Fritz Augustin from 260. Infanterie-Division

German soldier Fritz Augustin from II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 470 / 260.Infanterie-Division

Source :
http://wordpress.260id.de/?page_id=2692

Mathias Arians from 260. Infanterie-Division

German soldier Mathias Arians (red arrow) from IV.Abteilung / Artillerie-Regiment 260 / 260.Infanterie-Division. He was born in 1915 in Straelen. The insignia in his left sleeve looks like an artillery gun layer's specialty patch (Richtkanonier der Artillerie)

Source :
http://wordpress.260id.de/?page_id=2692

Gefreiter Karl Adler from 260. Infanterie-Division

Gefreiter Karl Adler from 2.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 460 / 260.Infanterie-Division.

Source :
http://wordpress.260id.de/?page_id=2692

Gefreiter Erhard Acker from 260. Infanterie-Division

Gefreiter Erhard Acker (born 23 March 1905 in Gauselfingen) from Nachschubkompanie 260 / 260.Infanterie-Division.

Source :
http://wordpress.260id.de/?page_id=2692

An NCO from Maschienengewehr-Bataillon 10 with Cholmschild

An NCO from Maschienengewehr-Bataillon 10 with Cholmschild, 1943. This was the last unit to push into Cholm when the town was encircled. By the time this photo was taken, this unit was equipped with captured russian 120mm mortars,changing its name to Granatewerfer-Bataillon 10.

Source :
http://www.history.jp/wehrmacht/008b.htm

Bäckerei-Kompanie of Wehrmacht

Bäckerei-Kompanie (Bakery Company) from 123. Infanterie-Division and from 93. Infanterie-Division, 1941. Note the distictive Taktische Zeichen of bakery company!

Bäckerei-Kompanie of 123. Infanterie-Division.

Bäckerei-Kompanie of 93. Infanterie-Division.

Source :

http://www.history.jp/wehrmacht/008.htm

DKiGträger SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Matzke

SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm "Willi" Matzke (born in 28 January 1918) received Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 23 April 1944 as SS-Obersturmführer and Chef 3.Kompanie / I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 / 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". He would became the commander of I. Abteilung in 26 July 1944 replacing SS-Sturmbannführer Rudolf Enseling. Matzke survived the war.

SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Matzke (Chef 3.Kompanie / I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 / 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich") ride a donkey in a company celebration held in May 1944 (possibly to celebrate the company's commander awarding of Deutsches Kreuz in Gold a couple of days before). A few words about the photo: On that day, there were a lot of wine for all soldiers, especially a few officers looked a bit too much in their glasses, and so the young comrades took the drunken officer (Matzke) on a donkey and go around! A lot of pictures were taken from this scene, but on the next day the order was given to the company to deliver all taken negatives. This picture is the very last one that survived the action! One thing for sure: It stands under punishment if pictures like this were ever seen after the action, and it's understandable, because such pictures takes the officer in question.

Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=7690&hilit=wilhelm+matzke
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726113

DKiGträger SS-Sturmbannführer Friedrich Zipp

 Friedrich Zipp was born in 4 September 1917 in Sulzbach. He joined the SS in 1 October 1936 (SS number 286 585), promoted to SS-Untersturmführer in 20 April 1939, SS-Obersturmführer in 20 April 1941, and SS-Hauptsturmführer in 20 April 1943 (his promotion date to SS-Sturmbannführer is not known). Zipp started his career as a youth in Hitlerjugend (1 April 1933 - 1 October 1935) and Reichsarbeitsdienst (1 October 1935 - 1 October 1936). In October 1936 he joined the 1.Sturm / SS-Standarte "Deutschland", followed by officer training in SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig (1 April 1938 - 20 April 1939). In 1 January 1941 he served as Adjutant in SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 3 "Totenkopf", and in january 1944 already as a Chef of 1.Kompanie / SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 3 "Totenkopf". In February 1945 he became Ib Quartiermeister (Logistik, Verwundeten- und Versorgungsdienste) of XI. SS-Armeekorps. Zipp received these following decorations: SA-Sportabzeichen in Bronze, Reichssportabzeichen in Bronze, Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft Abzeichen, Julleuchter der SS, Danziger Kreuz II. Klasse, Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse und I.Klasse; and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (8 September 1943 as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Chef 1.Kompanie / SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 3 / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf").


Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=143487

Füsilier Hermuth Herzog of Großdeutschland

Füsilier Hermuth Herzog (photo showing him as Obervormann in Reichsarbeitsdienst) was trained in 2.Kompanie / Feldersatz-Bataillon Großdeutschland and went to the front in Stab/Füsilier-Regiment Großdeutschland in May 1943.

Source :
http://www.history.jp/wehrmacht/031.htm

SS-Hauptsturmführer Joachim Boosfeld

SS-Hauptsturmführer Joachim Boosfeld was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 21 February 1945 as commander of 4.Kompanie / SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 16 of the Florian Geyer Division for his heroism in the heavy defensive fighting in Budapest and his actions in fighting his way back to German lines. Boosfeld led his men along with some other troops safely out of the city and reached German position west of Budapest on 14 February 1945. During his time in Budapest cauldron he had 57 days of close-combat fighting and was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Gold.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138892947397/5sswiking-ss-hauptsturmf%C3%BChrer-joachim-boosfeld

SS-Untersturmführer Paul Barten from Wiking Division

SS-Untersturmführer Paul Barten (foreground) with an SS-Unterscharführer from the Regiment Germania of the Wiking Division in a defensive positions in the spring of 1944. During this time, Wiking Division saw fierce combat in the Kovel sector.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/139202505392/5sswiking-ss-untersturmf%C3%BChrer-paul-barten

Hauptmann Robert Praxa

Hauptmann Robert Praxa, the commander of III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 135 / 45.Infanterie-Division at the start of the Battle for Brest Fortress (22 June 1941). Likely, he was the first battalion commander in the Wehrmacht to be killed in the Operation Barbarossa. Praxa had planned the attack for the fortress in detail, building sand tables based on aerial photographs and maps from the days of the occupation in 1939; the battalion's task was to conquer the western island and the citadel. When the artillery barrages began the assault waves were some 30 meters away from the river Bug, at 03:19 hours the first wave, led by Leutnant Wieltsch rushed into the river dragging their boats and crossed the stream, the second wave will followed at 03:23 hours. The German soldiers stormed the fort and clashed heavily against around 300 defenders mostly from the detachment of border guards and school units, after overcoming the resistance the Germans broke through the Terespol gate and entered the citadel, taking the officers' mess (the old church) and the mess of the 84 Rifle Regiment, but then the assault stalled. III/IR135 was pinned down in the vicinity of the church and partly surrounded by Russians. Reinforcements attempting to follow up through the West Island were slowed to crawling pace, picking their way forward with extreme difficulty. Commanders were being struck down by snipers with depressing rapidity. Hauptmann Praxa and his artillery battery commander, Hauptmann Krats, were killed at 04:45 hours attempting to coordinate the move forward. Major Oeltze, commanding I/IR135 trying to break into the citadel from the eastern side, was struck down alongside his artillery forward observer Leutnant Zenneck. The advance was steadily denuded of its leadership.

Source :
Book "The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front" by Rotislav Aliev
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=91723&p=1631902&hilit=praxa#p1631902

Alfred Masukh

Alfred Masukh, the commander of Pionier-Bataillon 81 / 45.Infanterie-Division at the start of Operation Barbarossa. Masukh’s combat engineers played a critical role in the seizure of the
fortified casemates and the multi-tiered underground chambers and cellars of the Brest fortress.

Source :
Book "The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front" by Rotislav Aliev

Generalleutnant Fritz Kühlwein

Oberst Fritz Kühlwein, the commander of Infanterie-Regiment 133 / 45.Infanterie-Division at the start of Operation Barbarossa. It was Kühlwein’s regiment, which had been initially held back in reserve, that was able to change the course of the fighting for Brest in the Germans’ favor

Source :
 Book "The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front" by Rotislav Aliev

Hans Hartnack

Hans Hartnack, the commander of III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 135 / 45.Infanterie-Division in the start of Operation Barbarossa. It fell to his battalion to seize the final pocket of resistance on the territory of the Brest Fortress.

Source :
Book "The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front" by Rotislav Aliev

Norwegian Soldiers on the Leningrad Front

Two Norwegian soldiers from the Den Norske Legion photographed on the Leningrad Front with a MG 34 (Maschinengewehr 34) machine gun mounted on an anti-aircraft tripod, summer of 1942. In the light-machine gun role, it was used with a bipod and weighed only 12.1 kg (26.7 lb). In the medium-machine gun role, it could be mounted on one of two tripods, a smaller one weighing 6.75 kg (14.9 lb), the larger 23.6 kg (52.0 lb). The larger tripod, the MG 34 Lafette, included a number of features, such as a telescopic sight and special sighting equipment for indirect fire. The legs could be extended to allow it to be used in the anti-aircraft role, and when lowered, it could be placed to allow the gun to be fired "remotely" while it swept an arc in front of the mounting with fire, or aimed through a periscope attached to the tripod. Mounted to the Lafette the effective range of the MG 34 could be extended out to 3,500 meters when fired indirectly.

Norwegian Kriegsberichter SS-Oberscharführer Oskar Bang in the Leningrad Front

Norwegian war correspondent SS-Oberscharführer Oskar Bang (born in 9 April 1916) holding a film camera on the Leningrad Front with the Den Norske Legion in the summer of 1942. Note the collar tab representing a Norwegian lion holding an axe.

SS-Sturmbannführer Jonas Lie Photographed in 1943

SS-Sturmbannführer Jonas Lie photographed in 1943 in Waffen-SS officer uniform. Lie had served with the Leibstandarte Division in 1941 and had received the Iron Cross Second Class. A tough, ambitious man (and best-selling mystery writer in his spare time!), he was second-in-command of the Den Norske Legion in 1942-1943 during the fighting on Leningrad Front.

Joachim Peiper Decorates a Soldier of the SS Leibstandarte Division at the Battle of Kursk

SS-Sturmbannführer Joachim "Jochen" Peiper (right) decorates a soldier of the Leibstandarte Division with the Iron Cross Second Class during Operation Zitadelle in July 1943. Behind is his adjutant SS-Untersturmführer Werner Wolff, awarded the Knight’s Cross shortly afterwards.

SS-Untersturmführer Werner Wolff Photographed in 1943

SS-Untersturmführer Werner Wolff photographed with the Knight’s Cross in 1943. Wolff, the battle-tested adjutant to Joachim Peiper (III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), took over a leaderless company, following the wounding of its commander, and stopped a massive enemy tank attack in which thirty Soviet tanks were destroyed in close combat during Operation Zitadelle in July 1943. Wolff destroyed one tank with hand held explosives and refused to give ground to the Soviet attack. For this he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross on 7 August 1943. Wolff fell in March 1945 near Inota, Hungary, as commander of the 7./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 “LAH".