German Pilot Rides into Captivity in US Jeep

 A German Pilot rides into captivity after his plane, from which he was strafing American positions near Weisweiler, was brought down by anti-aircraft fire out of a formation of 25 Luftwaffe aircraft during Operation Queen. The operation was aimed against the Rur river, as a staging point for a subsequent thrust over the river to the Rhine into Germany. It was conducted by the 1st and 9th U.S. Armies and was a German defensive victory. Weisweiler, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 9 December 1944.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/142814969600/a-german-pilot-rides-into-captivity-after-his

German Machine Gunner in the Battle of Kursk

A German non-commissioned officer and a machine gunner zero in on an enemy Soviet position during the Battle of Kursk (German: Unternehmen Zitadelle); the Germans hoped to weaken the Soviet offensive potential for the summer of 1943 by cutting off a large number of forces that they anticipated would be in the Kursk salient. The Kursk salient or bulge was 250 kilometres (160 mi) long from north to south and 160 kilometers (99 mi) from east to west. By eliminating the Kursk salient, the Germans hoped to also shorten their lines, nullify Soviet numerical superiority in critical sectors (which would give the Germans time to regroup and plan another offensive against the Red Army) and regain the initiative from the Soviet Union. For the Germans, the battle was a failure, and the Soviets  were able to gain back territory along a 2,000 km (1,200 mi) wide front following the battle. Kursk Oblast, Russia, Soviet Union. July 1943. Image taken by Franz Grasser.

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http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/142864374500/a-german-non-commissioned-officer-and-a-machine

Fallschirmjäger at the Fornebu Aerodrome

German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 (FJG 1) rest and regroup at the Fornebu aerodrome after capturing the surrounding area during Operation Weserübung; the German invasion of Norway. On 9 April 1940, both Denmark and Norway were simultaneously invaded by German troops. Controlling Norway was important to Germany for three primary reasons: securing the western coast as part of the defensive Atlantic Wall, as a base for naval units, including U-boats to target Allied shipping in the North Atlantic, and to secure shipments of iron-ore from Sweden through the port of Narvik. Fornebu, Bærum, Norway. April 1940. Image taken by Willi Ruge.

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http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/143396722415/german-luftwaffe-fallschirmj%C3%A4ger-paratroopers

German Soldiers in the Battle of Stalingrad

A German Wehrmacht Oberstabsfeldwebel (Sergeant-Major) and a non-commissioned Stabsfeldwebel officer (First Sergeant, or Master Sergeant equivalent) battle enemy Soviet troops outside of Stalingrad, just prior to the Battle of Stalingrad. The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began on 23 August 1942, using the German 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into pitched house-to-house fighting as both sides poured reinforcements into the city. Near Stalingrad (now, Volgograd), Volgograd Oblast, Russia, Soviet Union. 10 July 1942.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/143290010165/a-german-wehrmacht-oberstabsfeldwebel

Officer of the 9. SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen

An officer of the 9. SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen busies himself with administration on 20 September 1944. He was photographed at house no. 6 on the Dreijenseweg street, Oosterbeek, Netherlands.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/142697474557/an-officer-of-the-9-ss-panzer-division

SS-Sturmbannführer Dr. Egon Skalka

SS-Sturmbannführer Dr. Egon Skalka, chief medical officer of the Hohenstaufen Division, photographed in early 1945. Skalka was instrumental in arranging the truce to evacuate wounded from the Oosterbeek pocket to hospitals in Arnhem in September 1944, which resulted in the lives of many wounded British paratroopers being saved.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/142916927032/ss-sturmbannf%C3%BChrer-dr-egon-skalka-chief-medical

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

Waffen-SS Radio Operator

German field radio operator from SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord" in the northern sector of the Eastern Front. They are wearing SS-Palmenmuster camouflage smock.

Source :
http://www.panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6309&p=138571

Radio Operator from HJ Division in Normandy

A radio operator from the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" performs his duties near the town of Caen in July 1944 following the D-Day invasion that took place the previous month

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/140935166312/a-radio-operator-from-the-12-ss-panzer-division

HJ Division Soldiers with MG 42 in Normandy

Two soldiers from the 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" with a MG 42 machine gun position in the garden of a château in the Caen sector, Normandy, summer of 1944.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/140936898547/two-soldiers-from-the-12-ss-panzer-division

Sd.Kfz.251 of Hitlerjugend Division in Normandy

A Sd.Kfz.251 armored vehicle from the 12. SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend photographed in Normandy in the summer of 1944. On 11 July 1944, the Hitlerjugend Division turned over their positions in the Caen sector to Leibstandarte Division for a badly needed rest and perform much needed maintenance on their battered vehicles but during that time, they did not receive replacements in either men or equipment.

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/140938132567/a-sdkfz-251-armored-vehicle-from-the-12-ss

Erwin Rommel and Sepp Dietrich in Normandy

From left to right: Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe B) and SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Kommandierender General I. SS-Panzerkorps) photographed on the invasion front in Normandy, summer of 1944

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/141277708232/generalfeldmarschall-erwin-rommel-and

Staff of Luftgau-Kommando VI Münster in 1944

The staff of Luftgau-Kommando VI Münster in 1944. At that time, the commander was Generalleutnant Ernst Dörffler.

Source :
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Luftgaue/Luftgau6.htm

HQ of the Kommandantur in Paris

No Parking. Le Meurice Hotel, headquarters of the Kommandantur, Rue de Rivoli, Paris, 1941.

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138438356827/no-parking-le-meurice-hotel-headquarters-of-the

Danish Knight’s Cross winner SS-Obersturmführer Søren Kam

The Danish Knight’s Cross winner SS-Obersturmführer Søren Kam photographed after the presentation of the award. Kam, a veteran of the Wiking Division, won the Knight’s Cross for bravery during the Wiking’s battles in Poland’s ‘Wet Triangle’ in front of Warsaw, and was personally presented by Hitler in February 1945, thus becoming one of the three Danes to receive this award.

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138692506842/5sswiking-the-danish-knights-cross-winner

The Kam brothers in the Waffen-SS

The Kam brothers in the Waffen-SS (from left to right): Poul, Søren and Erik. The Danes were photographed in 1943 and they fought in the ranks of the Wiking Division.

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138570281717/the-kam-brothers-in-the-waffen-ss-from-left-to

Christian Frederik von Schalburg Giving a Speech in 1942

SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Frederik von Schalburg, the commanding officer of Frikorps Danmark, giving a speech in 1942. Note the Germania cuff title worn for serving in “Regiment Germania” of the Wiking Division in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138694654122/ss-sturmbannf%C3%BChrer-christian-frederik-von

Christian Frederik von Schalburg Surrounded by his Men

SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Frederik von Schalburg (center), commanding officer of Frikorps Danmark, surrounded by some of his men in 1942. In May 1942, the Danish volunteer unit was despatched to the front to support the Totenkopf Division and Heer units, which were involved in fierce defensive actions around Demyansk, south of Leningrad.

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http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138695658022/ss-sturmbannf%C3%BChrer-christian-frederik-von

Danish SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Frederik von Schalburg

Danish SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Frederik von Schalburg, the commanding officer of Frikorps Danmark, photographed in 1942. He joined Waffen-SS in September 1940 and served with the Wiking Division during Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Just three weeks after the outbreak of war with Soviet Union he was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class and a month later the Iron Cross First Class. Schalburg led Frikorps Danmark in the fighting in Soviet Union in the spring of 1942 until he fell on 2 June 1942 at age 36.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138698597062/danish-ss-sturmbannf%C3%BChrer-christian-frederik-von

Danish SS-Obersturmbannführer Knud Børge Martinsen

Danish SS-Obersturmbannführer Knud Børge Martinsen photographed in 1943. Martinsen joined Waffen-SS in May 1941, serving with Frikorps Danmark under Christian Frederich von Schalburg in Russia. After Schalburg’s death in June 1942, Martinsen took command of the unit and commanded it until March 1943. He was awarded the Infantry Assault Badge, the Wound Badge in Black and both classes of Iron Cross.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/138821156772/danish-ss-obersturmbannf%C3%BChrer-knud-b%C3%B8rge-martinsen