Oberfeldwebel of the Afrikakorps Feldgendarmerie

Oberfeldwebel of the Feldgendarmerie of the German Afrikakorps. He is wearing a Field Police tropical tunic straps. The winkerkelle (traffic stick) he is using is the standard vehicle stick found in the smaller vehicles. Note the British officer standing behind!

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=141730587417149&set=gm.2379626985661455&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Walther von Reichenau and Sir Cyril Deverell

British Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, inspects a Luftwaffe honor guard in September 1937. The German Generalleutnant right behind him is Walther von Reichenau.

von Reichenau was born in 1884, joined the army in 1902, and served in the First World War. After the war, he continued his military career. When he was introduced to Hitler by an uncle in 1932, he became a loyal follower and joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party), despite army regulations that were there to keep the army and politics separate. Apart from furthering his career, he opposed the radical SA (Sturmabteilung) leader Ernst Röhm, who had pressed for SA to become the major military force in the new Reich. Conspiring with Himmler and Göring, he was one of the instigators of “the Night of the Long Knives” in 1934, where Röhm and other leaders of the SA were purged and executed.

In 1938 Adolf Hitler wanted to appoint him as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Leading figures in the German Army complained and Gerd von Rundstedt, Franz Halder and Ludwig Beck all refused to serve under him. The job went to Friedrich von Brauchitsch instead. von Reichenau led armies in both the invasion of Poland and of France, and was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall in 1940. One would think that such an ardent Nazi and career officer would favor the plans for an attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, but von Reichenau actually opposed them. This didn’t stop him from being appointed to lead the 6th Army.

Once committed to the war in the East, he led the 6th Army in capturing Kiev, Belgorod, Kharkov and Kursk. An anti-semite, Reichenau encouraged his soldiers to commit atrocities against the Jews in the territory under his control (the “Reichenau Order”). On one occasion he told his men: “In this eastern theatre, the soldier is not only a man fighting in accordance with the rules of the art of war… For this reason the soldier must learn fully to appreciate the necessity for the severe but just retribution that must be meted out to the subhuman species of Jewry…” All Jews were henceforth to be treated as de facto partisans, and commanders were directed that they be either summarily shot or handed over to the Einsatzgruppen execution squads.

In other matters, he displayed some sound thinking, like recognizing the Soviet superiority in armor and the risks attached to it, the need for recruiting Ukrainians and Byelorussians to fight the Red Army alongside the Wehrmacht, and the risk of increasing partisan warfare. Reichenau used to go on a daily cross-country run in order to keep fit. On 12 January, 1942, he ran several kilometers in temperatures well below -20 degrees Celcius. When he returned, he had a severe heart attack (some sources say that it was a stroke). After being unconscious for five days, it was decided to fly him back to Germany. Walter von Reichenau died on 17 January 1942, when the plane carrying him to Leipzig crash-landed and he reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack. His funeral was performed with the usual pomp of the Third Reich. Hitler did not attend his funeral.

He was succeeded by General Friedrich Paulus, who took command of the 6th Army. Paulus was a staff officer who had never led a unit larger than a battalion. A year later, he surrendered to the Soviets in the ruins of Stalingrad, his army in tatters. What would have happened if von Reichenau, a much more competent and decisive officer, hadn’t died? One thing is pretty sure, though: if he had survived to the end of the war, he would’ve been one of the generals on trial in Nürnberg, and would probably have ended up in the gallows as a war criminal.

Source :

Björn Hellqvist photo collection

https://ww2inphotos.wordpress.com/2017/07/page/1/

Heer Recruits Marching

Recruits of the 1. Zug (1st platoon) of some unknown company marching, commanded by Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) Förster. This is probably in 1940 or 1941, as Förster wears a Wound Badge on his uniform, indicating that he has participated in the campaigns in Poland and/or France. The soldiers wear Drillich linen fatigue uniforms in a mix of off-white and olive green items. Learning to march was one of the first things that new recruits were taught. To function as a unit, follow orders, and build up stamina were some of the goals. Later the soldiers were able to march up to 40 km (25 miles) in a day, as the bulk of the divisions weren’t motorized. Those marching boots would see many kilometers…

Source :
Björn Hellqvist photo collection
https://ww2inphotos.wordpress.com/2017/07/page/1/

Ritterkreuzträger Friedrich Franek

Generalleutnant Friedrich Franek was born on the 16th of July 1891 in Vienna, the son of a master baker. After attending a junior high school he entered the Infantry cadet school at Liebenau near Graz. He graduated from there on the 18th August 1910 as a Fähnrich (Senior Officer Cadet) and was assigned to Infanterie-Regiment 41 then garrisoned at Czernowitz in the Bukowina. Commissioned on the 1st of May 1913 he was posted as a platoon commander to IR.63 at Bestercze in the Siebenbürgen. He participated in the battle of Lemberg on the 8th of September 1914 and was wounded in the mouth, neck and chest during an assault East of Grodek. Promoted to Oberleutnant on 1st March 1915 he returned to duty as a company commander in April. He was again lightly wounded on the 15th of June during an assault on Krakowiec when a shot grazed his head. Returning to duty for the third time in October 1915, Franek assumed another company command appointment during the defensive fighting on the River Serwetsch East of Baranowitshi but was stricken with Typhus in early February 1916. He returned to the front for the fourth and last time in the middle of June 1916. He variously held company command and the appointment of regimental adjutant of IR.63 in this period.

In June 1917 the regiment moved to the Southwest front as part of the 35.Infanterie-Division and participated in the 10th and 11th battles of the Isonzo. 35.Infanterie-Division, then commanded by Feldmarschalleutnant Eugen von Podhoránszky was subordinated to Feldmarschalleutnant Maximilian von Csicseric's XXIII. Korps. XXIII. Korps was in turn subordinated to Abschnitt III or the Sector Command of General der Infanterie Johann Ritter von Henriquez with responsibility for the Southernmost sector of the Isonzo Front. Facing 35.Infanterie-Division on this sector were the men of the Italian XIII Corps of the Duke of Aosta's 3rd Army.

Franek as the company commander of 17./IR.63 held the North slope of the especially important and exposed hill 146 which was itself situated approximately 500 metres to the Northeast of the village of Flondar about five kilometres East of Monfalcone. The regiment held a line of fortified caverns in the forward line. On the 17th and 18th of August 1917 with the commencement of the 11th battle, the position came under heavy Italian drum fire. The Italian infantry attacked on the 19th of August and by early morning had succeeded in breaking into various parts of the Austrian position. Franek's company mounted a surprise counter-attack and caught the enemy unawares from the rear retaking two captured caverns. At the same time the neighbouring 18./IR.63 to the left (South) had been pushed back so the left flank of Franek's company was placed in considerable danger. By a further energetic and decisive attack the enemy was thrown back off the Austrian positions and the situation was restored. Similar attacks were mounted with increasing ferocity over the following days. Early on the morning of the 20th August the enemy attacked the position to the South while simultaneously suppressing the defending company with heavy artillery fire. When after a hard struggle the heavily weakened company holding the sector to the left had been overwhelmed and partly wiped out, the enemy then stormed from the South against the now open flank of the 17th Company. At this critical juncture, Franek decided to mount a counter-attack with his company reserve and succeeded in throwing back the Italians, retaking the just lost position to the South. The 30 strong counter-attack force followed up their success pursuing the now retreating Italians and took captive the occupants of two cavern positions recently lost to the enemy. However Franeks' weakened company was now compelled to give up their exposed position on hill 146 as the neighbouring companies on either flank had withdrawn. The battle for the hill see-sawed with it being retaken again on the morning of the 21st, lost again that evening at 2145 hours in bitter hand to hand fighting only to be retaken yet again by Franek's 17./IR.63. The Italians attacked for the sixth time at 1400 hours on the 22nd August and indeed this was the most difficult day since the commencement of the battle on the 17th. Like all the previous attacks the flanks of Franek's position were lost, yet surrounded on three sides 17th Company held its positions. The seventh and last enemy attack was also held on the 23rd of August. IR.63 was at last relieved on hill 146 at 0500 hours on the morning of the 24th August.

Franek assumed command of the divisional assault company later expanded to battalion strength in the middle of September 1917. He had additionally by then been awarded the Golden Bravery Medal for officers. In April of the following year he was assigned to a general staff officer aspirant course held in Belgrade and in June returned to the 35.ID. as a staff officer. He was posted to the staff of 62.ID. in October and promoted to captain a few days before the wars end on the 1st of November 1918.

Franek remained in the Austrian Bundesheer after the war and for his own personal gallantry and that of his company during the battles at hill 146 was awarded the Knights' Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa in the 187th awards ceremony on 10th June 1921. Between 1919 and 1929 he served as a company commander, battalion adjutant and instructor at military schools. He qualified as a Doctor of political science on the 20th of May 1924 and was promoted to Major on the 27th of September 1927. From the Spring of 1925 he had attended General Staff training and on the 1st of October 1929 he was seconded to the War Archives in Vienna. Whilst at the War Archives he participated in authoring the multi-volume official Austrian history of the First World War. From 1st October 1934 until the 1st November 1938 he was a tactics instructor at the Maria Theresa Military Academy at Wiener-Neustadt having been promoted to Obserstleutnant on the 15th of November 1934. Following the annexation of Austria by Germany he was transferred into the Wehrmacht in his then present rank as a battalion commander in IR.32 at Teplitz-Schönau and progressed through regimental and divisional command. He was awarded the Knights' Cross of the Iron Cross on 4th November 1941 for bravery whilst commanding IR.405. Probably his most notable command was a four month stint leading the famous Austrian 44.ID. "Hoch und Deutschmeister in the Spring of 1944 at Monte Cassino. Captured by the Russians whilst commanding 73.ID. General Franek remained a prisoner of war until 22nd July 1948. The General died in Vienna on the 8th April 1976.

Of note is the fact that General Franek and General Alois Windisch were the only two officers of the former Austro-Hungarian army to be awarded both the Knights' Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa and the Knights' Cross of the Iron Cross. Uniquely General Franek was the only individual to win both the above mentioned awards and the Golden Bravery Medal for Officers.

Source :
http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/biog/franek.htm

Generalleutnant Friedrich von Arnauld de la Perière

Portrait photograph of Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Friedrich von Arnauld de la Perière. It is a photographer’s “proof” image, bearing the photographer’s stamp. The “proofs” would have been sent to General von Arnaud de la Periere to select the images that he wanted from the photographer, specifying the sizes and quantities. Born in 1888, General von Arnaud de la Periere began his military service in 1906 as an officer candidate of the Kriegsmarine, and he became a Naval aviator in 1913. The first bombs that fell on England in World War I were dropped by von Arnaud de la Periere. In January of 1915 he piloted the first plane to be launched from a submarine. In December of 1915 the seaplane that he was piloting developed engine trouble and went down, at which point he was picked up by a French ship and became a prisoner of war. He continued serving in Naval Aviation until 1935 when he transferred to the Luftwaffe, In 1937 he served as Reichsluftsportführer, in command of all aviation sport activities in the Third Reich. In July of 1939 he was Commander of Luftzeuggruppe 17 based in Vienna, retiring in April of 1944. General von Arnaud de la Periere died in 1969, having been decorated with the 1914 Iron Cross first and second class, the 1939 Iron Cross, second class, and being a recipient of the Third Reich pilot badge, which he wears on his uniform.

Source :
https://griffinmilitaria.com/product-category/germany/germany-wwii/documents-and-photographs/

Zentral Ersatzteillager 220 Photo Album

These photos comes from the private collection of Denis Daum, and shows the visit of Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Panzerarmee "Africa") to the Zentral Ersatzteillager 220 headquarters in Benghazi, Libya, which took place on May 19, 1942. Officer with the bright hemd and shorts that accompanied him is Major Peter Deiglmayer, who was the commander of the central warehouse supplying the Afrikakorps vehicle parts. Coming with Rommel on his visit was his loyal Chief of Staff, Generalmajor Alfred Gause, who could be recognized from the Ritterkreuz medal on his neck.

 
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Other pictures of Zentral Ersatzteillager 220 and Major Peter Deiglmayer in North Africa:

 Proxy wedding of one of the member of Zentral Ersatzteillager 220 in North Africa

Source:

Denis Daum photo collection

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1728158044141689/

SS-Untersturmführer Hans Zarges from LSSAH

SS-Untersturmführer Hans Zarges (3 November 1923 - 20 April 1945) from Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Note the “Adolf Hitler” cuff title, the wound badge in black, panzer assault badge and the ribbon for the iron cross second class

Source:
https://www.kometmilitaria.com/product-page/ss-named-portrait-of-an-ss-leibstandarte-adolf-hitler-officer

Panzergrenadiers in Action

Original period postcard of the 'Unsere Wehrmacht' series: "Panzergrenadiere gehen in Stellung"

Source :
https://www.kometmilitaria.com/product-page/postcard-postkarte-panzergrenadiere-gehen-in-stellug

Kradschützen in Action

Original period postcard of the 'Unsere Wehrmacht' series, "An die Deckung heran...Feuer", Kradschütze. The postcard was sent in Augst 1943 by a member of the Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4 of 4. Panzer-Division.

Source:
https://www.kometmilitaria.com/product-page/postkarte-postcard-kradsch%C3%BCtze-an-die-deckung-heran-feuer