SS NCO Ferdinand Breitfelder with Captured British Weapon

 

Image size: 2048 x 1362 pixel. 687 KB
Date: Saturday, 22 July 1944
Place: Montenegrin-Serbian border, Yugoslavia
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Ernst-Alexander Zwilling

SS-Hauptscharführer Ferdinand Breitfelder examines a captured British submachine gun in the company of Albanian soldiers from the battle group SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 21 shortly after the arrival of a companies of recruits from the SS-Skanderbeg Division to help I.Bataillon / SS-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 14, on 22 July 1944. A few days later, unit of Breitfelder would be surrounded by Tito's partisans, and he himself will be mortally wounded on the heights south of Andrijevica and will die from the consequences of his wounds in early August 1944. This picture itself was taken by veteran Kriegsberichter Ernst-Alexander Zwilling during "Unternehmen Draufgänger" (Operation Daredevil), a German Wehrmacht military operation against the Yugoslav Partisans at the Montenegrin-Serbian border area, aimed at breaking the Partisan foothold on the Lim river which was a potential penetration point into Serbia.

Source :
ECPAD Archives
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Draufg%C3%A4nger
https://www.facebook.com/groups/691098008051629/permalink/1025552444606182/?__cft__[0]=AZWtYgzBGoVpbdLbEaNS_viXPahYJmbQ2Rq0CpE0NBNpbGnJu7zX21dthnKGAn0vsXoM1-tXJP1xl4ReP2u9oYr666tMisoyZqDyCSliHUcZnjTWnToQWU_ZgODos7-L5n-gbSt9Q5Wle7lTHy0qijhE&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
https://reibert.info/threads/21-ja-gornaja-divizija-ss-skanderbeg-21-waffen-gebirgs-division-der-ss-skanderbeg-alb-nr-1.281809/

Tank of SS Prinz Eugen in Split Croatia

Image size: 1600 x 1018 pixel. 151 KB
Date: Monday, 27 September 1943
Place: Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia
Photographer: Dr. Gruber

Armoured units of the SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen" and the Grenadier-Regiment 92 passing through the streets of the newly-captured city of Split, Croatia, during Operation Achse. In the foreground: A French-built Hotchkiss H38 tank (captured by the Germans after 1940) of the "Prinz Eugen" Division's armoured company, photographed from a vehicle of the 92nd Grenadier Regiment. Operation Achse (German: Fall Achse, "Case Axis"), originally called Operation Alaric (German: Unternehmen Alarich), was the codename for the German plan to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces after the armistice with the Allies in 1943. Several German divisions had entered Italy after the fall of Benito Mussolini in July 1943, while Italy was officially still an ally of Germany, despite the protests of the new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio. The Armistice of Cassibile was made public on 8 September. German forces moved rapidly to take over the Italian zones of occupation in the Balkans and southern France, and to disarm Italian forces in Italy. In some cases, the Italian troops, that had no superior orders and suffered many desertions, resisted the Germans, most notably in the Greek island of Cephalonia, where over 5,100 men of the 33rd Acqui Division were massacred after running out of ammunition and surrendering; in Rome, after the royal family and the government had fled, a disorganized defense by the Italian troops stationed around the capital was unable to defeat the German attack. Additionally, individual soldiers or whole units, like the 24th Pinerolo Division in Thessaly, went over to the local resistance movements. Only in Sardinia, Corsica, Calabria and in the southern part of Apulia were Italian troops able to offer successful resistance and hold off the Germans until relieved by the arrival of the Allies.

Source :
http://bandenkampf.blogspot.com/2015/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Split
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Achse

German Tank Crew Surrendered to New Zealand Troops

Image size: 1600 x 1158 pixel. 64.3 KB
Date: Wednesday, 3 December 1941
Place: Near Tobruk, Cyrenaica, Libya
Photographer: Unknown

A captured Matilda put into use by the German forces, is recaptured and its crew taken prisoner by New Zealand troops, 3 December 1941 during Operation Crusader. On 18 November 1941, Operation Crusader was launched to lift the Siege of Tobruk (the third such attack), under the command of General Alan Cunningham and the New Zealand 2nd Division (integrated into the British Eighth Army) took part in the offensive, crossing the Libyan frontier into Cyrenaica. Operation Crusader was an overall success for the British, although Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps inflicted heavy armour and infantry losses before its weakened and under supplied units retreated to El Agheila and halted the British advance. The New Zealand troops were the ones to relieve Tobruk after fighting around Sidi Rezegh, where Axis tanks had inflicted heavy casualties against the several New Zealand infantry battalions, protected by very little of their own armour. In February, 1942, With Crusader completed, the New Zealand government insisted that the Division be withdrawn to Syria to recover - 879 men were killed and 1700 wounded in Operation Crusader, the most costly battle the Division fought in the Second World War!

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_II
http://www.privateletters.net/allies_newzealand.html

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

Jagdtiger Abandoned in Neustadt

Image size: 1600 x 1035 pixel. 563 KB
Date: Friday, 23 March 1945
Place: Landauer Strasse, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Photographer: Unknown
 

Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf.B mit 12,8cm PaK 44 L/55 "Jagdtiger"(Sd.Kfz.186) Nr. 331 of schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653 after she was abandoned in Landauer Strasse in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. The vehicles are shown here being examined by American soldiers from the 10th Armored Division, on 23 March 1945. Leutnant Kasper Geoggler commanded the Jagdtiger No.331, also the third Kampfgruppe from 3.Kompanie / sPzJg.Abt.653. Geoggler had nerves of steel, and was very keen to prove himself. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold) on 10 May 1943 whilst fighting on the Eastern Front. He had already had several kills to his credit with his Jagdtiger. In 22 March 1945, Geoggler had three Jagdtigers including his own placed into a good position north of Neustadt with a commmanding view of the approach roads to the town. From camouflage postions, the three Jagdtigers engaged in U.S. tank column; the first and last vehicles were shot up followed by the rest. The Shermans and M10 tank destroyer returned fire. Two Jagdtigers - Geoggler's and another, No.323 - were hit ten times between them. They withdrew into Neustadt. After the battle, 25 US tanks were claimed destroyed, while none of the Jagdtiger crew suffered any serious injuries! The thick sloping-armor had done its job.

Source:

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2015/01/jagdtiger-no331-of-leutnant-kasper.html

Char B1 Flammenwerfer Before Operation Barbarossa

Image size: 1600 x 1190 pixel. 334 KB
Date: Monday, 23 June 1941
Place: Lwow Voivodeship, Poland
Photographer: Unknown

French-designed Char B1 bis tanks (Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B2 (F) in German service) of Panzerabteilung (F) 102 captured by the Germans in the Battle of France move up to the front during Operation Barbarossa. These tanks have been modified with the same flammenwerfer-Spritzkopf (flamethrower spray head) system designed for the Panzer II in the place of the hull-mounted 75mm (3-inch) main gun. The Germans took as much captured equipment as they could from occupied countries. Reichskanzler (Reichchancellor) Adolf Hitler, shown the plans for the Panzer II flammenwerfer, wanted a heavier armored vehicle for flame operations. The French Char B1 bis was already being used as a police tank around the German-held territories, and the Germans had taken over the maintenance facilities to paint the tanks in German colors and markings and repair them. On May 26, 1941, Hitler approved the formation of Panzerabteilung (F) 102 consisting of two Schwere Flammkompanie (Heavy Flame Companies) of 12 flammenwerfer tanks and three unmodified Char B1 bis with the 75mm gun still in place. This unit was to work closely with the German Pioneeren (combat engineers) reducing Soviet fortifications. Serving under Armee-Oberkommando 17, Panzerabteilung (F) 102 was attached to the 296th Infantry Division for the assault on Wielki Dzial Mountain, Poland (now Ukraine), one of many border fortresses established by the Soviets. On June 29, the flammpanzers, supported by 88mm (3.5 inch) flak guns firing depressed against surface targets, attacked the Soviet positions on June 29, losing three flammpanzers. On July 27, Panzerabteilung (F) 102 was disbanded, but sixty Panzerkampfwagen B2 (F) were modified with a new pressurized flamethrower system and served with Panzerabteilung 223 (Eastern Front); Panzerbrigade 100 (Western Front); and SS "Prinz Eugen" (Yugoslavia). Panzerkampfwagen B2 (F) flammpanzers were encountered by Allied paratroopers at Osterbeek during Operation Market-Garden.

Oberleutnant Friedrich Winkler Gives Order Near the Barrikady Factory Stalingrad

Image size: 1600 x 1048 pixel. 279 KB
Date: Wednesday, 11 November 1942
Place: Stalingrad, Stalingrad Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Kurt Heine

"So machen wir's: 1. Zug link, 2. Zug rechts!" Oberleutnant Friedrich Winkler (last rank Hauptmann) from 6.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 577 / 305.Infanterie-Division gives orders to his men near the "Barrikady" Gun Factory, in the north sector of Stalingrad, Russia, 11 November 1942. Friedrich Konrad Winkler was born on the 22nd of August, 1909 in Worms (one of the oldest cities in Germany situated on the Rheine river). He was a professional soldier with 12 years of service known in the German Army as a "Zwölfender". He was promoted to Oberleutnant on the 1st of November 1941 and later promoted to Hauptmann on the 1st December 1942. He transferred to the 305. Infanterie-Division in mid 1942 from his previous unit Infanterie-Regiment 56. He initially served in the Stabskompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 577 (from the 15th of October Grenadier-Regiment 577) but later he took command of 6th company in the Regiment during the fighting in Barrikady Gun Factory in northern Stalingrad. The Grenadier-Regiment 577 was destroyed in January 1943 in Stalingrad. Friedrich Konrad Winkler was captured in Stalingrad in Febuary and died soon after, in the age of 34. He was awarded the: Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, Iron Cross 2nd Class (although it is not seen on his uniform but to award the 1st Class the soldier must have the 2nd), 1st Class, Wound Badge in Silver, Medal for the Winter Campaign in Russia 1941 / 1942, and the War Merit Cross 2nd Class (the last 2 can be seen on the the soldier’s right side, above his pocket). As you can see, the Infantry Assault Badge is broken. Breaking the assault badge was commonly done by the Stalingrad veterans as a indication that earning the assault badge in Stalingrad was a different level of achievement than earning it somewhere else. Operation Hubertus - The Assault on the “Red House” 11th November 1942. Historical Overview: The German Sixth Army had driven the Soviet 62nd Army back through the streets of Stalingrad, and by the start of November 1942 was in sight of the Volga. One more push in the factory area would see the end of the Russian resistance in the city. Unfortunately, German casualties in reaching this point had been heavy, with many units reduced to 25% of their summer strength. Von Paulus asked for another Infantry Division to finish the job, what he got was five battalions of Pioneers and some non too subtle pressure from Hitler to get on with it. On the Russian side things are even worse, with the defending regiments in reality having the strength of companies, holding on to a thin strip of land on the West bank of the Volga. The new German plan of attack was designated Operation Hubertus, and called for the Pioneer to assault a series of Soviet strong points and then push on to the Volga. The first stage objective for the 50th Panzer Pioneer Battalion was the Administration Building of the Barrikady gun factory, known to the Germans as “The Red House”. For more information about other picture from this scene: http://ww2images.blogspot.com/2013/01/german-soldier-at-ruins-of-stalingrad.html

Source:

Book "Island Of Fire: The Battle For the Barrikady Gun Factory In Stalingrad November 1942 - February 1943" by Jason D. Mark

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spzabt/6546424079/

Japanese Tanks on Corregidor

Image size: 1600 x 1204 pixel. 417 KB
Date: Wednesday, 6 May 1942
Place: West Entrance, Malinta Tunnel, Fort Mills, Corregidor, Philippines
Photographer: Mukai (possibly)

 A captured M-3 light tank and two Type 97 Kai medium tanks of the Matsuoka Detatchment, 7th Tank Regiment (Sensha Rentai in Japanese) outside the West Entrance of Malinta Tunnel after the surrender on Corregidor. Note captured Navy Dodge ambulance with Japanese Kanji (probably "Mukai Photo" but unclear if that is on the vehicle or added later). When the Japanese landed in Lingayen Gulf in December 1941, Colonel Seinosuke Sonoda (1895-April 6, 1942) the commander of the 7th Tank Regiment quickly alerted his superiors in Japan that the 57mm (2.24 inch) main gun on the Type 89b tanks were inadequate to defeat the armor on the American M-3 light tank. Sonoda was aware of the Type 1 47mm (1.85 inch) anti-tank gun produced in 1941, and urged that it be mated to a new tank design. As a stopgap measure the Japanese put the Type 1 gun into a new turret for the Type 97 Chi-Ha ("Medium [Tank] Third [Design]) from 1937. The turret was redesigned and manufactured by Mitsubishi and the new tank was accepted into service at the Akabane Arsenal, which delivered the new tank to the 2nd Tank Regiment. The new tank was designated the Type 97 Kai ("Restoration") and later the Shinhoto ("New Turret"). In early March 1942, a composite unit of personnel from the 2nd Tank Regiment and the Chiba Tank School were rushed through a familiarization course with the Type 97 Kai and left Japan on March 20, arriving in the Philippines nine days later. Major Hisashi Matsuoka (died June 5, 1942), the detachment commander, affected the link up with the main body of the 7th Tank Regiment on April 1, just in time to assist with the final assault on the Allies' Bataan garrison. Sonoda himself was killed in action on April 6 and Matsuoka took command. He was quickly invalided - most of the 7th Tank Regiment had dysentery or dengue fever - and sent to the hospital. The actual landing on Corregidor on the night of May 5, 1942, fell to the commander of the 2nd Chutai (squadron), Captain Hideo Ho. Ho selected a captured American M-3 tank as his mount while Lieutenant Shigeo Tsuchida and Lieutenant Takahisa drove Type 97 Kais. The Matsuoka Detachment embarked from Lamao. Type 95 light tanks under Lieutenant Akio Waizaumi never made it to the beach. Private First Class Silas K. Barnes of the 4th Marines heard the boat motors from his machine gun position on Infantry Point and for a few moments was able to hit the approaching landing craft that were illuminated by the search lights. He effectively enfiladed Cavalry Beach and cut down many of the Japanese soldiers as they came ashore. The Japanese struggled in the layers of oil that covered the beaches from ships sunk earlier in the siege and experienced great difficulty in landing personnel and equipment. Barnes's gun and one other machine gun position were all that remained of thirteen machine guns from Infantry Point to North Point. The rest had been destroyed by the Japanese bombardment. Tank commander Teruo Izami, in one of the other Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks, later told the Domei New Agency that his tank was hit over 200 times before a "huge shell struck the port side of our boat forcing it to settle gradually. As there was no time to lower our tank, our crew, armed with pistols, swords, and hand grenades plunged into the water." Izami and his crew were wounded and exhausted; they were evacuated to Bataan the next day. Only Captain Ho's three tanks - his one M-3 and two Type 97 Kais - made it ashore. The beach was very rocky and faced a steep cliff. The infantry quickly moved on to engage the Americans. The Type 97s could not climb the cliff, but the American M-3 could. Once Captain Ho's tank surmounted the cliff, he pulled the two Type 97 Kais up by 0830 Hours. At 0900, Master Gunnery Sergeant John Mercurio reported to Malinta Tunnel the presence of enemy armor. Mercurio would die a prisoner of war during the bombing of the "hell ship" Enoura Maru on January 9, 1945. At 1000 4th Marines on the north beaches watched as the Japanese began an attack with their tanks, which moved in concert with light artillery support. Barnes fired on the tanks with his machine gun to no effect. He watched helplessly as they began to take out the American positions. He remembered the Japanese tanks' guns "looked like mirrors flashing where they were going out and wiping out pockets of resistance where the Marines were." The Marines had nothing in operation heavier than automatic rifles to deal with the enemy tanks. Barnes was bayoneted in his position and captured, but he would survive the war as a prisoner of the Japanese. Captain Ho and his tanks began to methodically eliminate American positions with direct fire from their tanks. The Type 97 Kais engaged American soldiers at the Japanese-designated "Sakura position" near Water Tank Hill. They began to climb towards Malinta Tunnel and the Japanese tankers could see Topside and Mile Long Barracks. Allied General Jonathan M. Wainwright had decided to surrender at 1200 Hours. Wainwright agonized over his decision and later wrote, "It was the terror vested in a tank that was the deciding factor. I thought of the havoc that even one of these beasts could wreak if it nosed into the tunnel, where lay our helpless wounded and their brave nurses." Men in Malinta Tunnel were told that tanks were about to breach the complex. Signal Corps radio operator Irving Strobing (March 24, 1920 - July 8, 1997) later wrote, "Someone said a Jap tank was coming up the road to the tunnel, and we all figured he would just drive down the main part of the tunnel and turn the turret from side to side and shoot down and kill us all. So I went to the back of Lateral 12 to take cover. But then they said the tank wasn't coming, and we were called out into the main tunnel for the surrender formalities, and some Jap officers appeared." Strobing survived the war. The disposition of the tanks landed on May 5-6, 1942 is not known. This image appeared in Hitō Hakengun ("Philippine Expeditionary Force") a pictorial history of the Japanese invasion published in Manila in 1943. 930 Type 97 Kai medium tanks were built through 1943. They engaged American M4 Shermans during the Marianas battles in June 1944 and again on Luzon in 1945. The Type 97 Chi-Ha Shinhoto were no match for the American M4 Sherman tanks of the United States Army and Marines. Thanks to www.axishistory.com for their assistance researching this photo!

Source:

Hito Hakengun 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii2285

Panther Ausf G Abandoned in the Ardennes

Image size: 1600 x 1200 pixel. 507 KB
Date: Wednesday, 27 December 1944
Place: Grandmenil, Manhay, Belgium
Photographer: Unknown

Panzerkampfwagen V Panther ausf G abandoned during the Ardennes Offensive. This Panther, Fahrgestellnummer (Hull Number) 121163, was built at Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg Aktiengesellschaft (MAN AG, a public company) in Kassel in October 1944. Shipped to the Western Front, it joined the planned panzers strength for "Wacht Am Rein." Panthers made up the bulk of the tank strength; seven panzer divisions were assigned to the attack. Decription from Robert H. Mabes Company M, 289th: The next morning there was a shooting from the basements. We asked for support of a tank who started shooting at it. The Germans weren’t gone, they sat in the basements. After the shelling, the Germans gave up and surrendered. I do not know how I was able to grab my camera, but I took pictures while they were surrendering. Later, the developed film was stolen and I have only a few photos. The next day we caught chickens and scheduled them. On December 27 the mess sergeant rode through the village, screaming from his jeep that Christmas dinner was to be prepared. He ran into a mine and there goes our dinner. 10.00: There were about 180 prisoners and there were about 100 Germans slain. The Germans lost many vehicles in the immediate vicinity of Grandmenil: three tanks near the roadblocks north of the village, a Mark III tank, two half-tracks and fifteen Mark IV tanks. The prisoners were reinforcements from the 2nd SS Panzer Das Reich, which had defended the village. On American side were 137 deaths, including 7 officers. In the morning of December 27 the Americans had to hold Grandmenil at all cost. A period of defensive organization followed, which lasted until the battalion was transferred. This was on January 4, 1945 Company I just put a defense on the edge of the village in an arc connected to the Grandmenil-Manhay Highway, (on the left of it.) to the Y-junction (Route de Bomal) 500 meters further away. The platoon discovered that they had dug in on an American anti-tank minefield that was nowhere mentioned. They moved to the front to the edge of Grandmenil. Compagnie I dug in at an arc connected on the right highway to a point north of the cemetery. Company K groove is on a slope, where they had sight of the north west positions. They were affiliated with Company I and L on the flanks. There was made a complete minefield around the village. The mines weren’t buried and were later recovered when the Allied counter-offensive began in January 1945. Daisy Chains (interlinked anti-tank mines, which can be laid rapidly on the road) were placed on all roads and country lanes entering the village. In the minefield, double rolls of barbed wire (concertina) were placed. Also much time was spent to detect American buried mines, which were distributed over the fields and the caused injuries. Cattle and horses caused continuously explosions because they walked through the village. The animals were kept in the cemetery and they were cared for daily. Needless to say that the battalion enjoyed the milk and as an occasional steak. The Germans had defended Grandmenil at all cost. After their departure, they did not mak any attempt to recapture the village again. Occasionally there was artillery or mortars shot at. But the enemy had other plans to capture the important road to Erezée. The above suggests that the Germans had no more interest in Grandmenil. But: the Germans wanted a detour and recapture Erezée and Grandmenil. What followed was the, so called, “Sad Sack affair”.

Source:

http://www.grandmenil.com/grandmenil-wednesday-december-27-1944/

Children Playing with Panzer Tiger in France

Image size: 1600 x 1163 pixel. 522 KB
Date: Late 1944
Place: Strasbourg, France
Photographer: Unknown

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E (Sd.Kfz.181) turmnummer 222 of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 in front of the Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, France, late 1944. This is a very early production vehicle and still wearing transport tracks. The 2.Kompanie/schwere Panzer-Abteilung 504 was sent to Sicily in April 1943. These first 9 Tigers were joined by two replacement Tigers that were supposed to go to the schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 in Africa and 6 more to reinforce the island. 10 were destroyed by Naval Gunfire and 6 scuttled to prevent capture. Only Tiger #222 escaped to Italy. Details: 17/08/1943: The last operating Tiger, number 222, was ferried across the Stretto di Messina. The unit lost all the other Tigers in Sicily; 22/08/1943: After some days, Tiger 222 had to be abandoned too, due to a mechanical breakdown in the winding roads of Calabri.

Source:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152110867560752&set=o.303273499761263&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

Panzer IVs Pass Knocked Out Universal Carrier

Image size: 1600 x 1066 pixel. 437 KB
Date: Wednesday, 1 July 1942
Place: North Africa
Photographer: Unknown

Two Deutsche Afrikakorps Panzer IV ausf F including turmnummer (turret number) 413 pass a knocked-out captured Carden Lloyd Universal Carrier Mark 1 serial number T33417 armed with a Boys .55 caliber (13.9mm) anti-tank gun. The Universal Carrier is painted in the Caunter camouflage scheme, which used grey, blue, black, sand, and brown paint, or whatever was available, to form straight angular lines that were thought to "dazzle" whomever saw the vehicle in the desert, making it hard to judge size and distance. The Carrier has a Nazi flag over it to prevent an air attack by friendly German aircraft; this was common practice to mark captured vehicles with the Swastika flag. Panzerarmee Afrika had more captured vehicles than most other German units, because of lack of supplies. The Panzer IVs, especially the early ausf G models with a longer 75mm KwK 40 L/43 (3 inch) gun, contributed greatly to the Germans' mobility and firepower. Only the M3 Grant/Lee and the M4 Sherman tanks were able to penetrate their armor, and often only with a shot to the rear. The British cruiser tanks and the American M3 Stuart were totally unable to stop the Panzer IV. The Panzer IV ausf G could stop any Allied tank before the tank was in range. The British called the ausf G the "Mark IV Special." After the war the early versions were called the ausf F2. At the second Battle of El Alamein, Rommel had eight Panzer IVs with 75mm KwK 37 L/24 gun and 30 Panzer IV with a long 75mm KwK 40 L/43 gun. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0137

The Remains of Russian Tanks Collected by the Germans

Image size: 1600 x 856 pixel. 456 KB
Date: Thursday, 18 June 1942
Place: Soviet Union
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Hahn from SS-PK (Propaganda-Kompanie)

The remains of Russian tanks collected by the Germans. The two tanks in the foreground have a curious construction on top, seemingly from a rocketlauncher or so. It is Soviet BM-8-24 self-propelled gun with Katyusha multiple rocket launchers. It's a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver a devastating amount of explosives to a target area more quickly than conventional artillery, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. They are fragile compared to artillery guns, but are inexpensive and easy to produce. Katyushas of World War II, the first self-propelled artillery mass-produced by the Soviet Union, were usually mounted on trucks. This mobility gave the Katyusha (and other self-propelled artillery) another advantage: being able to deliver a large blow all at once, and then move before being located and attacked with counter-battery fire.

Source:

http://incredibleimages4u.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-rare-images-of-german-army-on.html

Jagdpanzer 38 of 11. Panzer-Division and Panzerjäger-Abteilung 553

Image size: 1600 x 1041 pixel. 556 KB
Date: Monday, 7 May 1945
Place: Černá v Pošumaví, Český Krumlov District, South Bohemian Region, Czechoslovakia
Photographer: US Army photographer

7 May 1945. The war is over for these Jagdpanzer 38s. This image was shot by a US Army cameraman attached to the US 26th Infantry Division. The graffiti on the side of the Jagdpanzer is interesting. It is thought that the series of photo was shot in Černá v Pošumaví (then known as Schwarzbach) on the Czech/Austrian border and shows the surrender of mixed elements of both 11. Panzer-Division and Panzerjäger-Abteilung (Pz.Jg.Abt.) 553 to the 16th S&R Platoon/101st Infantry Regiment/26th Infantry Division. This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a cover on the muzzle.

Source:

"Panzerwrecks: German Armour 1944-45" magazine 3rd edition by Lee Archer and William Auerbach

French Troops Supported by American Tanks During the Fighting of the Italian Campaigns

Image size: 1600 x 1055 pixel. 464 KB
Date: Sunday, 14 May 1944
Place: Ausonia, Frosinone province, Italy
Photographer: George Silk

Free French colonial troops supported by American tanks during the fighting of the Italian campaigns, May 1944 (LIFE has wrongfully captioned the month as August 1944!). They passed in front of abandoned Italian M42 Semovente 75/18 850(i) from German Panzerjäger-Abteilung 171/71.Infanterie-Division "Kleeblatt" (Cloverleaf). The Airfix White M3 Halftrack comes with an optional "canvas tilt" piece to cover the back (omitting the Five-oh and mount), and Red Cross markings. These Free French Forces will be some of General Alphonse Juin's mainly colonial troops who cut a swathe through Italy in more ways than one. The French Expeditionary Corps advances into the Ausente Valley, capturing Ausonia, and continue to advance over the Aurunci Mountains toward the next German defensive line, which is not occupied in strength at this time. In December 1943, the 2.Kompanie (also known as StuG Abteilung 1171) has 4 Semovente 75/18 and 10 Semovente 75/34. In the spring of 1944 the 71. Infanterie-Division (Generalleutnant Wilhelm Raapke) moved in central Italy, south west of Cassino. During May-June retreat, division took severe losses and moved to Adriatic sector. On 8th July 1944, the only 3 available  M42 SP fought in Filottrano and in Ancona.

Source:
LIFE photo collection
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/80ae46c55ea6d803.html

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf G Abandoned by Their Crews

Image size: 1600 x 889 pixel. 468 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 December 1942
Place: Caucasus, Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

Panzerkampfwagen IV ausf G abandoned by their crews on the Russian steppe. The ausf G had a more advanced, high velocity 75mm gun that could defeat the armor of the Soviet T-34. The coming of the Fall rains left vehicles mired in mud. If the vehicles, even tanks, could not be moved, they were abandoned if the enemy was advancing. The Soviets used the weather to their advantage, planning offensives to coincide with rains or blizzards. Often the weather was so bad that neither side could conduct offensive operations. Reichchancellor Adolf Hitler disbelieved Feldmarschall Heinz Guderian when the General reported how much explosives were needed to blast through the frozen ground to dig trenches and fortifications during the winter of 1941!

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii131

German Pioneer Officer at the Ruins of Stalingrad

Image size: 1600 x 1075 pixel. 370 KB
Date: Friday, 16 October 1942
Place: Stalingrad, Stalingrad Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Kurt Heine

Hauptmann (note missing pips on his right shoulder!) Dipl.-Ing. Wilhelm Traub, Kommandeur of Pionier-Bataillon 305/305.Infanterie-Division, take cover among the rubble of the gun factory "Barrikady", Stalingrad, before Operation Hubertus (9-12 November 1942). Note the 1938 Soviet Amoeba camouflage cover (green base) of the officer's helmet, of little use in an urban environment, and the captured Russian PPSh-41 (Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina) sub machine gun, an excellent weapon that remained in use well after the end of the war. The few remaining parts of Krasnaya Barrikady (Red Barricades) ordnance factory was defended by shattered units of Russian 138th, 308th, and parts of 244th Rifle Division. They held less than 10% of that factory. At the time of the attack, Pionier Bataillons 305 had been already fighting for weeks in Stalingrad and they were down to more or less company sized battlegroups! Wilhelm Traub (Dipl. Ing.) was born on the 14th November 1895 in Helmstedt. He was the much loved Bataillonsführer of Pi.Btl.305 which he took command of on the 16th October 1942. He started the war with Pi.Btl.22 were he would climb through the ranks to Hauptmann. Missing in action 5th January 1943 and posthumously promoted to Major in 1944.

Source:
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/09/album-foto-pertempuran-stalingrad.html
http://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/archives/barchpic/search/_1358010608/?search[view]=detail&search[focus]=6
http://www.stalingrad.net/german-hq/operation-hubertus/hubertus.htm
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/btl305#announcements/detail/974100094305481282
http://waralbum.ru/25218/

Red Army Soldiers Ride Panzer III

Image size: 1600 x 1032 pixel. 819 KB
Date: September 1941
Place: Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Lee

Red Army soldiers ride Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.J in a liberated village. The tank belonged to the 18. Panzer-Division of the Wehrmacht and was captured by Soviet soldiers in Bryansk Front in September 1941. From 1941 to 1943, Russians captured large numbers of PzKpfw III, Sturmgeschutz III (known to them as ArtSturm) and PzKpfw IV. Some were pressed into temporary service, used as Trojan Horses or as bait until they broke down or ran out of ammunition. Most were captured after they were out of fuel and ammunition, so supplies at the front were low. Some were converted to assault guns designated SU-76i and SG-122A (SU(Samokhodnaja Ustanovka, "self-propelled gun"; i for inostranny, "foreign"; and Samochodnaya Gaubitza, "assault gun"). Some 201 SU-76is were produced from March to November of 1943 at Factory #37 in Sverdlovsk. SU-76i had its debut in July of 1943 at Kursk and served in both tank and light mechanized gun regiments of the Red Army. Germans encountered first examples of SU-76i (from 177th Tank Regiment of the 64th Mechanised Brigade) in October of 1943. Some were recaptured by the Germans as Stug 76mm and pressed into service against their former users. The Department of Weaponry of the Red Army, ordered in late 1944: "It is suggested to the Red Army to use such German tanks as StuG III and Pz IV due to their relability and availability of spare parts. The new German Panther and Tiger can be used until they broken down without trying to repair them. They have bad engines, transmission and suspension." 

Source:

http://albumwar2.com/component/content/article/35-gallery/6450-captured-german-tank-pzkpfw-iii-ausfj-in-liberated-russian-village-2

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii117

Messerschmitt Me 262-1a/U3 Schwalbe in Flight

Image size: 1600 x 1042 pixel. 426 KB
Date: Thursday, 15 August 1946
Place: Dayton, Ohio, USA
Photographer: Unknown

Messerschmitt Me-262-1a/U3 Schwalbe reconnaissance jet aircraft. T-2-4012 can be seen under the tail. It's werk nummer is unknown, but it is stated that this particular machine was originally produced as a reconnaissance variant, and later flew with Kommando Braunegg carrying a white number '25' in service. She was surrendered to American Forces at Lechfeld, Germany in May 1945. Originally one of the machines captured in Germany by Air Technical Intelligence Group (TAIC) crews under Colonel Harold E. Watson. The plane was given the number 444 by "Watson's Whizzers" Operation Lusty (Luftwaffe Secret Technology) brought captured German aircraft to the United States for flight testing aboard escort carrier HMS Reaper in July 1946. T-2-4012 was flight tested at Wright Field in through 1946 and then handed over to the Hughes Aircraft Company for maintenance. Howard Hughes considered the airframe for the 1947 Bendix Air Races, but since the plane performed better than the American P-80 Shooting Stars that were also competing, the government disallowed the Me-262 from competition. The airframe was shipped to the Glendale Aeronautical School to train mechanics. In 1954 the plane was rescued from being scrapped by the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, where it resides now. It has inaccurate camouflage and the incorrect werk nummer of 111617. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii102

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe Over Dayton, Ohio

Image size: 1600 x 1042 pixel. 426 KB
Date: Saturday, 1 December 1945
Place: Dayton, Ohio, USA
Photographer: Unknown

This aircraft is a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe (W.Nr.111711) and was surrendered at Frankfurt/Rhine-Main by defecting Messerschmitt test pilot Hans Fay on March 31, 1945. It was the first intact Me 262 to fall into Allied hands! Fay, a civilian test pilot, extended his undercarriage to indicate he was surrendering. USAAF General Henry "Hap" Arnold met with Fay on April 4, 1945, and recommended that Fay be brought to the United States to fly 111711 in flight testing. It was shipped to Wright Field where it was referred to as "711" or "T2-711" and test flown a total of 12 times before suffering an engine fire and crashed on 20th August 1946 at Xenia, Ohio. Tests revealed that the Me-262 was superior in most respects to the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the premiere American jet fighter. The results of the tests were surpressed by the US Army Air Force. 

Source:
US Air Force
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/050606-F-1234P-055.jpg
http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii101

Tiger of Großdeutschland with Two Soldiers and Captured Soviet Anti-Tank Guns

Image size: 1600 x 1140 pixel. 269 KB
Date: Thursday, 10 August 1944
Place: Vilkaviškis (Wilkowischken), Marijampolė, Lithuania
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Pfeiffer from PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) Division Großdeutschland

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I Ausf.E "B12" from 11. Kompanien/III.Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 'Großdeutschland', passes close to a Russian anti tank guns 76 mm M1942 (ZiS-3) on the road, while two Obergefreiter watching the sky. Based on the book "God, Honor, Fatherland: A Photo History of Panzergrenadier Division 'Grossdeutschland' on the Eastern Front 1942-1944" by Thomas McGuirl and Remy Spezzano, this picture was taken in the region of  Wilkowischken, Lithuania, in 10 August 1944 (some sources, including Bundesarchiv, places this as 23 September 1943 in Kharkov-Poltava, Ukraine). This vehicle (and the pic below from the same scene, Tiger S01) has got the all-steel (without rubber) road wheels, and this version came into production in february 1944. The Germans captured thousands of ZiS-3 along with captured armored vehicles and modified them into self-propelled guns. Some guns were supplied to the Afrikakorps. The Germans liked the 76.2mm guns for their reliability, durability, and accuracy they found out, it could knock-out light and medium tanks with its armor-piercing round but, against the Tiger and Panther, it made the lives hard for the Russian gun crews. The troops could be looking at the Stukas taking out targets ahead of them. The troop (soldier) on the right looks like he's carrying a MG34 with link belted ammo around his neck, armed with a walther P-38 or Luger 08 pistol in his holster. The other soldier looks like he is a Gefreiter (Lance Corporal or Obergefreiter Corporal) because he's got the field glasses around his neck, sidearm same as the private walther P-38, or Luger 08 Pistol, looks like he's armed with a MP-40 9mm Sub-machine gun. The Tiger behind them, is there for comfort: Don't leave home without it!

Source:

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-732-0138-14

http://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=9731
http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1194214865/1194308515/Most+likely+turret+numbers+for+command+Tigers...-