Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot in Avignon

Photograph, portrait. Uniformed Luftwaffe fighter pilot. Translated German caption on photo reverse: "Junior fighter pilots learn gunnery. (See leader)/ These young fighter pilots are between school and front. They get the 'finishing touches' in a training group, with multiple air and gunnery exercises under the guidance of experienced fighter pilots. Soon, the beginners will be able to record their first success, when they fly together with the 'old hands' against the enemy. Avignon, 4/10/43." Avignon, France. 4 October 1943.

Source :
https://www.ww2online.org/search-page?f%5B0%5D=field_tgm%3AMilitary%20air%20pilots--German--France

General Eugen Weissmann during Military Parade in France

 

 ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F3109 L26)

Generalleutnant Dr.phil Eugen Weissmann as Kommandierender General und Befehlshaber im Luftgau-Kommando Westfrankreich (15 August 1940 - 30 June 1944), during the Luftwaffe military parade in the period between 1 December 1940 (his promotion to Generalleutnant) and 1 June 1942 (his promotion to General der Flakartillerie). The Luftgau-Kommando Westfrankreich was formed in June 1940 in Etampes, near Paris, from Luftgaustav z.b.V. 12.. From 6 September 1944 it moved to Stuttgart and was redesignated as Luftgau-Kommando V. It is subordinated to Luftflotte 3 (Generalfeldmarschall Hugo Sperrle).

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F3109 L27)

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F3109 L25)

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F3109 L23)

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F3109 L21)

Source :
ECPAD Archives
https://www.ww2.dk/ground/hq/lgwest.htm

Bio of Oberst (Luftwaffe) Joachim Elle

 

Oberstleutnant Joachim Elle, as the Commander of Luftwaffe-Nachrichten-Abteilung 7 (mot.), at Atlantikwall, France, 1940.

Joachim Elle was promoted to Major (E) in Stab / Luftflotte 2 on 1 August 1939. On 6 July 1940 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant and appointed as provisional Kommandeur Luftwaffe-Nachrichten-Abteilung (H) (motorisiert) 7. in December 1941 he became Nafü (Nachrichtenführer) of Jagdfliegerführer 3. On 1 April 1942 he was promoted to Oberst and appointed as Kommandeur Luftwaffe-Nachrichten-Regiment 53. On 14 January 1943 - as the Kommandeur of Luftwaffe-Nachrichten-Regiment 53 and Nafü of Jagdfliegerführer 3 - he became the member of Luftwaffe mission in Romania. In August 1944 he was appointed as Nafü and Kommandeur of German Luftwaffe in Romania. In September 1944 Elle became the Kommandeur of Luftwaffe-Nachrichten-Regiment 211. His last appointment in the war were as the Nafü of 1. Jagddivision on 1 February 1945.

Source :
"Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries: Section A-F" by Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey

Generalmajor Walther Leuze with Visiting Hitler Youths

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F2848 L21)

Generalmajor Walther Leuze (Festung Kommandant Le Havre) with a visiting detachment of Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth), summer of 1943. The Luftwaffe soldiers belong to a Flak battery on the coastline (Atlantikwall). Leuze becoming the Fortress Commander of Le Havre from 15 February 1943 to 10 March 1944.

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F2848 L18)

ECPAD Archives (LFT3 F2848 L17)

Source :
ECPAD Archives

General Neubronn von Eisenburg Salutes French Honor Guard

Generalmajor Alexander Freiherr Neubronn von Eisenburg, who, as an Inspekteur Heeres-Kontroll-Inspektion (Inspector of Army Control Inspection), always checks on what was left of French Army after the surrender of 1940. Here he is saluting as he reviews a French Honor Guard during his visit to the Vichy France, 3 November 1941.

Source :
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1941-german-general-neuronn-von-1840002321

Fallschirmjäger Pioneer

 

 

Amiens (France), May-June 1943. Erprobung.Kommando from XI. Fliegerkorps. Judging by what is visible, this container is destined to engineers: smoke grenades, smoke canisters, explosive loads, fuzes, etc. Details in these photos are fantastic! All of the content seem to be smoke generating munitions (the fact that this packing is prior to a field exercise following a jump, lots of smoke ammo sounds logical). The bending lad is holding a 3 kg demolition slab with three types of fuzes.

Source :
ECPAD Archives, courtesy of Blanluet Christophe
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158975562398308&set=gm.2742198149380746

Generalmajor Wilhelm Rupprecht in the Inauguration Ceremony

 

Generalmajor Wilhelm "Willy" Rupprecht (3rd from left, Kommandeur 327. Infanterie-Division) in the inauguration of Besancon Stadium. Doubs, France, 1941.

Source :

https://crainsmilitaria.com/index.php?route=common/home

Pionier Soldier with Smoke Grenade

 

Soldier of a military engineering unit from the battles of Lorraine. We know that he is a pionier based on the pouches on each side. Also the smoke grenade marked with the white strip. Photographer: Heinz Pollmann.

Source :

https://classic.europeana.eu/portal/en/record/2024909/photography_ProvidedCHO_United_Archives_01850082_jpg.html?q=who%3A(Heinz%20Pollmann)&fbclid=IwAR2YTyxym5G0nRjstuJ7zVK9plWTHKEuTN6tmuBVhbH_9vjYl4PsPmraSes#dcId=1605438223778&p=6

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=198775975045943&set=gm.2714826438784584

In the Skies Above Paris

In the skies above Paris… Not really. An army Unteroffizier and his navy buddy have their photo taken in a studio in Paris, 1940. I have seen this very set used in at least one more photo, so I guess it was a rather popular souvenir back then. Those were the happy days being a German soldier. Sure, at least 27,000 of them had been killed in the Battle of France, but the campaign was short and triumphant, and the humiliation of the defeat in 1918 paid back. The war against the Soviet Union was a year off in the future, and instead the German soldiers could enjoy occupation duty in France. There were plans and preparations for the invasion of Britain, Operation Seelöwe, but while the Luftwaffe fought in the skies over England, soldiers on leave had a fun time in Paris. A year and a half later, many of them would be freezing to death on the Eastern Front…

Source :
Photo collection Björn Hellqvist
https://ww2inphotos.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/those-magnificent-men-in-their-flying-machines/

U-128 on its Fourth Patrol

U-128, a Type IX C u-boat, was an extremely successful submarine attached to the 2. Unterseebootsflottille (2nd Submarine Flotilla) in Lorient. Built by Deschimag AG of Bremen, the boat was commissioned by Kapitänleutnant Ullrich Heyse on 12 May 1941. Heyse went on to achieve great success with this submarine in 1942 and early 1943. In the course of six patrols - of which the first was merely a transfer to Norway and the fifth is a seven-day radar trial - Ullrich Heyse and U-128 sank 12 ships totaling 83,639 GRT and damaged another! No wonder that the crew swore by their commander. The 35-year-old Berliner, a member of Crew 1933, knew how to lead his men. Once, on the boat, he pulled a knife from his pocket and sat down to help several of his men peel potatoes. Then, as he peeled, he discussed all the popular topics with this small circle. On land the captain often joined his men for a beer, which further strengthened the bonds with his crew. Before the war Heyse had served on merchant vessels, and as a submarine commander it was difficult for him to now have to sink such ships. In several cases he provided survivors with food, cigarettes and rum and expressed regret for having sunk their ship! Under Heyse, the boat wore a slightly modified version of the emblem of Ulm, U-128's sponsor city on the front of the conning tower, plus a white horse emblem on both sides. Encircling the horse were the words "HÜAHOH HÜAHOH ALTER SCHIMMEL" (secara harfiah berarti: "Hieh Hieh Kuda Tua"). As our drawing depicts, in the summer of 1942 the boat was camouflaged pale gray with dark grey longitudinal stripes. One of the stripes ran from the turret mantle aft to beneath the Wintergarten platform. All of the upwards-facing parts of the boat were painted black as per directives. Six days after completing his sixth patrol, on 21 January 1943, Heyse was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses). In March 1943 he handed the boat over to Oberleutnant zur See Hermann Steinert. Luck deserted him on his very first patrol, however. On 17 May 1943 US Naval aircraft bombed the submarine near a convoy and forced it to surface. The boat sustained heavy damage in further attacks and was unable to dive. With the destroyers USS Jouett and USS Mofett closing in, Steinert ordered his crew to abandon ship. The leading engineer initiated the scuttling procedure, but the submarine was sunk by gunfire from the destroyers. The USS Mofett rescued 51 members of U-128's crew, four of whom died aboard the destroyer.

 This photo (and the first photo above) depicts U-128, probably as it departed Lorient on its fourth patrol on 25 April 1942. The boat emblem and the coat of arms of the sponsor city of Ulm my be seen on the conning tower. Under Kapitänleutnant Hermann Steinert the boat also wore the Olympic rings of Crew 1936 on the conning tower.

Source :
"U-Boot im Focus" magazine - edition no.2 (2007)

SS Soldiers in France

German soldier from SS-Standarte "Der Führer" / SS-Division-Verfügungstruppe (motorisiert) in France in 1940. He wore a stahlhelm cover and a camouflage jacket of the Platanenmuster type. Shortly after the German military campaign in France, collar numbers were withdrawn from circulation for safety reasons, leaving only SS runes. This photo is taken from the book "Waffen-SS Im Westen: Ein Bericht In Bildern" by SS-Kriegsberichter Friedrich Zschäckel, published in 1941. The original caption reads: "Das Geschicht der Waffen-SS" (Face of the Waffen-SS).

Source :
"Waffen-SS Im Westen: Ein Bericht In Bildern" by Friedrich Zschäckel

German Officer Buying Flowers in Paris

A German officer buying a bouquet featuring lily of the valley (muguet) in Paris, France on 1 May 1941, the day when the French greet each other with a small bouquet of lily of the valley, a flower that is considered a lucky charm.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/151490517482/a-german-officer-buying-a-bouquet-featuring-lily

German Soldiers Gather on the Place de la Concorde

German soldiers gather on the Place de la Concorde in Paris for the victory parade following the successful invasion of France and subsequent surrender of French forces in the Battle of France. On 22 June 1940, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, which resulted in a division of France, whereby Germany would occupy the north and west, Italy would control a small Italian occupation zone in the south-east and an unoccupied zone, the zone libre, would be governed by the collaborationist Vichy government led by Marshal Pétain. France remained under Axis occupation until the occupation of the country by the Allies after the Allied landings in June 1944. Paris, Île-de-France, France. June 1940.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/131721909245/german-soldiers-gather-on-the-place-de-la-concorde

German Soldiers and Wounded British POW After St. Nazaire Raid

 German soldiers place wounded British POWs on the bed of a truck to be taken to a medical dressing station following the Saint-Nazaire Raid. The raid (codename: Operation Chariot) was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Louis Joubert Lock at Saint-Nazaire in German-occupied France. The operation was undertaken by the British Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters. Saint-Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, to return to home waters rather than having a safe haven available on the Atlantic coast. Although the operation was a British success, 169 British soldiers were killed and 215 became POWs. Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France. 28 March 1942.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/131847694190/german-soldiers-place-wounded-british-pows-on-the

Young French Woman with German Soldier

A young French woman, who began a romantic relationship with a German Wehrmacht soldier during the German occupation of France, refuses to leave his side as he and other German soldiers were taken as prisoners after the Allies had liberated the area around Orléans. Near Orléans, Loiret, France. August 1944.

Source :
 http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/141508924635/a-young-french-woman-who-began-a-romantic

Armenian Volunteers of the Wehrmacht in France

Armenian soldiers of the German Wehrmacht’s Armenische Legion (Armenian Legion) arrive in the south of France to strengthen the coastal defenses on the Mediterranean. Approximately 33,000 Armenian men served in German field battalions, while another 7,000 served in logistical and other non-combat units. The majority of the soldiers in the legion were former Soviet Army soldiers who were taken as POWs by the Germans and opted to fight for the Germans rather than face the appalling conditions of Nazi POW camps. Smaller numbers freely joined the Germans as nationalists who opposed Armenia’s inclusion as a Soviet republic. German military authorities found the Armenians to be poorly trained, poorly motivated and often apt to desert, defect, revolt and aid the enemy. Following the war, soldiers of the Armenian Legion were repatriated to the Soviet Union where most were tried for treason and executed or sent off to die in the gulags. Near Toulon, Var, France. February 1944. Image taken by Erwin Schultz.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/143600472505/armenian-soldiers-of-the-german

A Heavy Artillery Unit from the SS-Verfügungstruppe on Manoeuvres

These photographs show a heavy artillery unit from the SS-Verfügungstruppe carrying out manoeuvres somewhere on the French coast in October 1940. After running home the round, SS-VT gunners anticipating the moment of firing. Members of the gun crew stand ready to react against the explosion of the gun being fired with fingers pressed into ears and mouths half open, a practice which helped to reduce the force of the shock on their ear drums of the gun crew.

SS-VT Gunners Chalks up an Anti-British Drawing on the Side of a Shell

This photograph show a heavy artillery unit from the SS-Verfügungstruppe carrying out manoeuvres somewhere on the French coast in October 1940. "Good German joke - ja!" More for the cameraman than for the benefit of anyone else, one of the SS-VT gunners chalks up an anti-British drawing on the side of a shell. The umbrella and top hat is a dig at Sir Neville Chamberlain, the former British Prime Minister.

SS-VT Gunner Setting the Fuse of a Shell

This photograph show a heavy artillery unit from the SS-Verfügungstruppe carrying out manoeuvres somewhere on the French coast in October 1940. One of the SS-VT gunner setting the fuse of a shell

Halftrack of SS-Verfügungstruppe Carrying out Manoeuvres

This photograph show a heavy artillery unit from the SS-Verfügungstruppe carrying out manoeuvres somewhere on the French coast in October 1940. The vehicle is a Hanomag half track which was designed to tow a heavy artillery piece, such as an 88mm, whilst at the same time carrying the gun crew (seated) and stowed ammunition.