Hitler and Mussolini Visited the Eastern Front (1941)

In August 1941, as German forces surged deep into Soviet territory during Operation Barbarossa, Adolf Hitler invited Benito Mussolini to witness the triumph firsthand. Between August 25 and 28, the two dictators embarked on a high-profile visit to the Eastern Front—an event immortalized in vivid Agfacolor footage by Hitler’s personal pilot and filmmaker, Hans Baur. The visit was both a diplomatic gesture to reinforce Axis unity and a calculated propaganda display at a time when the Wehrmacht appeared unstoppable.

Hitler and Mussolini flew aboard a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 “Condor”, escorted by Luftwaffe fighters, landing first at Uman, Ukraine—then headquarters of Army Group South under Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. Hans Baur’s color film captures their arrival: the Condor descending on a dusty airstrip, Hitler descending first in his trademark field-grey uniform, followed by Mussolini in his black Fascist tunic and high boots. They were greeted by Rundstedt, General Walther von Reichenau (6th Army), and Sepp Dietrich, commander of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). The Italian entourage included General Alfredo Guzzoni and Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini’s son-in-law and foreign minister, who recorded his impressions of the visit in his diary.

The itinerary took them to several forward areas where Wehrmacht and LSSAH units were stationed. At one encampment near Berdychiv, Hitler showed Mussolini captured Soviet tanks and artillery, while LSSAH troops demonstrated new German equipment. Baur’s color footage shows the two leaders walking through lines of soldiers, Hitler speaking animatedly, and Mussolini—clearly impressed—saluting the men with his characteristic Roman gesture. The mood was one of triumph and confidence; maps displayed on field tables showed German pincers closing around the Dnieper bend, signaling what seemed an imminent Soviet collapse.

A particularly striking sequence filmed by Baur shows the leaders observing a Luftwaffe reconnaissance flight, with General Wolfram von Richthofen briefing them on air operations. Later, at an improvised mess tent, Hitler and Mussolini dined with their generals, toasting the victories and the “brotherhood in arms” of the German and Italian peoples. Mussolini expressed admiration for the discipline and efficiency of the German campaign, reportedly telling Hitler that “the Bolshevik colossus is already crumbling.”

Baur’s color film—bright, almost surreal amid the dust and wreckage—captures a fleeting moment of Axis euphoria. The footage later appeared in Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 573 and Italian newsreels, portraying an image of unity and invincibility. Yet history would soon mock the scene. Within months, the Wehrmacht’s advance stalled before Moscow, and Mussolini’s armies in the East would face disaster. What Baur preserved on film was the last great meeting of Hitler and Mussolini at the height of their power—two dictators standing together on conquered soil, unaware that the road ahead led not to victory, but to ruin.

Source :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50KRsWppOYA

U-Boat Ace Joachim Schepke Photo Album

U-boat ace Joachim Schepke

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/diedeutscheubootwaffe/posts/joachim-schepke-u-100/386759410389605/

Wehrmacht Soldier and His Son in Christmas

Berlin, family at home, celebrating Christmas, father and son playing with toy train at the table.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=9766168046803254&set=gm.2421573974694678&idorvanity=237076659811098

German Gebirgsjäger and Italian Bersaglieri

NCOs of the 1st German Mountain Division (1. Gebirgs-Division) with Italian soldiers of the "Celere" Division in Stalino (nowadays Donetsk), Ukraine, October 1941.

Source :
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-events-second-world-war-wwii-russia-1941-ncos-of-the-1st-german-mountain-24443135.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/GermanWW2photos/comments/13z4tc0/german_mountain_troops_and_italian_bersaglieri_in/

Afrikakorps Exchange POWs

Two German soldiers smiles to the camera. They were part of exchange POWs (mostly Afrikakorps) who just returned from England. The picture was taken by Hugo Jaeger in Stuttgart, summer of 1944. Other pictures from this sequence can be seen HERE.

Source :
https://artsandculture.google.com/search?q=hugo%20jaeger&hl=en

Hitler's 50th Birthday Gifts

Some of Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday gifts - including flower vases emblazoned with swastikas and paintings - stored in a room at the New Reich Chancellery. The painting at left shows the figure of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800-1891), a Prussian field marshal who is regarded as the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field. The picture was taken by Hugo Jaeger on 20 April 1939.

Source :
https://www.life.com/history/adolf-hitler-at-50-color-photos-from-a-despots-birthday-april-1939/

Celebration in Liberated Paris

Celebration in Paris after the French capital was liberated in August 1944

After more than four years of Nazi occupation, Paris is liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division on 25 August 1944. German resistance was light, and General Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of the German garrison, defied an order by Adolf Hitler to blow up Paris’ landmarks and burn the city to the ground before its liberation. Choltitz signed a formal surrender that afternoon, and on August 26, Free French General Charles de Gaulle led a joyous liberation march down the Champs d’Elysees.

Paris fell to Nazi Germany on June 14, 1940, one month after the German Wehrmacht stormed into France. Eight days later, France signed an armistice with the Germans, and a puppet French state was set up with its capital at Vichy. Elsewhere, however, General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French kept fighting, and the Resistance sprang up in occupied France to resist Nazi and Vichy rule.

The French 2nd Armored Division was formed in London in late 1943 with the express purpose of leading the liberation of Paris during the Allied invasion of France. In August 1944, the division arrived at Normandy under the command of General Jacques-Philippe Leclerc and was attached to General George S. Patton’s 3rd U.S. Army. By August 18, Allied forces were near Paris, and workers in the city went on strike as Resistance fighters emerged from hiding and began attacking German forces and fortifications.

At his headquarters two miles inland from the Normandy coast, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower had a dilemma. Allied planners had concluded that the liberation of Paris should be delayed so as to not divert valuable resources away from important operations elsewhere. The city could be encircled and then liberated at a later date.

On August 21, Eisenhower met with de Gaulle and told him of his plans to bypass Paris. De Gaulle urged him to reconsider, assuring him that Paris could be reclaimed without difficulty. The French general also warned that the powerful communist faction of the Resistance might succeed in liberating Paris, thereby threatening the re-establishment of a democratic government. De Gaulle politely told Eisenhower that if his advance against Paris was not ordered, he would send Leclerc’s 2nd Armored Division into the city himself.

On August 22, Eisenhower agreed to proceed with the liberation of Paris. The next day, the 2nd Armored Division advanced on the city from the north and the 4th Infantry Division from the south. Meanwhile, in Paris, the forces of German General Dietrich von Choltitz were fighting the Resistance and completing their defenses around the city. Hitler had ordered Paris defended to the last man, and demanded that the city not fall into Allied hands except as “a field of ruins.” Choltitz dutifully began laying explosives under Paris’ bridges and many of its landmarks, but disobeyed an order to commence the destruction. He did not want to go down in history as the man who had destroyed the “City of Light”—Europe’s most celebrated city.

The 2nd Armored Division ran into heavy German artillery, taking heavy casualties, but on August 24 managed to cross the Seine and reach the Paris suburbs. There, they were greeted by enthusiastic civilians who besieged them with flowers, kisses, and wine. Later that day, Leclerc learned that the 4th Infantry Division was poised to beat him into Paris proper, and he ordered his exhausted men forward in a final burst of energy. Just before midnight on August 24, the 2nd Armored Division reached the Hótel de Ville in the heart of Paris.

German resistance melted away during the night. Most of the 20,000 troops surrendered or fled, and those that fought were quickly overcome. On the morning of August 25, the 2nd Armored Division swept clear the western half of Paris while the 4th Infantry Division cleared the eastern part. Paris was liberated.

In the early afternoon, Choltitz was arrested in his headquarters by French troops. Shortly after, he signed a document formally surrendering Paris to de Gaulle’s provisional government. De Gaulle himself arrived in the city later that afternoon. On August 26, de Gaulle and Leclerc led a triumphant liberation march down the Champs d’Elysees. Scattered gunfire from a rooftop disrupted the parade, but the identity of the snipers was not determined.

De Gaulle headed two successive French provisional governments until 1946, when he resigned over constitutional disagreements. From 1958 to 1969, he served as French president under the Fifth Republic.

Source :
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/paris-liberated

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

Interior of the KDF Ship Robert Ley

Interior of the KDF Ship Robert Ley on its maiden voyage in the North Sea, 1939. Photos by Hugo Jaeger.

The Robert Ley was a cruise ship of the Nazi Party leisure organization Kraft durch Freude (Strength Through Joy). It was considered the flagship of the KdF fleet. The ship, which was named after the Nazi politician Robert Ley, was designed exclusively for cruises. The keel was laid on behalf of the Nazi organisation Deutsche Arbeitsfront (German Labour Front) at Howaldtswerke Hamburg. The Robert Ley was owned by the DAF and was managed, crewed and maintained by the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG). The interior design was commissioned by architect Woldemar Brinkmann. The launch took place on 29 March 1938 in the presence of Adolf Hitler. The commissioning took place on 24 March 1939. The ship was designed for about 1750 passengers in addition to the crew members.

 Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ley_(ship)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1670742463111170/?__cft__[0]=AZWqpDSKpasqmAIqYSXZFXGpnYM50iHfZlXg3NPYmf-F4HwKuUgYttPeoXVWgAGovFVxwTJ-a2zmWTPkAc4ryMvXw8BkbwQjWToo62ezEAZxr1oprOarBZzCjwd-ouHnIdELjY1dlRqzXFWiZtN8LC3dt0QVFagi9hQlKjTiTbqPmxcZc2Y5Xw1BRQLhEgx2iHY&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

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

Villagers of the Eastern Europe

 

Villagers photographed while Organization Todt works in a village in eastern Europe, 1943. From the estate of Dr. Grögl. Peugeot DMA truck in the background.

Villagers photographed while Organization Todt works in a village in eastern Europe, 1943. Another slide (a few frames back) added - dance time. Mostly women and children, a few young lads and one older man from the village.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1621195738065843/?__cft__[0]=AZVh0Uofo_RtYTAlS3_Z3kmliBbdIPBwud9ehnXi75oZyM-Od-41rELEu1jamMrM0UJ10dB2sKT5y8rLpGo-4sJf92YcN1zdElXqa4lnLj0SwyGOM0jcLPnBKibk8XiuziLH4Vv5sc-R7gmM9frZxTCK&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Flak Soldiers Wearing Sunglasses

Different shades worn by Flak soldiers (Sunglasses left. Welder goggles right). Which shades do you prefer to wear? From a color slide group of Flak-Regiment 3

 

 

Source :

Akira Takiguchi collection

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222409857428738&set=gm.1604601179725299

Lance Bombardier Jack Grundy with His Wife on Vacation

An Eighth Army Man on Leave, Wirral, Cheshire, 14 April 1944: Lance Bombardier Jack Grundy, of 441 Battery, 128 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, 50 Division, during his seven days privilege leave with his family. Jack Grundy and his wife Dorothy while on a picnic in the Cheshire countryside. The picture was taken by Lieutenant A.J. Tanner from British War Office official photographer.

Source :
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188862

Christmas with the British Liberation Army in Holland 1944

Christmas with the British Liberation Army in Holland, November 1944. A unit postman from 4th Armoured Brigade with a sack of Christmas parcels decorated with holly near Weert, Limburg, Netherlands. The picture was taken by Captain E.G. Malindine from No. 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit.

Source :
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_With_the_British_Liberation_Army_in_Holland,_November_1944_TR2567.jpg
http://www.desertrats.org.uk/bde/4thABartefacts2.htm

Canadian Sergeant with German Medals

To the victor go the spoils: Sergeant Gerard Alderic Durocher - of Canadian Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal - displaying twenty-nine German medals which he acquired as souvenirs. The picture was taken by photographer Michael M. Dean at Schmargendorf , Berlin, Germany, on 19 July 1945. The "booty" aside, Sergeant Durocher wears two wound stripes and the ribbon for the Military Medal (MM) for Gallantry in the field. A .pdf of the original citation can be found HERE. Possibly another case on Montgomery downgrading an award, in this instance from the Distinguished Conduct Medal to an MM.

For the identification of the medals:

1. Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuz mit Schwertern
2. Tapferkeits- und Verdienstauszeichnung für Angehörige der Ostvölker 1. Klasse in Silber
3. Tapferkeits- und Verdienstauszeichnung für Angehörige der Ostvölker 1. Klasse in Gold
4. SS-Dienstauszeichnung 1. Stufe (25 years)
5. SS-Dienstauszeichnung 2. Stufe (12 years)
6. Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 1. Stufe (40 years)
7. Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 2. Stufe (25 years)
8. Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse ohne Schwerter
9. Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse
10. Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse ohne Schwerter
11. Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
12. Kriegsverdienstmedaille
13. Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Sonderstufe (50 years)
14. Dienstauszeichnung der NSDAP 1. Stufe (10 years)
15. SS-Dienstausteichnung 3. Stufe (8 years)
16. Dienstauszeichnung für den Reichsarbeitsdienst 4. Stufe (4 years)
17. Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen
18. Erinnerungsmedaille für die spanischen Freiwilligen im Kampf gegen den Bolschewismus
19. Tapferkeits- und Verdienstauszeichnung für Angehörige der Ostvölker 2. Klasse in Silber mit Schwertern
20. Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (Ostmedaille)
21. Olympia-Erinnerungsmedaille
22. two Mutterkreuze

Source :
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/second-world-war/faces-second-war/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=1911&
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=153613&p=2173089#p2173089
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=222543

Captured German Kübelwagen in the Liberation of Paris

Paris, France, 26 August 1944: Car carrying journalists and photographers of YANK magazine give a ride to French partisan and unidentified woman during parade held the day after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops. They are using a captured VW Kübelwagen Typ 82, a light military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually became known internally as the Type 82. Kübelwagen is an abbreviation of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning "bucket-seat car" because all German light military vehicles that had no doors were fitted with bucket seats to prevent passengers from falling out. The first VW test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats, so acquiring the name VW Kübelsitzwagen that was later shortened to Kübelwagen. Mercedes, Opel and Tatra also built Kübel(sitz)wagens. The picture was taken by Frank Scherschel from LIFE magazine.

Source :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2100326/Stunning-rare-colour-images-World-War-II.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_K%C3%BCbelwagen
https://www.gettyimages.com/license/72430265

Two Luftwaffe Soldiers Wearing Black Glasses

Two Luftwaffe soldiers with the rank of Gefreiter (left) and Obergefreiter (right) posing their smile. They were both wearing black glasses a.k.a. shades. This picture comes from a collection of Akira Takiguchi, a moderator in Wehrmacht-Awards.com. Based from the text above, it was taken from the album of the 3.7cm Flak crew, even though it is possible the two guy in this picture is not a member of Flaktruppen (which usually wearing red collar tabs).

Source :
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

German Soldiers Visited Versailles Palace

The original "selfie" : Happy German soldiers visited the Versailles Palace in 1940, shortly after the fall of France and the German-French ceasefire of 22 June 1940. It didn't take long before they were sent to the Eastern Front to get ready for the upcoming offensive against Russia. Notice the guy in the second row to the left with a bugle of some sort!

Source :
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/WW2-France-1940-Les-Allemands-visitent-Versailles-/382220109118?hash=item58fe18053e
https://id.pinterest.com/pin/320670435952374374/

U-403 in Zoppoter Woche in Danzig

After the successes of the early war years and the extensive propaganda coverage given by the radio and newspapers, public interest in the U-boat service and its men was tremendous. The National-Socialist regime used this interest and the enthusiasm of German youth to attract volunteers. Whenever possible, the U-Bootwaffe made itself accessible, so that young men in particular could see it up close. Successful crews visited their sponsor cities, and U-boat captains spoke at schools and addressed members of the Jungvolk and Hitlerjugend in addition. The Kriegsmarine took every opportunitiy to put its submarines on public display. Zoppoter Woche (Zoppot Week) in the summer of 1941 was one such opportunity. Situated on Danzig Bay not far from Danzig, Zoppot was a beach and spa resort. Zoppoter Woche, held every year in mid to late July, was a major sporting event with regattas, horse races and swim competitions. For the whole week the city's spa promenade was crammed with visitors. One attraction was the pier, which extended more than 500 meters into Danzig Bay, offering visitors a wonderful view of the shore promenade and the large Grand Hotel. Hitler had recently spent a week there during the opening phase of the campaign in Poland (1939). It was precisely there, during Zoppoter Woche in July 1941, that U-403 tied up to attract the attention of visitors.

U-403 (The Type VIIC boat) had been commissioned a short time earlier on 25 June 1941. Attached to the 5. U-Flottille and commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Ehlert Clausen, the boat had just completed UAK-Abnahme (UAK Acceptance Trials) on 8 July 1941. It was subsequently sent to the shipyard in Danzig for remaining work, including the fitting of a conning tower wind deflector. The color photo reproduced here provide an excellent view of the ship's emblem. It is the Wappen (Coat of Arms) of the boat's sponsor city, Halle an der Saale, with stylized representations of the sun, moon and stars. The emblem had been present on both sides of the conning tower since the boat's commissioning in Danzig-Neufahrwasser. The emblem was painted on metal shields which were then affixed to the conning tower. The crew also wore the emblem as a cap badge. In October 1941, U-403 added its own emblem. Then in the spring of 1942 Halle's Wappen was deleted on both sides of the tower, leaving just the ship's emblem. By the end of October, U-403 had completed its training phase at the AGRU-Front, as well as armament and tactical training. Much to the captain's displeasure, the boat was retained as a training vessel with the 27. U-Flottille in the Baltic. It was used to train U-boat commander trainees in Pillau and Memel. Not until 23 February 1942 did U-403 move from Kiel to Helgoland, from where it carried out its first operational sortie on 1 March 1942. Kapitänleutnant Clausen tied up his boat in Narvik 19 days later. By the spring of 1943 U-403 had completed five more patrols from Norway. On 1 July 1942 it was attached to the recently established 11. U-Flottille in Bergen. On 1 March 1943 the boat was attached to the 9. U-Flottille in Brest. One day later U-403 arrived at the Atlantic Coast base from Trondheim. Under Kapitänleutnant Clausen the boat made another patrol in April-May 1943. Despite the heavy U-boat losses in May 1943, Clausen brought his boat safely back to Brest. There followed a change of command, possibly because Clausen had not been particularly successful, sinking just two enemy ships totaling12,946 GRT in seven patrols. Under its new commander Kapitänleutnant Karl-Franz Heine, U-403 sailed from Brest on its 8th patrol on 13 July 1943. The last message from the boat was received 10 days later, when it reported it was under air attack at position 46 N 10 W. No further message was received, and the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU) concluded that U-403 had been sunk by air attack on 23 July. On 27 August 1943, therefore, the boat was listed as "x" (probably sunk), and on 18 May 1944 as "xx" (lost). In fact U-403 had survived the attack. The absence of any further radio messages suggests that its radios were damaged in the attack. The boat was sunk, but not until four weeks later on 18 August 1943 near the Westafrican coast, after an attack by a French-flown Wellington of Nr. 344 Squadron. There were no survivors from the crew of 50. The new commander had brought the crew no luck.

The commander of U-403, Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Ehlert Clausen, photographed on the pier of Danzig Bay during Zoppoter Woche (Zoppot Week) in July 1941. His submarine is in the right background. That same day Clausen used his own camera to shoot the two color photos of U-403 reproduced here. Kapitänleutnant Clausen (born in 12 July 1909) survived the war and died in 24 March 1987. His only war patrols was with U-403 (7 patrols and 191 days at sea), with two ships sunk and total tonnage 12,946 GRT. The medals and decorations received by Clausen: Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse (26 May 1940) und I.Klasse (4 October 1942); Kriegsabzeichen für Minensuch-, U-Boot-Jagd- und Sicherungsverbände (23 October 1941); U-Boots-Kriegsabzeichen (26 February 1942); and Kriegsverdienstkreuz II.Klasse mit Schwertern (1 September 1944)

Source :

 "U-Boot Im Focus" magazine, edition nr.5 - 2009

www.uboat.net