Stuka Ace Oberleutnant Johann Klaus

Oberleutnant Johann-Alfred Klaus (born 4 September 1918) was a veteran pilot from II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SG 1). He joined II./StG 1 in july 1942 and by the spring of 1944 was one of the Gruppe's best pilots. His demonstrated abilities resulted in his appointment to the position of Staffelkapitän of 6./StG 1 in August 1943. In 30 August the same year Klaus was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold). After more than 600 combat missions, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses) at Rovaniemi/Finland on the same day as Oberleutnant Hans-joachim Jäschke (26 March 1944). This photo was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

Cossacks Serving with the Germans

Cossacks serving with Germans. On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa and attacked the USSR, thus bringing Russia into World War II. During the attack some ROVS, especially the Cossack émigré generals Pyotr Krasnov and Andrei Shkuro, asked Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels’s permission to fight beside Nazi Germany against Communist Russia. Goebbels welcomed their idea and by 1942 General Krasnov and General Shkuro had mustered a Cossack force — mostly from Red Army POWs captured by the Wehrmacht — who would be under the command of General Helmuth von Pannwitz. The Wehrmacht recognized the Cossacks as military units with their own uniforms and insignia; the 1st Cossack Division was established the next year. Although the Cossack units were formed to fight the Communists in Russia, by the time they formed, the Red Army had already liberated most of the Nazi-occupied territory, so they were deployed to the Balkans to fight the Communist Yugoslav Partisans commanded by Josip Broz Tito. By the war’s end, the Cossack units had come under the command of the Waffen-SS. Photo by Kriegsberichter Gert Habedanck

Source :
Magazine "Die Wehrmacht" Nr.22 Ausgabe A, 28 October 1942

Member of the Chemical Warfare Fill F.S. Smoke Bombs in the Field

Member of the U.S. Chemical Warfare fill M1 Frangible Grenade (FS) smoke bombs in the field. In September 1942 the United States standardized a Molotov cocktail-style device that was nominally designated as a "grenade". It consisted of a pint-sized clear glass bottle with a crimped metal cap. It was dubbed "frangible" because it was made of glass, which is brittle and easily broken. Most fillers were liquid compounds selected because they were activated by exposure to the air, thus not requiring a detonator. FS was a mixture of sulfur trioxide and chlorosulfuric acid that created a heavy, acrid screening smoke. The M1 Frangible Grenade (FS) was declared limited standard by 1944.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_hand_grenades#M1_Frangible_Grenade_.28FS.29
http://historylink101.com/ww2_color/index.html

Stuka Ace Hans-Joachim Jäschke

One of II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 1's most experienced pilots was 22-year-old Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Jäschke. He joined the Gruppe at the beginning of 1942 and by the end of March 1944 was Staffelkapitän of 4./SG 1. On 26 March 1944, immediately after the Gruppe's arrival at Rovaniemi (Finland), Jäschke was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross). By then he had flown 553 combat missions and destroying 78 tanks, 27 guns, more than 100 trucks and 11 bridges! The two photographs show Jäschke at Rovaniemi at the beginning of April 1944. One of his comrades adjusts his Ritterkreuz for the photo opportunity. Note the cloth version of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold), awarded on 2 August 1943, with metal wreath. Jäschke also wears Frontflugspange in Gold (Operational Flying Clasp in Gold) with 500 pendant and the cloth version of Flugzeugführerabzeichen (Pilot's Badge). Like all the pilots of II./SG 1, in the summer of 1944 Hans-Joachim Jäschke was forced to give up his faithful Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" and retrain on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8. The change did not bring him luck. On 21 July 1944, during a low level attack on an enemy column near Klezcsele in Hungary, Jäschke was shot down in flames by Russian anti-aircraft fire. He failed to get out and was killed in the ensuing crash and explosion. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

US Third Army Crossing the Rhine

A group of U.S. Third Army men are waiting to be transported over the River Rhine. The man sitting in the foreground is wearing the standard wool shirt and trousers and M1941 field jacket. He has a privately acquired red bandanna around his neck to reduce chafing. This bandanna would probably have been removed closer to the front line, as its bright color could expose the wearer to unnecessary attention. Around his waist, the man is wearing a navy life-preserver. This life-preserver could be inflated with either two CO² catridges at the front of the belt or manually. Many veterans of the Normandy landings complained that when these life-belts were inflated, they caused the wearer to flip upside down! The US Third Army carried out four river assaults in late March 1945. The 5th Infantry Division undertook the first on March 22, 1945, crossing the Rhine at Oppenheim, south of Mainz. They crossed without the usual artillery preparation, a maneuver that caught German troops by surprise. Within 48 hours, four US divisions had crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim and positioned themselves to advance into Germany. Third Army troops soon also successfully assaulted the Rhine at three other locations: Boppard, St. Goar, and south of the city of Mainz. Two divisions of the US Seventh Army crossed the Rhine near the city of Worms on March 26, 1945. All of these operations were vital in facilitating the encirclement of the Ruhr and the conquest of Germany.

Source :

Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson 

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006181

U.S. Engineer Soldiers Train on the Construction of a Pontoon Bridge

U.S. engineer soldiers train on the construction of a pontoon bridge. These men are all wearing the wool trousers and shirt with field jackets. The man in the centre is wearing the first pattern "Olive Drab Field Jacket", commonly known as the M1941. This jacket differed from the later, and more common, M41 field jacket only at the pockets. Pockets on the M38 jacket featured a button closure flap over the pocket. This was eliminated from the M41 field jacket.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

A Happy Time for the Nachrichtentruppe Member

A happy time for these three Wehrmacht soldiers. Looking from the sleeve patch, at least one of them (at right) is a Nachrichtentruppe member. The Nachrichtentruppe, in the sense of signal troops, were an arm of service in the army of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, whose role was to establish and operate military communications, especially using telephone and radio networks. By order of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht dated 14 Oct 1942, it was part of the combat arms of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS until 1945. The colour allocated by the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in 1935 to their signal corps was lemon yellow. By contrast, the corps colour of the air force signal troops of the Luftwaffe was brown. The precursor of the German Signal Corps was the Telegraph Corps formed in 1899 as a separate arm of service. Telegraph battalions, fortress and army signal units were not combined into the signal corps, the Nachrichtentruppe, until 1917, during the First World War. In addition to radio and telephone communications, the newly developed teleprinters, carrier pigeons and heliographs were used for messaging. During the First World War, radio telegraphy took on increasing importance. For example, in 1915 teleprinters were first used by the air force, for artillery observation. In 1916, the first signallers equipped with mobile radios were operating on the front line.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Corps_of_the_Wehrmacht_and_Waffen_SS

Stukas of SG 1 in a Snowy Airfield in Finland

This photo was taken at Rovaniemi (Finland), one morning in early April 1944. It depicts a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" D-5 of the 4.Staffel / II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SG 1). Note the white ring around the spinner in the Staffel color. In March 1944, II./SG 1 and its Ju 87 D-5 were based at Wesenberg in the northern sector of the Eastern Front. Attached to 3. Flieger-Division as part of Luftflotte 1, the Gruppe flew missions from Wesenberg in support of the hard-pressed German ground forces. On 20 March the Gruppe transferred to Rovaniemi, near the Arctic circle. From there it flew sorties, some nocturnal, against the Murmansk railway, the vital supply line from Murmansk to Leningrad. All of the war materiel shipped by Allied convoys to the ice-free port traveled south over this route. Cutting this rail line was therefore of vital importance to the fighting in the north of the Eastern Front and elsewhere. With its experienced pilots, II./SG 1 was ideally suited for this job, however the Gruppe was only in Rovaniemi for a brief time. In April it returned to the Baltic states, and at the end of the month it moved to Wilna to convert to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8. The Gruppe never returned to Finland. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition.

Source :

"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

Stuka Examined by US Military

 A German Junkers Ju-87 "Stuka" G-2 armed with underwing 37 mm Flak 18 antitank guns at the airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, is examined by an American sergeant, 1945. Note the flame suppressors on the exhausts. With the G variant, the aging airframe of the Ju 87 found new life as an anti-tank aircraft. This was the final operational version of the Stuka, and was deployed on the Eastern Front. The reverse in German military fortunes after 1943 and the appearance of huge numbers of well-armoured Soviet tanks caused Junkers to adapt the existing design to combat this new threat. The Hs 129B had proved a potent ground attack weapon, but its large fuel tanks made it vulnerable to enemy fire, prompting the RLM to say "that in the shortest possible time a replacement of the Hs 129 type must take place." With Soviet tanks the priority targets, the development of a further variant as a successor to the Ju 87D began in November 1942. On 3 November, Erhard Milch raised the question of replacing the Ju 87, or redesigning it altogether. It was decided to keep the design as it was, but to upgrade the powerplant to a Jumo 211J, and add two 30 mm (1.18 in) cannon. The variant was also designed to carry a 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) free-fall bomb load. Furthermore, the armoured protection of the Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik was copied - a feature pioneered by the 1916-17 origin Junkers J.I of World War I Imperial Germany's Luftstreitkräfte - to protect the crew from ground fire now that the Ju 87 would be required to conduct low level attacks.

Source :
http://aircraftnut.blogspot.co.id/2014/05/back-to-ju-87-stuka-part-3-variants.html
http://historylink101.com/ww2_color/index.html

Stuka Ace Helmut Benkendorff in Front of his Aircraft

In August 1943 Oberfeldwebel Helmut Benkendorff, a pilot in 5.Staffel / II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1), reached a significant milestone, completing his 500th combat mission. In this photo, Benkendorff can be seen in front of the aircraft in which he flew the milestone mission. The machine is a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" D-5, which can be identified by the wing-mounted MG 151/20 cannon and the absence of a siren on the mainwheel fairing. The aircraft code is A5+MN. The aircraft letter is repeated on the left mainwheel fairing in the Staffel color red. Apparently the aircraft was prepared for another sortie immediately after landing. Behind Benkendorff members of the ground crew can be seen loading a bomb onto the aircraft with the help of an hydraulic bomb trolley. At that time II./StG 1 was active over the central sector of the Eastern Front. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition. Another pictures from the same event: 1, 2, 3.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

Helmut Benkendorff Welcoming Ceremony

 In August 1943 Oberfeldwebel Helmut Benkendorff, a pilot in 5.Staffel / II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), reached a significant milestone, completing his 500th combat mission. The photo shows Oberfeldwebel Benkendorff - "Mucki" to his friends - immediately after landing. With the flowers in hand, he receives the congratulations from the Staffelkapitän of 7./StG 1, Leutnant Willi Viertel (left), for the benefit of the photographers. The four wings on Benkendorff's left sleeve identify him as an Oberfeldwebel. Only a few days later, on 31 August 1943, Willi Viertel was shot down by ground fire while attacking enemy tanks near Glukhov. His aircraft (Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" D-3, Werknummer 2279) sustained a direct hit and crashed from a height of 300 meters. Viertel and his gunner, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Hippe, were both killed. Helmut Benkendorff was later promoted to the rank of Leutnant and on 26 March 1944 was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) after more than 600 feindflügen (combat missions). He would completed 666 feindflüge by the end of the war. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition. Another pictures from the same event: 1, 2, 3.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

German Prisoners in U.S. Custody

German POWs recently captured, and in the custody of American military police (MP). At least one soldier (second from right) is wearing an M44 uniform. In the United States, at the end of World War II, there were 175 Branch Camps serving 511 Area Camps containing over 425,000 prisoners of war (mostly German). The camps were located all over the US but were mostly in the South because of the higher expense of heating the barracks in other areas. Eventually, every state (with the exceptions of Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, North Dakota, and Vermont) had POW camps. Some of the camps had to be designated "segregation camps" and used to separate the Nazi "true believers" from the rest of the prisoners, whom they terrorized and even killed for being friendly with their American captors.

Source :
http://ayay.co.uk/background/historical/german_world_war_2_colour/German-war-prisoners-in-US-custody/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_States
http://stukasoverstalingrad.blogspot.co.id/2013/07/recently-captured.html

US Soldier Prepares to Enjoy some Beer and Pretzels

A happy private first class of the U.S. 87th Infantry Division / Third Army prepares to enjoy some beer and pretzels. He is wearing the flannel shirt. On his helmet liner he has attached a decal of rank below his divisional insignia. Just visible on his right wrist is a privately purchased name bracelet. These bracelet, from loved ones at home or acquired at many post exchanges (PX), were popular items with G.I.s. As well as being decorative, they serve as an additional means of identification should the soldier be killed or wounded.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

A U.S. Army Forward Artillery Observer with a Field Phone and Radio

A U.S. Army forward artillery observer with a field phone and radio. He also served as telephone operator as the remote control point relays the observer's report on enemy activity to the Artillery Battalion Command Post. Infantry units would have observer from artillery units attached to direct artillery fire. Artillery support was a crucial element in the American advance in all theatres of war in World War II. On the left of the picture are several boxes of K rations. These rations were the most frequently consumed ration on the frontline. Each box contained a complete meal. Boxes were marked separately for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson
http://historylink101.com/world_war_II_resources.html

Helmut Benkendorff Greeted by Willi Viertel in the Welcoming Ceremony

In August 1943 Oberfeldwebel Helmut Benkendorff, a pilot in 5.Staffel / II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), reached a significant milestone, completing his 500th combat mission. The photo shows Oberfeldwebel Benkendorff - "Mucki" to his friends - immediately after landing. With the flowers in hand, he receives the congratulations from the Staffelkapitän of 7./StG 1, Leutnant Willi Viertel (left), for the benefit of the photographers. Only a few days later, on 31 August 1943, Viertel was shot down by ground fire while attacking enemy tanks near Glukhov. His aircraft (Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" D-3, Werknummer 2279) sustained a direct hit and crashed from a height of 300 meters. Viertel and his gunner, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Hippe, were both killed. Helmut Benkendorff was later promoted to the rank of Leutnant and on 26 March 1944 was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) after more than 600 feindflügen (combat missions). He would completed 666 feindflüge by the end of the war. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition. Another pictures from the same event: 1, 2, 3.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

A Gift Basket and Bouquet for Helmut Benkendorff's Welcoming Ceremony

In August 1943 Oberfeldwebel Helmut Benkendorff, a pilot in 5.Staffel / II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), reached a significant milestone, completing his 500th combat mission. This photograph, taken shortly before his return from the milestone mission, shows a staffel vehicle (Mercedes-Benz 170V saloon) adorned with a wreath and the number "500", along with a gift basket and bouquet. In the basket is the Gruppe's "Adler" (Eagle) emblem. This photo itself was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition. Another pictures from the same event: 1, 2, 3.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=73232&p=1988977#p1988977

German Assault Team in Stalingrad Tractor Factory

A German assault team from 113. Infanterie-Division, supported by StuG III Ausf.F from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244, pause before another attack close to the remains of the “Dzershinzky” Tractor Factory (Stalingradski traktorni zavod im. F.E. Dzerzhinskogo) in Stalingrad, 15 October 1942. One of the most significant spots of the Battle of Stalingrad was at the tractor factory, which before the siege was responsible for about 50 per cent of the T-34 tanks that went in to the front lines. In an assault beginning on October 14th, five German divisions - over 90,000 men, 2,000 guns and mortars, 300 tanks, and waves of Stuka's forged a path just over two miles wide to the main source of Russian resistance in the city; at the Tractor Plant and Barrikady factory. The assault began with a one and a half hour air and artillery bombardment that crushed everything within 100 meters of the frontlines. In spite of the sheer scale of the assault it actually resembled more of a technical tour de force then it did a crude battering ram. For instance, the Germans had prepared thoroughly, including carefully mapping Russian command posts by intercepting radio signals and then targeting each one for destruction. Thus, the Germans quickly decapitated the defenders, burying entire Russian command posts under a fury of bombs and shells. In spite of a brave and spirited resistance on the part of the Russians, actually driving off the first wave and shocking the attackers who otherwise had thought nothing could have survived the bombardment, the Germans regrouped and pushed through. The picture was taken by Hans Eckle.

Source :
https://www.akg-images.fr/Package/2UMEBMK21HSI#/SearchResult&ALID=2UMEBMK21HSI&VBID=2UMES6CVHOMBH&POPUPPN=1&POPUPIID=2UMDHUW6JN0H
http://www.globeatwar.com/article/october-1942-stalingrad
http://ww2today.com/15th-october-1942-the-unrelenting-battle-for-stalingrad-continues

Supply Sergeants Check and Record Whole Blood being Shipped to Field Hospitals Somewhere in France

12 June 1944, France - Supply sergeants check and record whole blood being shipped to field hospitals somewhere in France. The Containers also contain dry ice to keep the blood at a proper temperature. The knowledge that men would be cared for if wounded was crucial to morale. The soldier on the left is wearing the standard wool uniform and overseas cap. The man in the centre and on the right are wearing the cotton herringbone twill (HBT) fatigue uniform. The man in the centre also has buttoned over the gas flap of his HBT shirt, while the man on the right is wearing a white cotton T-shirt

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson
http://historylink101.com/ww2_color/WorldWarIIMedicalFacilities/index.html

Pioneer Training

Engineer soldiers train in the bridge-making prior to their deployment in Europe. They are wearing the wool uniform with M41 field jacket. Of special interest are the toe-capped service shoes being worn under the leggings. These shoes, which featured a smooth outside surface and toe-cap, would have been replaced in the ETO by the more common rough-out service shoes. The rough-out service shoes would have featured the rough side of the leather on the outside of the shoe and no toe-cap.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

Waiting for the Order to Take Off

Waiting for the order to take off. The Luftwaffe pilot makes notes as he sits in front of the aircraft in the warm spring sun. Note the 300-l auxiliary fuel tanks beneath the wings, the rubber mats on the wing walkways and the unit code "L2". This photograph was taken in Russia in the spring of 1942, probably at Stalino airfield. The 7.Staffel (Heer) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2) had previously been based at Mariupol until February 1942, after which it was transferred to Stalino. In March 1942, 7.(F)/LG 2 was renamed 7.(H)/LG 2. From then on the Gruppe's role was tactical reconnaissance, which had become more important than strategic reconnaissance. The photograph itself depict L2+MR, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-5 of 7.(H)/LG 2.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

Frontal View of a Recon Bf 110

 Frontal view of L2+MR, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-5 of 7.(H)/LG 2, which is finished in the standard three-grays camouflage. Note the staffel emblem. This photo demonstrates without a doubt that the "Teufelskopf" (Devil's Head) was brown and black, not gray and black as has been asserted in the past. Note the caps over the muzzles of the MG 17 machine-guns. The spinner tips and the aircraft letter "M", which may be seen on the right under the auxiliary fuel tank, are in the Staffel color white. This photograph itself was taken in Russia in the spring of 1942, probably at Stalino airfield. The 7.Staffel (Heer) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2) had previously been based at Mariupol until February 1942, after which it was transferred to Stalino. In March 1942, 7.(F)/LG 2 was renamed 7.(H)/LG 2. From then on the Gruppe's role was tactical reconnaissance, which had become more important than strategic reconnaissance.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

American Soldier in Phone during Exercise

A soldier of the U.S. 5th Armored Division takes a message during training exercise early in the war. The soldier is wearing the one piece HBT uniform over a white T-shirt. On his left side he has attached an M1 gas mask. He has sewn his divisional insignia on to the left hand side of his chest. The 5th Armored Division would arrive in France in July 1944. After a short time with the Third Army, the division would be transferred to the First Army.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

The Crew of an American M4 Sherman Tank Ressuplying the Ammunitions

A U.S. 5th Armored Division tank crew load round's for their tank's 75mm gun. All four of the men are wearing herringbone twill (HBT) coveralls, winter combat (tanker's) jacket and armoured forces' crew helmet. The cords that are draped over the left shoulders of the two men on the ground carry jacks for the headset. The cord would be plugged in to the tank's intercom system so that the man could communicate. Three of these men have sewn the 5th Armored Division patch to their left shoulders.

Source :

Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

U-Boat Lookout of U-177

Keeping lookout was one of the most demanding and important jobs aboard a U-boat. No matter what conditions prevailed, men were expected to stand for a period of four hours at a time on the top of the conning tower scouring the horizon for enemy ships - the side that saw the enemy first was the more likely to survive! This remarkable and unique set of color photographs were taken aboard U-177, a very long-range boat on Type IXD2 under Korvettenkapitän Robert Gysae. It operated in the South Atlantic at the same time as U-178 was close by in the Indian Ocean. The circular device in the bottom photo is a repeater from the gyrocompass

Source :
Book "Wolfpacks At War: The U-Boat Experience In WWII" by Jak Mallmann Showell

US Army Sergeant Stands at Sling Arms

An infantry sergeant stands at Sling Arms. This sergeant is wearing the wool shirt and trousers that were the standard combat uniform of US Army. He is wearing the Garand belt and M1928 haversack. He has attached his bayonet to the left side of his belt. Usually, when the pack was worn, the bayonet was attached to the left side of the haversack. The sergeant has also attached a grenade pouch to his right leg. This pouch was attached to the Garand belt and then secured to the leg by an integral web tape around the thigh.

Source :
Book "Patton's Third Army" by Christopher J. Anderson

Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich and a Nurse

Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich (right, Fliegerführer Afrika) saluting a DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz) nurse in North Africa, 1941. Fliegerführer Afrika (Aviation Leader in Africa) was part of Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2), one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It operated in the Mediterranean and Libya from 1941–1942. The commanders were Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich (24 February 1941 – 10 April 1942), Generalmajor Theo Osterkamp (acting, April 1942), General der Flieger Otto Hoffmann von Waldau (12 April 1942 – 30 August 1942), General der Flieger Hans Seidemann (30 August 1942 – 31 January 1943), and Generalmajor Walter Hagen (1 February 1943 – February 1943). They led the German air support to the German Afrikakorps campaign in 1941–1943. The aircraft flown by these commanders were a He 111 P-4 (VG+ES), fully equipped (armed with 5 MG 15 and one MG 17, capacity to load 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of bombs in belly and another 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) under the wings, also exterior fuel tanks.

Sources :
http://afrikakorps.forumcrea.com/viewtopic.php?id=21&p=2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fliegerf%C3%BChrer_Afrika

Messerschmitt Bf 110 Takes off

The order to takeoff has been received. The aircraft takes off and flies low over the men on the ground. This photograph was taken in Russia in the spring of 1942, probably at Stalino airfield. The 7.Staffel (Heer) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2) had previously been based at Mariupol until February 1942, after which it was transferred to Stalino. In March 1942, 7.(F)/LG 2 was renamed 7.(H)/LG 2. From then on the Gruppe's role was tactical reconnaissance, which had become more important than strategic reconnaissance. The photograph itself depict L2+MR, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-5 of 7.(H)/LG 2.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003

Soldiers of the U.S. 734th Field Artillery Battalion with truck

Soldiers of the U.S. 734th Field Artillery Battalion with truck. The battalion were equipped with the M1 155mm gun, known as a "Long Tom" (an appellation with a long and glorious tradition in the U.S. artillery.) It combined long range, accuracy, and hitting power with a well designed, mobile carriage. Nearly all US artillery battalions were organized with three firing batteries and a total of twelve tubes. The exception was the eighteen-tube armored field artillery battalion and the six-tube 8" gun and 240mm howitzer battalions. A major advantage for the American artillery was that it was fully motorized and highly mobile. All 105mm and 155mm howitzer battalions in the ETO were truck-drawn, although a Table of Equipment (TE) for a tractor-drawn 155mm battalion existed. The 155mm gun battalions were almost all tractor-drawn, although a few evidently were also truck-drawn. The 4.5" gun, 8" gun, 8" howitzer, and 240mm howitzer battalions were all tractor-drawn, although, again, a TE for truck drawn battalions existed. The standard prime mover was a two-and-one-half ton truck for the 105mm and a 4-ton Diamond T truck for the 155mm howitzers. Tractors included the M5 thirteen-ton prime movers, which were utilized for the 105mm M2 howitzer, the 4.5" gun, and 155mm M1 howitzer, and the M4 eighteen-ton hi-speed, full-track, heavy prime mover, which was utilized for the 3" AA gun, the 90mm AA gun, the 155mm Long Tom gun, 8" howitzer, 8" gun, and 240mm howitzer. Redundant M3 medium tank chassis, without armament, and M31 and M32 armored recovery vehicles were also utilized as prime movers for the heavier artillery pieces. Non-divisional artillery battalions were normally subordinated to field artillery groups. The groups were formed in 1943 from the headquarters battery of the broken up field artillery regiments. The field artillery group consisted of an H&H Battery, with a command element and a fire-direction center element, and a Service Battery. A group was usually assigned from two to six battalions, although one or more of the battalions might be attached for direct support of an individual division. Usually, the groups were assigned howitzer and gun battalions of companion caliber, that is, 155mm howitzers were grouped with 4.5" guns, 8" howitzers with 155mm guns, and 8" guns with 240mm howitzers. The normal ratio was one gun battalion for every two howitzer battalions, although this was not always firmly adhered to. Separate 105mm howitzer battalions were normally grouped together, but were almost always assigned to direct support of divisions. The 155mm SP gun battalions were assigned to groups as the tactical situation warranted, or were frequently attached, by battery or battalion, to armored or infantry divisions. This picture was taken by H.W. Luetjen who served in the 734th FA.

Source :
http://www.lonesentry.com/photoalbums/luetjen/
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/usarmy/antiair.aspx

DRK Nurse and Wehrmacht Soldiers

Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) or German Red Cross nurses basic uniform worn by the DRK helferin/helferinen (helpers) during wartime consisted of medium grey pleated-front blouse or a blue-grey pinstriped blouse and skirt with detachable white collar as shown in the following photo. Worn over the ward dress was the bib-fronted type apron, with hemlines that fell below knee length. The headdress is a starched white nurse cap with a woven band stitched along its front edge, showing a red cross or alternatively the letters RK. They also wore black silk stocking and black lace-up shoes. For the long sleeved blouses, a white armband with Red Cross emblem can be seen surrounded by the German translation of German Red Cross, in black Gothic script.

Source :
http://www.pulseuniform.com/nursing/nursing-uniforms.asp

Recon Aircraft just Back from the Mission over Crete

L2+OR, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-5 of 7.Staffel (Fern) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2), photographed on its return to Athens-Kalamaki, probably from a mission over Crete. The aircraft's armament consisted of four MFG 17 machine-guns in the upper nose, while the two MG FF cannon in the lower nose were removed to make way for an Rb 50/30 camera. The pilot, seen leaving the cockpit, is wearing a life vest and signal flares on his right flying boot. With the start of Operation "Merkur" (Mercury), the airborne invasion of Crete, 7.(F)/LG 2 flew numerous reconnaissance missions over Crete and the waters surrounding the island. Only one crew was lost during these operations: on 20 May 1941 Oberleutnant Erich Kissel and Feldwebel Erwin Adam (gunner) were killed when their Bf 110 E (L2+PR, Werknummer 2330) crashed near Heraklion for reasons unknown. In one of the photo, L2+OR is seen leaking oil from its left engine. Oil may be seen left and right of the tire track on the ground and is also visible in the close-up. Note the modified camouflage on the leading edge of the wing. Spinner tips are in the Staffel color white. Also note the typical hangars on the airfield and the "Teufelskopf" (Devil's Head) emblem on the motorcycle sidecar.

Source :
"Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003