Captured German Kübelwagen in the Liberation of Paris

Image size: 1079 x 1600 pixel. 604 KB
Date: Saturday, 26 August 1944
Place: Paris, France
Photographer: Frank Scherschel

Paris, France, 26 August 1944: Car carrying journalists and photographers of YANK magazine give a ride to French partisan and unidentified woman during parade held the day after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops. They are using a captured VW Kübelwagen Typ 82, a light military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually became known internally as the Type 82. Kübelwagen is an abbreviation of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning "bucket-seat car" because all German light military vehicles that had no doors were fitted with bucket seats to prevent passengers from falling out. The first VW test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats, so acquiring the name VW Kübelsitzwagen that was later shortened to Kübelwagen. Mercedes, Opel and Tatra also built Kübel(sitz)wagens. The picture was taken by Frank Scherschel from LIFE magazine.

Source :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2100326/Stunning-rare-colour-images-World-War-II.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_K%C3%BCbelwagen
https://www.gettyimages.com/license/72430265
https://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.co.id/2018/04/captured-german-kubelwagen-in.html

The Death Of SS General Ernst Fick

Image size: 1600 x 1338 pixel. 466 KB
Date: Sunday, 29 April 1945
Place: Murnau, Southern Bavaria, germany
Photographer: Unknown

On April 29, 1945, during the Murnau Oflag (Offizierslager) VII-A assembly, a plane with Polish insignia had appeared in the sky, circled above the assembly square, tried to signal something and went away. Soon on the road to the camp appeared American tanks. At the same time from the other side of Murnau, two German cars approached. They stopped upon noticing the tanks. Germans had been taken by surprise. SS officer in the first car opened fire from the machine gun, at the same time his companion jumped out of the vehicle. Both men were killed on a spot by the Americans (SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve Max Teichmann and SS-officer Widmann). The same fate met the passangers of the second car. Among the dead Germans was SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Ernst Fick (in the above picture lies at left, while at right is his driver with the rank SS-Untersturmführer) who rides in the second car. His briefcase contained the letter signed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. It was an order to kill all 5,000 Polish POW officers encamped in Murnau! To execute this task Fick had had at his disposal an SS group in 40 armoured vehicles that started from Münich. Most likely the SS-man intended to assemble the POWs and killed them with the machine guns fire from guard's towers. After finishing off the Germans, one of the Americans' tank smashed the entrance gate and entered the assembly square. The representative of POWs welcomed American soldiers. He had addressed them in English. The commander of the tank shook his head and answered in Polish: " My name is Szewczyk, we came to liberate you". He was from Kalisz, Poland!

Source:
http://einestages.spiegel.de/external/ShowTopicAlbumBackgroundXXL/a26823/l16/l0/F.html

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=196178
http://www.forum-der-wehrmacht.de/thread.php?threadid=4895

http://www.sppw1944.org/index.html?http://www.sppw1944.org/powstanie/powstanie_oboz_eng.html

Rommel With 15. Panzer-Division Between Tobruk and Sidi Omar

Image size: 1600 x 1146 pixel. 300 KB
Date: Monday, 24 November 1941
Place: Between Tobruk and Sidi Omar, Libya
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Ernst A. Zwilling (KB-Kp. Lw. 7) (KB-Zug Lw. 18)

General der Panzertruppe Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (Kommandierender General Panzergruppe "Afrika") with the 15. Panzer-Division between Tobruk and Sidi Omar. Libya, November 24,1941. A tired and dispirited "Desert Fox" stands in the front of his Horch staff car during the great retreat after his momentarily defeat by the British in the Crusader offensive. The vehicle in th background is an SdKfz 260 armoured radio vehicle from the HQ signals unit. After Operation Battleaxe failed to relieve the siege of Tobruk in June 1941, British General Archibald Wavell was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle East by General Claude Auchinleck. Lieutenant General Cunningham, fresh from victory in East Africa, was given command of the new 8th Army, comprising 13th Corps, supplemented by a New Zealand division, and 30th Corps, incorporating South African troops. The Australian division garrisoning Tobruk was replaced by 70th Division, incorporating Polish troops. Rommel now headed the expanded Panzergruppe Afrika, incorporating the Deutsches Afrika Korps; he also had operational control over three Italian divisions. On 18 November, 30th Corps advanced through the southern desert, aiming to engage and destroy enemy tanks before turning north west to rendezvous with a breakout at Tobruk. By 21 November, both 30th Corps and 70th Division were pinned down by the artillery of Rommel's 90th Light Division. The situation was saved by the advance of 13th Corps, which began engaging enemy positions along the coast on 22 November; by 26 November 13th Corps' New Zealand Division had cleared a corridor between Tobruk and 30th Corps. Auchinleck now replaced Cunningham with Ritchie. The Deutsches Afrika Korps withdrew on 6 December, creating a new front line at Gazala, west of Tobruk. In December further skirmishes in western Cyrenaica, with heavy British losses, were followed by German withdrawal to Tripolitania. However, this apparently favourable British position was undermined by inadequate forward defences and an unrealistic assessment of Rommel's intentions. A massive and apparently unexpected counter attack in January destroyed British positions in the south and west, bringing Rommel back to Gazala. The gains of Operation Crusader had proved to be painfully limited.

Source:

NARA (National Archives) Identifier 540148 / Local Identifier 242-EAPC-6(M713a)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a1124993.shtml

Luftwaffe Kriegsberichter Recorded German Movement at Dinant

Image size: 1067 x 1600 pixel. 347 KB
Date: Wednesday, 15 May 1940
Place: Dinant, Namur, Belgium
Photographer: Inconnu

Cameraman from Lufwaffe Kriegsberichter 4. Kompanie (Lw. K.B.K. 4.) captured the German movement in Dinant, Belgium, mid-May 1940. The vehicle he used is Ford-V8 G81A (popularly known as Ford-Köln 1938). The German’s 5. Panzerkorps drove the Belgian and French screening forces through the Ardennes forest, then sought to cross the Meuse River near Dinant. A breakthrough here, as well as further south at Sedan, would split the Allied forces in two. A protracted and bloody battle was not in the German war plans...speed was of the essence...the blitzkrieg depended on it...Hitler demanded it! The French forces, caught off balance by the sudden attack, were initially aided by the terrain but not for long. Generalmajor Ercin Rommel (Kommandeur of 7. Panzer-Division) was a determined foe and the Meuse River was looked upon as only a temporary delay. It proved a little more than that and provided the vital time for the French armor division to move into the area despite harassing Ju-87 dive bombers and a lack of fuel and organization. The Panzers soon found how inferior their little armored tanks were against the likes of the Char B, which could split any of the panzer metal from long range. Even the lighter French tanks were as good or better. In fact, Rommel only had 24 Pz IV's, which could take on the French tanks. His remaining 68 Pz II or 91 Czech-38 were simply too weak in armor and and in gun.. The French 47mm gun could rip a Pz III apart from 1500 yds. However, the French use and slowness negated their armor and gun to a large extent. German tanks were faster and well commanded and could take on the French tanks by firing from the rear or flank. The Battle at Dinant was a tough fight, but across the sweeping vistas of France, the fast moving Germans caused a French command in chaos. Rommel would also have another surprise in another week or so at Arras. There, the British sent chills down the German command when Matilda IIs launched their counterattack. German fire simply bounced off their thick armor causing Rommel to get desperate. He ordered his four 88mm AA guns to be used at antitank weapons. The rest is history. Date is estimated.

Source:

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40898/rommel-in-france-dinant-may-1940

http://charlie59430.skyrock.com/27.html

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=532504860107322&set=o.303273499761263&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

Panzer-Regiment 11 Celebrates its First Birthday

Image size: 1600 x 1068 pixel. 396 KB
Date: Wednesday, 12 October 1938
Place: Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia
Photographer: Unknown

Panzer-Regiment 11 celebrates its first birthday, 12 October 1938, in the recently-occupied Sudetenland. Oberst Dipl.-Ing. Wilhelm Philipps (Regimentskommandeur) stands in his m.gl.Pkw. (mittlerer geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen) a.k.a. Kfz.12, flanked by Panzerkampfwagen II tanks, behind the two battalion's standards. Philipps (29 July 1894 - 13 February 1971) was the first Commandeur of the regiment (12 October 1937 - 1 January 1940), and the two Abteilung (Detachment) commander at the time are Major Friedrich Stephan (I.Abteilung) and Major Richard Koll (II.Abteilung). Panzer-regiment 11 Formed on 12 October 1937 with two Abteilung of three Kompanie each as independent Heerestruppen. The regiment was expanded to eight Kompanie on 10 November 1938. Mobilized with two Abteilung each with two light and one medical Kompanie and assigned to 1. leichte-Division on 1 August 1939. Assigned to 6. Panzer-Division on 18 October 1939. 4. And 8. Kompanie formed from elements of the disbanded Panzer-Abteilung 65 on 3 June 1942. I. Abteilung converted to Panther Abteilung with four Kompanie on 5 May 1943. I. Abteilung was sent to Eastern Front as an independent unit in 1944 and initially attached to 8. Panzer-Division. I. Abteilung returned to the regiment on 15 December 1944.

Source:

Helmut Ritgen photo collection

Book "The 6th Panzer Division: 1937-45" by Oberst a.D. Helmut Ritgen