holder Günter Goebel

Günter Goebel

Date of birth : 14 November 1917 at Hagen-Haspe, Westfalen (German Empire)
Date of death : 4 September 1993 at Hagen, Westfalen (Germany)

Promotions:
00.00.1938 Leutnant
01.06.1940 Oberleutnant
01.02.1942 Hauptmann
01.02.1943 Major
01.03.1945 Oberstleutnant

Career:
00.00.1936 Joined Infanterie-Regiment 18
00.00.1939 Adjutant III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 208
00.00.1942 Attended Generalstabsausbildung
00.00.1943 Attended Kriegsakademie Hirschberg in Silesia
01.04.1944 Posted in the Generalstab des Heeres
00.00.1944 Ib 61. Infanterie-Division
00.00.1944 Stellvertretender Quartiermeister XXXXIII. Armeekorps
00.00.1944 Ia L. Armeekorps
00.00.1944 Ia 218. Infanterie-Division
00.00.1945 Ia 215. Infanterie-Division
00.00.1945 Kommandeur Grenadier-Regiment 189
11.05.1945 Taken prisoner by the Russians
00.10.1955 Released from the POW camp

Awards and Decorations:
04.11.1939 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
18.06.1940 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.194_ Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber
18.10.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Oberleutnant and Adjutant Infanterie-Regiment 208 / 79.Infanterie-Division
06.11.1941 Ehrenblattspange des Heeres und Waffen-SS
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.194_ Goldenes HJ-Ehrenzeichen
18.01.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #180, as Hauptmann and Führer Kampfgruppe Goebel / 79.Infanterie-Division
00.04.1944 Nahkampfspange in Silber

Günter Goebel (14 November 1917 - 4 September 1993) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 October 1941 as Adjutant Infanterie-Regiment 208 / 79.Infanterie-Division. On 14 September 1941 Oberleutnant Goebel made the independent decision to take command of a Radfahr-Bataillon that was temporary leaderless. By doing this, and continuing an attack with this unit immediately afterwards, it was possible to push the enemy back and win a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. On the very next day Goebel launched another bold attack that stormed a Soviet airfield. In the process a number of aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Along with this success an enemy army-level depot was also captured undamaged. For the sum of his achievements during this time Goebel would receive the Ritterkreuz.

Goebel received the Eichenlaub #180 for his Ritterkreuz on 18 January 1943 as Hauptmann and Führer Kampfgruppe Goebbel / 79.Infanterie-Division. On 17 December 1942 Hauptmann Goebel commanded a Kampfgruppe in the area of the 384. Infanterie-Division, specifically near Nishnij-Tschirskaja (along the Chir river). Starting on this day Goebel would hold his assigned bridgehead for weeks, up until 1 January 1943. By this action he played a major role in holding the Soviets along the Chir river and preventing them from immediately advancing further towards the west and southwest. He would receive the Eichenlaub in recognition of this accomplishment.

Source :
https://www.alexautographs.com/auction-lot/gunter-goebel_2E347D696E
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Goebel,_G%C3%BCnter
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2444035#p2444035
http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk/Oberstleutnant%20Gunter%20Goebel.htm
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29961/Goebel-G%C3%BCnter.htm

An Inspector looks over a Mustang Mk I fighter

An inspector with North American Aviation in Inglewood, California, looks over a Mustang Mk I fighter destined for the British Royal Air Force in fall 1942. In March of 1941, the US Congress passed the Lend/Lease Act which permitted the "lending" of US built aircraft to nations that were "vital to the security of the United States". This allowed the US to place an order for 150 Mustangs to be sent to Brittan. This allocation was NA-91, RAF designation of Mustang Ia. The Mustang Ia was equipped with four Hispano 20mm cannons installed in the wings. The nose guns were deleted. Out of the 150 ordered, only 111 were serialed for the RAF and probably less than that actually received. After the attack of Pearl Harbor, the US Army held the remaining Lend/Lease order of NA-91s to Brittan. These, about 55, were designated P-51 and were fitted with four .50 cal guns instead of the cannons. But not all were configured with the Brownings. Cameras were added and a new designation of F-6A. The US Army actually called the NA-91s "Apache".

Source ;
Library of Congress, Office of War Information, 1a35319u
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/variants/raf_mustangs

Armorers load AT-6 Texan Aircraft with Ammunition

Armorers load U.S. North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainers with ammunition. Even in its primary role as a trainer, the Texan could be armed. There was provision for a cowl-mounted Browning .30 caliber machine gun for gunnery training, with some versions mounting an additional Browning in the starboard wing. Here armorers load the cowl guns in preparation for a training mission, the photograph providing an excellent view of engine and propeller details.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 342-C-K-143
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2022/04/13/