German Soldier Eating in a Tent

After a long march there is another opportunity to do personal hygiene and have something to eat. Soldier of a propaganda company eating in front of a tent. The picture was taken in the Eastern Front, 1941/42.

Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 169-0144

U.S. Tank Men Enjoying Italian Grapes

 

Three battle-wearied tank men enjoy Italian grapes in the vicinity of Fauglia, Italy, August 21, 1944. The trio are, left to right, Corporal Jerome J. Lackman, Private First Class Everett L. Idell, and Sergeantt Peter DeWispelaere of the U.S. First Tank Battalion, First Armored Division, Fifth Army.

Source :
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/three-battle-wearied-tank-men-enjoy-italian-grapes-in-the-news-photo/176655161

Luftwaffe Officer With a Cat

Luftwaffe officer feeding a cat in Russia 1941.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=737984006863778&set=gm.1702667603251989

A Motorcyclist of Artillerie-Regiment 110

 

 

A motorcyclist of Stab / Artillerie-Regiment 110 - Germany, winter 1939/1940. Regimental Headquarter of Artillerie-Regiment 110 was a Heerestruppe (standalone unit subordinated to an army corps). It was initially attached to XVIII. Armeekorps during Polish invasion, then to III. Armeekorps during the western campaign. This color slide set begins from winter 1939 (like this frame) until the capitulation of France. The bike - with a license plate issued for Vienna until 1930 - is a DKW NZ 500. The NZ 500 model (489 cc, 18.5 hp at 4,200 rpm) featured not only an upgraded chassis and powertrain but also a spark plug rear suspension, which could be adjusted in rigidity depending on whether the motorcycle was used with a sidecar or in a solo version. The NZ 500 model was much less common, compared to NZ 250 and NZ 350. Most of the manufactured NZ 500 motorcycles were taken over by the Wehrmacht and were used in sidecar and solo versions in the cavalry, military police, and SS units.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222880587316691&set=gm.1655515797967170

Flak Soldiers Enjoying Meal in Winter

Soldiers of Flak-Regiment 3 enjoying hot meal in winter. Lots of great stuff on display here: double decal helmets, tabs on mantels, and good shots of field equipment and trucks. If you look closely, there is an enlisted man on the left appears to have no gulls on his mantel. This is occasionally seen for one reason or another on enlisted men. The regiment itself were formed on 1 October 1936 in Weimar. Renamed on 15 June 1939 to Staff of Flak Regiment 11. Repositioned in Weimar in December 1939, the staff was relocated to Stettin in 1941 and was there under Luftgau III. The staff here reformed to became Flakgruppe Stettin. In 1945 the staff was used with the subordinate units in the ground combat near Pölitz near Stettin as part of the 6. Flak-Brigade.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/FlakRegimenter/FR3-R.htm
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/photos-and-paper-items-forum/935046-post-your-atmospheric-photos?p=11771809#post11771809

Afrikakorps Soldiers Eating

DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps) soldiers eating their rations in the desert of North Africa. The very important issue of rations had to be addressed as well and was not just a matter of transferring the European diet and applying it the the Tropical theatre. The hot climate would turn many foods inedible in a relatively short space of time and foods such as potatoes and bread were replaced with black bread in a carton and dried peas and beans. Rice was also issued but the main food was bread which was either German Kommisbrot or Italian Maisbrot with olive oil instead of butter which would go off rapidly in the heat of the desert but the olive oil proved very unpopular with German troops. The Italians were forced to provide foodstuffs for the Germans which included coffee beans, cooking oil, marmalade and tins of preserved meat which was also very unpopular with both German and Italian troops. The tins were stamped with the initials AM which stood for "Administrazione Militare" but the Germans always refereed to this as Alte Mann (Old Man) or as some Italians called it "Asinus Mussolini" (Mussolini's Arse) due to it's rancid taste but they  went one better calling it Arabio Morte (Dead Arab). Captured tins of British corned beef, white bread, jam, hard tack biscuits and tinned fruit were considered a luxury and was most a most welcome supplement to the bland tasting rations issued to the Afrika Korps. The British thought their rations were terrible and welcomed captured German foodstuffs as well! Fresh meat was sometimes procured in the shape of a goat or pig but this was a rare occurrence as livestock was relatively hard to come by and the preservation of fresh meat in the desert was difficult to say the least. Perhaps the most important commodity in the desert was water. Vital for sustaining life and keeping vehicles moving it was important to preserve it as best as possible. The "Jerrycan" as it was nicknamed by the British could hold 4.5 gallons of either water, fuel or lubricants and was much preferred to the British petrol can which would often leak and much of its precious cargo of fuel or water would be lost, a very serious situation as being stranded in the desert miles from friendly or even hostile lines could prove fatal. Both sides marked their respective water cans with a white cross to denote it was carrying water and  this would mean that the particular can in question would never hold the wrong substance as water stored in a can that previously contained petrol would be undrinkable ( a lesson found out by the United Nations troops stationed in the congo during the 1960's).

Source :
http://deutsches-afrikakorps.blogspot.com/2010/12/life-in-afrika-korps.html
https://id.pinterest.com/davidmichaeld/dak/

German Ration of World War II

On the whole, the regular German Army foot soldier (Landser) received scientifically designed, high-calorie/protein rations. Typically, each soldier carried a daily supply of the so-called Halbieserne or “Iron Ration” that contained one 300-gram tin of meat and one 125- or 150-gram unit of hard bread. The canned meat could be Schmalzfleisch (a pork product), Rinderbraten (roast beef), Truthahnbraten (turkey), or Hahnchenfleisch (chicken). In addition, there was canned Fleischkonserve, its contents generically, and thus ambiguously, labeled “canned meat,” which allowed for a number of interpretations.

Another longstanding staple of the German Army’s menu of portable food items was the Erbswurst, a nourishing soup compressed into a pellet, packaged six to a ration. A pellet was crushed and dropped into a half pint of boiling water. One minute later and the instant soup was ready to eat. Condensed canned tomato soup was also available as a substitute when a field kitchen was not available, soldiers often adding half a can of water and half a can of milk to maximize its flavor. The milk also came condensed in cans.

Elite troops received food “perks” as in the case of Kampfpackung fur Fallschirmjäger or “Combat Rations for Paratroops,” one item consisting of real canned cheese, but these were issued only prior to a combat mission. The special kit also contained two cans of ham chunks, one bar of ersatz high-energy food, and Milchkaffee (powdered milk and instant coffee), as well as Knäckebrot and candy drops.

The SS had their exclusive food rations, the cans treated to a special extreme climate coating and painted in a rust-preventing yellow/brown lacquer. Standard rations for SS units in the field consisted of a four-day supply: about 25 ounces of Graubrot (gray rye bread); 6-10 ounces of Fleisch (canned meat) or Wurst (canned sausage); some five ounces of vegetables; a half ounce of butter, margarine, jam, or hazelnut paste; either real or ersatz coffee; five grams of sugar; and, oddly enough, six cigarettes, despite the SS leadership’s antismoking stance, the rationale being that cigarettes served the troops under combat stress as a “nerve tonic.” There were also other special SS supplements, one example being canned Leberwurst, a quality liver spread.

The Third Reich’s antismoking initiatives, part of the general public health campaign that included protocols about alcohol and exposure to workplace contaminants, was prompted by research conducted in 1939 by German scientist Franz H. Muller, who published the world’s first epidemiological, case-control study showing a link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer. The various health programs sought to reduce lost time and expense due to illness, to help produce fit and healthy workers and soldiers and to “preserve the racial health of the Volk.”

Source :
http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?t=13861&start=1850
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/rations-of-the-reich/

Two Reichsbahn Personnel Eating Their Lunch

Look like this picture was taken yesterday (and they are a bunch of reenactors), but actually it was taken during World War II! It shows the personnel of Reichsbahn (German Reich Railway) eating their lunch. The picture was taken in 1944 by Walter Hollnagel. In August 1944, this German photographer was tasked to photographed the state of the Italian railways (please note that after the Italians concluded a truce with the Allies on 8 September 1943, most of the country was occupied by the German army). While the Allied forces were slowly moving forward, the Anglo-American aircraft delivered destructive attacks on infrastructure facilities. Back to the picture: The man on the right is an official of pay group 8 or 7a or a supernumerary official of pay group 7. His actual "rank" designation depends on his occupational specialty; he could be a Kanzleisekretär, Kanzleivorsteher, Reichsbahnobersekretär, Vermessungsobersekretär, Lokomotivbetriebsrevisor, Betriebsoberwerkmeister or Oberlokomotivführer. There's no way to tell for the man on the left. Not much to say about the uniforms; they are wearing normal Reichsbahn service dress. From the badges and insignia, it's probably an early-war photograph. (The sidecap for men as worn by the official on the left was introduced around the outbreak of war. However, his colleague is not yet wearing the large wings on the cap band of the service cap and the duty station insignia on the left upper tunic sleeve, both of which were introduced in 1941.)

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2014/08/foto-berwarna-deutsche-reichsbahn-drb.html
https://eisenbahnstiftung.de/bildergalerie/Deutsche%20Reichsbahn%20Gesellschaft
https://flackelf.livejournal.com/214873.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=213048&start=105
https://www.vintag.es/2012/12/fire-at-train-station-of-florence-italy.html
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5937803

Gebirgsjäger Wearing Swedish Fur Coat

A wartime Agfa color slide of a Gebirgsjäger Hauptmann eating some bread ration. He is wearing a Swedish Livpäls M1909 sheepskin parka coat, just like Major König (Ed Harris) in the movie "Enemy at the Gates" (the different is, this photo show a Swedish officer's double breasted version with button holes, while the one worn by Konig/Harris is a Swedish enlisted man's version which was single breasted and had the button tabs). Even though Sweden was neutral in World War II, they still traded raw materials and commerce with the Germans. Most of these coats were private purchase items for officers in Norway and Finland. The grey version are for tankers, artillery men and higher ranking officers, while the white are for frontline officers, cavalry and frontline support troops. This coat was only issued to personal who don't have to move much, as it is INSANELY warm. The Germans made one that looked like this for their airmen, only difference is that the German one is a full-body suit rather than merely a coat.

Source :
http://www.filmjackets.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9168&sid=b43ab0cee016bda9d54cd98ffb88bb1f
http://www.panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=16039

German Soldiers Milking a Cow

This picture was taken by Hugo Jaeger, one of Hitler's personal photographer, and showing German Heer (Army) soldiers milking a rather docile Friesian cow during a break in the drive through Netherlands, summer 1940. Apart from the ordinary water, Wehrmacht soldiers may also fill their canteens with milk (or coffee), and drink it when it's still fresh. Especially when the water may be flavoured. There's also 'Klim', a German canned milk (dry powder? condensed? This seems to be "milk" spelled backwards, or 'milch' close enough likewise). Some photos show German troops using it, and others show it used by Allied POWs in Luftwaffen Stalag. The need for fresh milk sometimes unbearable. Rumour has it that during the war, a U-boat put to shore in New Zealand with one aim - to milk a cow. Having snuck ashore, they successfully milked several cows before returning to their U-Boat, leaving confused farmers the next morning wondering why their cows didn't need milking!

Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=52223&sid=95a344844c608d2c9f9bb27fa43bd45a
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-two-elderly-jewish-men-in-the-kutno-ghetto-news-photo/50408855

US combat engineers Eat a Meal atop Boxes of Ammo Stockpiled for the Impending D-Day Invasion

Unidentified American combat engineers in Stratford-upon-Avon (England) eat a meal atop boxes of ammunition stockpiled for the impending D-Day invasion, May 1944. They're probably from 406th Combat Engineers, a part of 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a tactical deception unit that was known as "Ghost Army". The 1,100-man unit was given a unique mission within the U.S Army: to impersonate other U.S. Army units to deceive the enemy. From a few weeks after D-Day, when they landed in France, until the end of the war, they put on a "traveling road show" utilizing inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions and pretence. They staged more than 20 battlefield deceptions, often operating very close to the front lines. Inspiration for the unit came from the British units who had honed the deception technique for the battle of El Alamein in late 1942. The U.S. unit had its beginnings at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, and was fully formed at Pine Camp, NY (now Fort Drum), before sailing for the United Kingdom in early May 1944. In Britain they were based near Stratford upon Avon, and troops participated in Operation Fortitude, the British-designed and led D-Day deception of a landing force designated for the Pas-de-Calais. Some troops went to Normandy two weeks after D-Day, where they simulated a fake Mulberry harbour at night with lights which attempted to draw German artillery from the real ones. After which the entire Unit assisted in tying up the German defenders of Brest by simulating a larger force than was actually encircling them. As the Allied armies moved east, so did the 23rd, and it eventually was based within Luxembourg, from where it engaged in deceptions of crossings of the Ruhr river, positions along the Maginot Line, Hürtgen Forest, and finally a major crossing of the Rhine to draw German troops away from the actual sites. Photo by Frank Scherschel

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army
http://time.com/3457047/before-and-after-d-day-color-photos-from-england-and-france/

Afrikakorps POWs at El Guettar Valley

 German POWs receive water ration in an Allied-controlled prison camp at El Guettar Valley, Tunisia, 1943. in mid-February 1943 the Axis forces launched a strong counter-attack against the US II Corps in south-western Tunisia. The 1st Armored Division's counter-moves ended in a complete disaster, the division losing two of its tank battalions in two days, with over 2,500 American soldiers being taken prisoner on February 16 and 17. After 22 days of tough fighting at El Guettar the US Army were regenerated after its unfortunate setback. Now under George S Patton's energetic command, the self-confidence and offensive spirit of the 1st Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions returned and the 9th Infantry Division had gone from being a green, inexperienced outfit to a combat-experienced and able fighting unit. The Battle of El Guettar was fought between elements of the Heeresgruppe Afrika under Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim - along with Italian forces under General Giovanni Messe - and U.S. II Corps under Lieutenant General George S. Patton in south-central Tunisia. It was the first battle in which U.S. forces were able to defeat the experienced German tank units, but the followup to the battle was inconclusive. The picture was made by LIFE photographer Eliot Elisofon 

Source:
http://www.afterthebattle.com/store/index.php?id_product=149&controller=product
http://life.time.com/?N=0&Nty=1&p=0&cmd=tags&srchCat=LIFE&s=eliot+elisofon

German POWs at El Guettar Valley

German POWs receive water ration in an Allied-controlled prison camp at El Guettar Valley, Tunisia, 1943. in mid-February 1943 the Axis forces launched a strong counter-attack against the US II Corps in south-western Tunisia. The 1st Armored Division's counter-moves ended in a complete disaster, the division losing two of its tank battalions in two days, with over 2,500 American soldiers being taken prisoner on February 16 and 17. After 22 days of tough fighting at El Guettar the US Army were regenerated after its unfortunate setback. Now under George S Patton's energetic command, the self-confidence and offensive spirit of the 1st Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions returned and the 9th Infantry Division had gone from being a green, inexperienced outfit to a combat-experienced and able fighting unit. The Battle of El Guettar was fought between elements of the Heeresgruppe Afrika under Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim - along with Italian forces under General Giovanni Messe - and U.S. II Corps under Lieutenant General George S. Patton in south-central Tunisia. It was the first battle in which U.S. forces were able to defeat the experienced German tank units, but the followup to the battle was inconclusive. The picture was made by LIFE photographer Eliot Elisofon

Source:
http://www.afterthebattle.com/store/index.php?id_product=149&controller=product
http://life.time.com/?N=0&Nty=1&p=0&cmd=tags&srchCat=LIFE&s=eliot+elisofon

German Soldiers Enjoying Ice Cream

German Heer soldiers enjoying ice cream in the middle of summer heat near the Charleroi–Brussels–Willebroeck Canal (Belgium), 17 May 1940. On this day Brussels - the capital of Belgium - was occupied by German forces after British Expeditionary Force commander General Lord Gort, fearful of being surrounded, ordered his troops to fall back to the Scheldt River; this move allowed German General Walther von Reichenau to capture Brussels. Meanwhile, Dutch resistance to the German invasion comes to an end with the evacuation, by French destroyers, of the survivors of the Franco-Dutch forces in Zeeland and on the islands of Walcheren and Beverland

Source:
http://joanerges.livejournal.com/1792809.html

Bulgarian Civilian Giving Water to a German Army Motocyclist

Bulgarian civilian giving water to a german army motocyclist or Kradmelder (1942). The bike is NSU 601TS

Source:
http://thirdreichcolorpictures.blogspot.com/2010/08/german-motorcycles-in-color.html