German Soldiers Enjoying Music through Gramophone

Similar to the scene in the movie "Saving Private Ryan", this photo - which was taken by Kriegsberichter Geller from PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) 694 - shows German soldiers from the panzer and infantry units enjoying the music from a gramophone, amidst the ruins of war-damaged buildings on the Eastern Front. There is no exact information which unit they came from, but most likely they were part of 1. Panzerarmee / Heeresgruppe A whom are celebrating the fall of Rostov to the Germans on July 23, 1942. Obviously this photo was not taken in Stalingrad as some sources claim. - including Bundesarchiv - because in July the German troops had not yet arrived in the "City of Hell".

Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-218-0524-32
http://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2021/10/prajurit-jerman-menikmati-musik-dari.html

Victim Aircraft of Werner Mölders

Members of the RAD (Reich Labour Service) prepare to clear the wreckage of what is reported to be Hauptmann Werner Mölders’ second kill during World War II, a Blenheim IV of No 18 Sqn that he brought down over the Moselle on 30 October 1939. The aeroplane, flown by Flg Off Denis Elliot, crashed near Küsserath, nine miles east-northeast of Trier. Its three-man crew was killed.

By the end of 1939 future Luftwaffe ace Werner Mölders had shot down three aircrafts, including III. Gruppe’s first victory in the form of a Blenheim IV of No 18 Sqn on 30 October 1939. Making the most
of a break in the weather, he was at the head of the Gruppenschwarm, leading 12 Emils of 9. Staffel on patrol, when enemy reconnaissance aircraft were reported in the Bitburg-Merzig area.

‘I noticed flak activity near Trier,’ Mölders later recalled. ‘I closed up to within 50 m of the enemy machine undetected and could quite clearly see the British roundels. I opened fire from the shortest range possible. There was no return fire from the rear gunner and the left engine emitted a thick cloud of white smoke, which quickly changed to black. As I pulled up alongside it, the aircraft was completely on fire. I observed a parachute, but it appeared to be smouldering. The Blenheim crashed near Klüsserath, on the River Moselle.’

The Blenheim IV, flown by Flg Off Denis Elliot, crashed near Küsserath, nine miles east-northeast of Trier. Its three-man crew was killed.

Source :
"Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik'As' Bf 109 Aces of 1940" by Chris Goss and Chris Davey

German Soldiers Surrender at Vilnius

German soldiers surrender to the Red Army in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, 11 July 1944. The picture was taken by Fyodor Kislov. During the battle for the city, the Soviet 5th Army and 5th Guards Tank Army engaged the German garrison of Fester Platz Vilnius (consisting of Grenadier-Regiment 399 and Artillerie-Regiment 240 of the 170. Infanterie-Division, Grenadier-Regiment 1067, a battalion from the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 16, the anti-tank battalion of the 256. Infanterie-Division, and other units under the command of Luftwaffe Generalmajor Rainer Stahel. The Soviet 35th Guards Tank Brigade initially took the airport, defended by the battalion of paratroopers; intense street-by-street fighting then commenced as the Soviets attempted to reduce the defence. While the German aim of holding Vilnius as a Fester Platz or fortress was not achieved, the tenacious defence made a contribution in stopping the Red Army's drive west for a few precious days: most importantly, it tied down the 5th Guards Tank Army, which had been instrumental in the initial successes of the Red Army during Operation Bagration. This delay gave German forces a chance to re-establish something resembling a continuous defence line further to the west. Hitler recognised this achievement by awarding Stahel the 76th set of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross awarded during the war. Nevertheless, the outcome fell far short of what the German command had hoped for, and the continuous frontline that was established only held for a short time. Without the traffic network based on Vilnius, the German position in the southern Baltics was untenable. By the end of July, the 3rd Belorussian Front was ordered to conduct the Kaunas Offensive Operation to further extend the gains of Operation Bagration.

Source :
http://albumwar2.com/german-soldiers-surrender-in-vilnius/
https://heroesandgenerals.com/forums/topic/92943-add-vilnius-on-the-map/

Armored vehicle of the Hitlerjugend Division in the Ruins of Caen

A Sd.Kfz. 231 armored vehicle of the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" photographed in the ruins of Caen, Normandy, France in July 1944. In the background the ruined Church of Saint-Pierre. The city of Caen was destroyed and reduced to rubble by the Allied bombing after they encountered difficulty in taking it (the bombing was futile as Germans positions were intact outside of the city, in the northern edge). The Allies flattened and wiped out cities and towns all across Normandy and Northern France in which tens of thousands civilians were killed outright.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/167393189682/a-sdkfz-231-armored-vehicle-of-the-12-ss-panzer

SS Soldiers in the Ardennes Offensive

On 18 December 1944 during the Ardennes Offensive, very early in the morning, the American 14th Cavalry Group had gotten in an ambush of the Kampfgruppe Hansen (Leibstandarte Division) on the road between Poteau and Recht and was destroyed. These are photographs taken after the action along the wreckage on the road.