Knocked-Out Sd.Kfz.250 of Swedish SS Volunteer at Berlin

Image size: 1600 x 1238 pixel. 524 KB
Date: Wednesday, 2 May 1945
Place: Friedrichstraße, Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Mark Redkin

This famous picture by Soviet photographer Mark Redkin shows the knocked out command vehicle (Leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen Sd.Kfz.250 "Neue") of the Swedish SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans-Gösta Pehrsson, commander of the so called "Schwedenkompanie" (3.Kompanie / Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11 / 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland), at Friedrichstraße in Berlin. The body lying to the right of the vehicle appears to be Pehrssons dead driver, the Swede SS-Unterscharführer Ragnar Olof "Giraffen" Johansson. The escape attempt took place the night between May 1 – 2 1945. The above halftrack with licence plate 'SS 900915' was manned by the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11. They came under heavy Soviet fire at Friedrichstraße. The driver SS-Unterscharführer Johansson was killed and the Swedish SS-Hauptsturmführer Pehrsson, commander of the very same vehicle, later identified the fallen in this photograph as his driver Ragnar Johansson. Pehrsson himself was wounded, but he managed to get away from the Soviets at the time. Fortunately, Pehrsson had time to get rid of his uniform jacket and changed into a Wehrmacht one before being taken prisoner. He was sent to a prison camp, which he managed to escape from. He then hide himself in an apartment in Berlin. After a while, he met another SS-man and together they walked to the British occupation zone and from there they were able to get back to Sweden. BTW, the researcher Lennart Westberg positioned the place for the photo to be Friedrichstraße 107 with the walls of the guardhouse in the backround, 200m north of the river Spree..

Source:

"Twilight of the Gods: A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, Eastern Front 1944-45" by  Thorolf Hillblad and Erik Wallin
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=81014&start=15

http://stabswache-de-euros.blogspot.com/2011/05/der-untergang.html

German Soldier Playing With a Cat

Image size: 1380 x 1600 pixel. 446 KB
Date: Thursday, 16 July 1942
Place: Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

Rare photo of German soldier with cat from inside Sd.Kfz.250/1. This vehicle possibly belong to the 2.Kompanie/Kradschützen (motorcycle) Bataillon/Infanterie-Division "Großdeutschland" (before they became 2.Kompanie/Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung/Panzergrenadier-Division "Großdeutschland"). This picture is quite rare because for the first time it shows what the MG mount actually looks like! it appears to be an early MG 34 mount in an Sd.Kfz.250 and also used in the 251. It would have its advantages in long range accurate fire but be a hazard in close defense. The optics arrangement is interesting. The periscope for the sight appears the same as that used in the Richtkries 31, also the 250/3 had the radios and these are not in the usual 'tubular' rack. The time of this picture was taken is more interesting: it looks like mid war 1942-43 but seems to be the soldier is wearing a M43 type shirt with straight pocket flaps and plain pockets, which was generally only seen from 1944... But the unprotected MG mount would put it back to a 251/1 Ausf.A, Polish/France campaign! This is a strange one indeed. Grey shirts with collars were not issued till around 1942 to infantry/panzergrenadier etc. They were issued with the white collarless shirt up to that period. You can see the figure in the background wearing the standard issue white collarless shirt. Best Guess if this is early war, and it must be a privately acquired shirt. This Lafette type was occasionally used throughout the war. It was a bit similar arrangement as the Lafette of the heavy MG (MG34/MG42). What if the shirt is not German at all? The shade is lighter than colour of his Hosen could be a even a Russian shirt! German army collar shirts had very long pointed collars, this one does not, so it might be captured stock from some other army. At the front, troops indeed wore whole variety of different clothing, also officially. GJ (Gebirgsjäger) Truppen were in the beginning allowed to wear civvie Berghosen and Schuhe. Early winters troops received a lot of winter clothing collected via Winterhilfe. No wonder there were mismatch items everywhere. At garrison duty it was a whole other case (possible even right behind the frontline).

Source:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152101282120752&set=o.303273499761263&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf