Surrender of Germany in the Italian Front

Image size: 1600 x 1281 pixel. 645 KB
Date: Saturday, 12 May 1945
Place: Bolzano, South Tyrol, Northern Italy
Photographer: T. S. Ryan

Gero von Schulze-Gaevernitz (2nd from left) visited German headquarters in Bolzano on May 12, 1945, to express his thanks for the German officers' cooperation during the surrender of the southern front. Enjoying a relaxed moment in the courtyard of SS headquarters are, left to right: General der Panzertruppe Hans Röttiger (Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe C), Gero von Schulze-Gaevernitz (German emigrant and assistant of Allen Dulles in Europe), Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff-Scheel (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe C), and SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Karl Wolff (Höchster SS und Polizeiführer "Italien"). In the background: SS-Sturmbannführer Eugen Wenner (Adjutant Höchster SS und Polizeiführer Karl Wolff ) and SS-Standartenführer Dr. Eugen Dollmann (Verbindungsmann Höchster SS und Polizeiführer "Italien" beim Oberbefehlshaber Süd). Schulze-Gaevernitz was awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom in 1945 for his skillful negotiations in Ascona, Switzerland, for the surrender of a million Nazi forces in World War II, with specific reference to Italy (Operation Sunrise). Photograph by T. S. Ryan.

Source :
NARA RG 226, Entry 110, Box 1, OSS photo
http://ritterkreuztraeger.blogspot.com/2021/06/heinrich-von-vietinghoff-after.html

Robert Rowan Explodes Off the Coast of Gela

Image size: 1600 x 1082 pixel. 803 KB
Date: Sunday, 11 July 1943
Place: Gela, Sicily, Italy
Photographer: Unknown

During the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Liberty ship Robert Rowan (K-40) explodes after being hit by a German Ju 88 bomber off of Gela, Sicily (Italy), on 11 July 1943. Robert Rowan was built at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina (USA). She was laid down on 3 March 1943, launched 6 April, and delivered to the Isthmain Steamship Company on 13 April. Her maiden voyage started on 14 May 1943 at Hampton Roads, Virginia (USA) to Oran (Algeria) as part of convoy UGS-8A. She was sent on to Gela, Sicily (Italy) to support the invasion of Sicily ("Operation Husky"). She arrived at Gela 11 July 1943 with a cargo of ammunition and 334 soldiers of the 18th Infantry. She also carried 14 U.S. Navy personnel, 32 U.S. Navy armed guards, and 41 crewmen. Just before 14:00 hrs German Junkers Ju 88 bombers appeared overhead and attacked the ships in the bay. During the attack the Rowan was hit by three 500 kg bombs. One bomb passed through the ship, but the other two exploded in the holds. Because of the nature of the cargo the ship was abandoned without any attempt to put the fire out. All 421 men on board safely evacuated the ship and were picked up by PT boats and transferred to nearby destroyers. Within twenty minutes the fire reached her munitions with a tremendous explosion tearing the ship in half. The burning ship came to rest on an even keel and burned for two days. The destroyer USS McLanahan (DD-615) tried to sink the ship because the fires lit up the area during the night, but this failed as the water was too shallow. The hulk lay in the waters off Gela until 1948 when it was sold and scrapped.

Source:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SC180476.jpg

General Leese Speaking with Canadian NCO in Italy

Image size: 1600 x 1442 pixel. 443 KB
Date: Friday, 8 September 1944
Place: Somewhere in Italy
Photographer: Unknown

Eighth Army Commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese speaking with Regimental Sergeant Major G.D. Gilpin, 1st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Italy, 8 September 1944. The vehicle is a Humber Super Snipe staff car, "The Old Faithful" of Monty (Census No. M239459). The running boards are already deleted. Leese commanded the Eighth Army at the fourth and final battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944 (when the bulk of the Eighth Army was switched in secret from the Adriatic coast to Cassino to strike a joint blow with the U.S. Fifth Army under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, who Leese disliked working alongside) and for Operation Olive on the Gothic Line later in 1944. His rank of lieutenant general was made permanent in July 1944. The 1st Field Regiment itself landed in Sicily in July 1943 and in Italy in September 1943, providing field artillery support for the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. In March 1945 the regiment moved with the 1st Canadian Corps to North West Europe where it served until the end of the war.24 The overseas regiment was disbanded on 25 August 1945.

Source :
"Corps Commanders: Five British and Canadian Generals at War, 1939-45" by Douglas E. Delaney
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/ol-lo/vol-tom-3/par1/art/1rcha-eng.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Leese

Canadian Tanks Landed at Reggio Calabria

Image size: 1600 x 1482 pixel. 289 KB
Date: Saturday, 4 September 1943
Place: Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy
Photographer: Alex Stirton

4 September 1943. This picture by Alex Stirton shows a tank from C Squadron of The Canadian Calgary Regiment is unloaded from LST F16 at Reggio Calabria on D plus one. The diary from Doc Alexander - a member of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps - reported: "Sept. 4: Loaded on LCT at 5 p.m. And sailed up the Messina Straits about twenty-five miles, then turned due East and sailed into the beach just north of Reggio. Landed at 10 p.m., a perfectly peaceful landing. Moved into the Town and bedded down for the night". A day previously, the Calgary Regiment assaulted the beaches of Reggio Calabria to little resistance and moved northwards with notable engagements in Potenza, Motta and Campobasso while supporting the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. During the World War II, due to its strategic military position, Reggio Calabria suffered a devastating air raid and was used as the invasion target by the British Eighth Army in 1943 which led to the city's capture. After the war Reggio recovered considerably.

Source :
https://docalexander.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/sept-3-4-1943-invasion-of-italy/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Calabria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Own_Calgary_Regiment_(RCAC)
http://mapleleafup.tumblr.com/page/7

King George VI during Award Ceremony for Canadian Soldiers

Image size: 1209 x 1600 pixel. 398 KB
Date: Monday, 31 July 1944
Place: Italia
Photographer: Unknown

The King of the Great Britain, George VI (center), with the commander of the 1st Canadian Corps, General-Lieutenant Edson Tommy Burns on the right (partly in the frame), and the commander of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Major-General Bert Hoffmeister (2nd from right), in Italy on the day of the award ceremony for the Canadian soldiers and officers, who distinguished themselves in combat, 31 July 1944. On 18 July 1944 the 8th Army directed 1st Canadian Corps to begin concentrating in secret near Perugia, in anticipation that they would continue offensive operations by the Army and break through the Gothic Line. The Canadian Corps' role in the attack was to take over the eastern flank of the 10th Corps in the Central Appenines, permitting the 10th and 13th Corps to concentrate for the main assault. In the meantime, the 1st Canadian Division was to reinforce the 13th Corps at Florence. Following a Royal Visit on 31 July 1944, the 1st Division began moving from the Volturno Valley, followed by the remainder of the Corps. Elaborate deception schemes and rigorous security was enforced to hide the move. Unit flashes (as well as the distinctive ribbon of the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal) were stripped from uniforms and identification symbols were removed from vehicles while enemy intelligence was provided false information in hopes of convincing them they Corps was concentrating behind the 2nd Polish Corps.

Source :
http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2019/02/king-george-vi-during-award-ceremony.html

Italian Refugees with New Zealand Soldier

Image size: 1600 x 1070 pixel. 601 KB
Date: Saturday, 3 June 1944
Place: Sora, Lazio, Frosinone, Italy
Photographer: George Frederick Kaye

Italian refugees are brought to the town of Sora, Italy, from heavily shelled areas in an ambulance jeep driven by C.P. Kerrisk of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 3 June 1944. On this day, the 2nd New Zealand Division (led bc charismatic Bernard Freyberg) captured the town of Sora after the advance from Monte Cassino up into the upper Liri Valley. The advance was hampered by lack of communication between the infantry and the supporting tanks of B Squadron, 20 Armoured Regiment, which were to work up the road from Sora. A Company claimed that it reached the road west of Campoli, but did not make contact with the tanks, which in turn reported that they could find no sign of the infantry. D Company also reported that it gained the road (on the right of A Company), and in doing so had taken 10 prisoners from 134 Regiment. A possible explanation of the inability of the infantry and tanks to join up may be that the tanks, proceeding in a compact bunch, had passed before the infantry reached the road. The picture was taken by George Frederick Kaye.

Source :
http://historyinphotos.blogspot.co.id/2015/04/george-frederick-kaye.html
http://www.newzealandersatwar.com/Timeline.html
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c2-2.html#name-001145-mention

2 NZ Personnel Division Sorting Out Maps

Image size: 1600 x 1067 pixel. 510 KB
Date: Thursday, 8 June 1944
Place: Italy
Photographer: George Frederick Kaye

Personnel sorting out maps during 2nd New Zealand Division's rapid advance in Italy, 8 June 1944. The Italian campaign was New Zealand’s primary combat contribution to the war following the hard-won victory over Axis forces in North Africa. Almost all the New Zealanders who served in Italy did so as members of the 2nd New Zealand Division – a highly competent fighting force affectionately known as the 'Div'. The men of the Div endured harsh winters and 18 months of gruelling combat before ending the war in the city of Trieste in May 1945. The legacy of the campaign was profound and long-lasting: more than 2100 New Zealanders were killed and 6700 wounded during the liberation of Italy; placenames like Orsogna, Cassino and Faenza continue to evoke the memory of their contribution and sacrifices.

Source :

http://historyinphotos.blogspot.co.id/2015/04/george-frederick-kaye.html

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/the-italian-campaign

New Zealand Tank Crew at Cassino

Image size: 1074 x 1600 pixel. 442 KB
Date: Thursday, 18 May 1944
Place: Cassino, Frosinone, Italy
Photographer: George Frederick Kaye

New Zealand tankmen, possibly 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade personnel, in Cassino, Italy, on the day it fell to the 8th Army, 18 May 1944. The Brigade arrived in Italy on 5 October 1943, over a month after the initial invasion, landing at Taranto and were involved in the first actions to break through the Bernhardt Line on the Sangro front. In 1944 they were transferred to U.S. Fifth Army on the Italian western coast. The New Zealand Division was joined by the 4th Indian Division and the British 78th Division, and together with units of the U.S. 1st Armored Division formed the New Zealand Corps and was tasked with the capture of the town of Cassino, its skyline dominated by a 13th Century Monastery. During this period the 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade was tasked with supporting the infantry. Individual squadrons were employed in a fire support role, often being used as makeshift artillery. The 20th Armoured Regiment participated in a flanking attack, approaching the Monastery on a specially constructed road from behind. Surprise was achieved, but insufficient infantry reserves to press the initiative saw the German defenders regain the upper hand and the tanks fell back. In March tanks from the 19th Armoured Regiment entered the town proper to support members of the 28th Māori Battalion in the bitter house to house fighting, using their 75mm guns to dig the defenders out of strong points. The degree of rubble clogging the streets made progress slow and by the end of the month when relieved by the 20th Armoured Regiment the Shermans had reverted to the role of static fire support. This continued for the next two months, with the tanks able to provide little more than morale support to the infantry until the monastery finally fell to Polish forces on 19 May 1944.

Source :
National Library of New Zealand Ref: DA-05712-F
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_New_Zealand_Armoured_Brigade

British Commonwealth Troops with Captured Nazi Flag at Monte Cassino

Image size: 1600 x 1122 pixel. 988 KB
Date: Thursday, 18 May 1944
Place: Monte Cassino, Latin Valley, Southeast of Rome, Italy
Photographer: Carl Mydans

British and South African soldiers show off a prize, a swastika Nazi flag, after finally conquering Monte Cassino, 18 May 1944. By May 1944 the historic Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino had been reduced to rubble. As part of Operation Diadem, the task of capturing it was given to Polish II Corps, but their attack on the night of May 11th/12th failed. The German positions in and around the ruins high on the mountain (atop which the soldiers above are standing on) were simply too strong. Further to the south, however, French troops managed to find a way through the Aurunci Mountains, which the German's believed are impassable, and could now overlook the Liri Valley, through which highway 6 ran to Rome. A second attack on Monte Cassini by the Poles, on May 17th, made some progress, but because of the French advance German troops were already withdrawing from the Gustav Line. The following morning the Polish flag was hoisted over the ruins of the abbey. The capture of Monte Cassino came at a high price. The Allies suffered around 55,000 casualties in the Monte Cassino campaign. German casualty figures are estimated at around 20,000 killed and wounded. Total Allied casualties, spanning the period of the four Cassino battles and the Anzio campaign with the subsequent capture of Rome on 5 June 1944, were over 105,000. This image is in beautiful and original Kodachrome, and was taken by Carl Mydans from LIFE magazine.

Source :
http://historyinphotos.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/world-war-ii-in-color.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg_fluFnn01/
http://www.vintag.es/2013/07/color-photos-of-italian-campaign-of.html

Two US Ground Crew Paint Easter Message to the Bomb

Image size: 1600 x 1199 pixel. 581 KB
Date: Friday, 31 March 1944
Place: Somewhere in Southern Italy
Photographer: Arnoldo Mondadori

Two USSAF ground crewmen paint an "Easter Eggs", which are really AN-M65 1,000 Lb bombs with the message "Happy Easter to Adolph!" in Southern Italy, 31 March 1944. The ground crew were an essential yet forgotten component for the success of bombing campaigns during and throughout the war. They were a rough and tough bunch, usually from rural backgrounds. They liked to play their hamonicas, joke, and have a game of craps like most soldiers during the time. They saw the bomber's as their own and did everything to ensure it was safe and fully capable.

Source :
https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MDO-AA323333
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhCL7m6H1SF/

New Zealand Soldiers Drinks Tea in Cassino

Image size: 1600 x 1065 pixel. 397 KB
Date: Wednesday, 5 April 1944
Place: Cassino, Frosinone, Italy
Photographer: George Frederick Kaye

New Zealand soldiers belonging to the 22nd Battalion / 2 New Zealand Expeditionary Force, take a break during a lull in the fighting and drink tea during the bloody battle for Cassino, Italy, 5 April 1944. In 1943 the Allies took Sicily and began to land into Italy. They met little and patchy opposition throughout most of their advance northward but small pockets of fierce German and Italian resisters still remained here and there. Just a few miles outside of Rome now, the Allies were preparing for the final push into the heart of Italy. In early 1944 they began to advance and then some hit shocking happen. The radios lit up with a chaotic rabble basically all about the same issue: We have hit heavy resistance and are taking heavy casualties. What the Allies had just hit in Italy was what would soon become deadliest sector on that front, the Gustav Line. The Gustav Line was a line of fortifications in the mountains that stretched from west to east Italy. It was the last large obstacle blocking Rome from the Allies and it had to be broken through. For months and months Allied soldiers fought through the mountains, taking thousands of casualties every week, and seemingly making no gains. As casualties mounted the Allies knew they had to try something new, land a small American force at Anzio as a distraction to the Germans. As soon as the Americans landed they would charge towards Rome since they landed in Anzio which is behind the Gustav Line and in theory this would distract the Germans. The American commander at Anzio instead landed and waited a full 9 days to prepare which was more than enough time for the Germans to regroup and hold off the Americans. Now you have the invasion forces bleeding out and not even crawling towards Rome, in other words; the situation was not looking good. Finally, after months of hard fighting, the Germans began to ran out of supplies and pulled back to the Italian Alps in the northern area of Italy. The Americans at Anzio broke through the German defenses and pushed on, and the Allies at Cassino finally, after months of ferocious fighting, advanced towards Rome.

Source :
Courtesy Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand
http://historyinphotos.blogspot.co.id/2015/04/george-frederick-kaye.html

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg3Rl7YnoL4/

Benito Mussolini Speaks with Wilhelm Keitel at Feltre Airfield

Image size: 1028 x 1600 pixel. 409 KB
Date: Monday, 19 July 1943
Place: Feltre, Belluno, Veneto, Italy
Photographer: Walter Frentz

Il Duce Benito Mussolini speaking with Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) at Feltre airfield (Northern Italy) before Keitel leaves for Berlin. The picture was made by Walter Frentz in the evening of 19 July 1943. Only a couple of days later (24 July 1943), the Italian dictator would be defeated in the vote at the Grand Council of Fascism, and the King Victor Emmanuel had him arrested the following day. On 12 September 1943, Mussolini was rescued from prison in the Gran Sasso raid by German special forces led by the daring Otto Skorzeny. In late April 1945, with total defeat looming, Mussolini attempted to escape north, only to be quickly captured and summarily executed near Lake Como by Italian partisans. His body was then taken to Milan where it was hung upside down at a service station for public viewing and to provide confirmation of his demise. In this picture Keitel holding his Interimstab (baton), while in his uniform we can see his Italian Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy, awarded to him by King Victor Emmanuel on 24 April 1942, along with Großadmiral Erich Raeder


Source:
https://www.ullsteinbild.de/ullstein-webshop/workbench.html?queryWord=walter+frentz&newTitle=ullstein+bild+|+Search%3A+walter+frentz&qwAction=searchQueryWord&viewMode=tile

Messerschmitt Me 210 A-1 “2N+LT” Crash Landed at Gerbini

Image size: 1600 x 914 pixel. 479 KB
Date: Thursday, 4 March 1943
Place: Gerbini, Sicily, Italia
Photographer: Unknown

The low rigidity of this sandbag box prevented that this Messerschmitt Me 210 A-1 “2N+LT” werknummer 0205 (gelb L) of 9.Staffel / Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1) sustained more than 40% damage. The aircraft crashed due unknown reasons during take off on March 4th 1943 in Gerbini. If the box would have been made from more rigid material the crew may not have been so lucky! The Me 210 carries the white fuselage band for the Mediterranean. Its subsequent history is unknown. Gerbini airfield was located some 10 kilometers west of Catania/Sicily. These sandbag boxes were typical for Gerbini as this bare field had no other means of protection. Note the painted camouflage on the sandbags! III.Gruppe/ZG 1 used Gerbini as a forward field from February until March 1943.

Source:
Luftwaffe im Focus - Edition No.1 2002

Reichsbahn Personnel Wearing Camo

Image size: 1053 x 1600 pixel. 379 KB
Date: August 1944
Place: Verona, Veneto, Italy
Photographer: Walter Hollnagel

This particular photograph takes place somewhere at or around the bombarded railway staton at Verona (Italy) in August 1944 by a well-known German photographer, Walter Hollnagel. The man on the right is German DRB (Deutsche Reichsbahn) official whose wearing the edelweiss cap mixed with Reichswehr-Splittermuster 31 camo jacket (It's a particularly odd jacket, too, what with the collar, cuffs, buttons and full insignia of a regular railway tunic attached!). After the war, Hollnagel made many photographs related to the German railroad. This picture itself is an original color photograph (Hollnagel photographed often in color at the end of the war). The same individuals are pictured on page 395 of the Andreas Knipping / Richard Schulz book: "Die Deutsche Reichsbahn 1939-1945 Zwischen Ostfron und Atlantikwall". The book photo is in black and white and they are both standing in front of a Locomotive (not in front of the building like depicted above). BTW, if this tunic came on the market today, it would be derided as a fantasy item!

Source:

Askold photo collection

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=609158262441981&set=gm.478184145603530&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/cloth-headgear-3-reich/dont-tell-me-they-wouldnt-have-worn-it-146333-6/

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

German Fallschirmjäger on the Italian Front

Image size: 1186 x 1600 pixel. 512 KB
Date: Friday, 1 October 1943
Place: Italia
Photographer: Baitz (PK Fsjg. AOK)

German Paratroopers from Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5/Division Hermann Göring during the march on the Italian front. Some were carrying MG 42. They were the few remnants from the Tunisian campaign, during their short stay in Italy before leaving for the eastern front in early November 1943. Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5 was formed in May 1942 (Stab and I./FJR.5 new, while II. and III./FJR.5 from II. and III. /Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1). In July 1942 II.Bataillon/Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5 was sent to Africa and joined Brigade Ramcke, while the rest of the regiment transferred to Reims (training for Operation Hercules, attack on Malta). Stab, I. and III./FJR.5 were transferred to Tunisia in November 1942, joining Brigade Ramcke. II./FJR.5 was apparently disbanded shortly afterwards. On February 1943 FJR.5 was redesignated Jäger-Regiment Hermann Göring, now part of Division General Göring which destroyed on May 1943. Reformed in October 1943 (only II./FJR.5) and saw action in South Russia together with  2. Fallschirmjäger-Division (October 1943 Zhitomir, February 1944 Kirovograd), but was destroyed at Kirovograd. Only the Stab II./FJR.5 remained and on July 1944 became Stab / FJR.16. An entire new regiment began forming January 1944 in Reims, later Brest. When III./FJR.1  arrived in Brest in March 1944, it became the basis of the new FJR.5. The regiment was almost totally destroyed in Normandy, and had to be reformed in Oldenzaal, October 1944.

Source:

Zbiory NAC 2-2113

http://www.audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/1612/h:436/

SS-Sturmbannführer Luis Thaler with Waffen-Obersturmbannführer Armando Giorleo

Image size: 1600 x 1260 pixel. 385 KB
Date: November 1944
Place: Italian front
Photographer: Unknown

SS-Sturmbannführer Luis Thaler (left) in discussion with Waffen-Obersturmbannführer Armando Giorleo of the Italian Waffen-SS, 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (italienische Nr. 1). Giorleo wears the grey-green wool tunic of the Italian Army with SS rank added to the collar, still on the early style red background despite Himmler's order substituting black from June 1944. Lieutenant-Colonel Giorleo has bright silver shoulder cords of rank on Waffen-SS style double underlay, in German infantry white over red. Luis Thaler was Italian citizen to the beginning of the war and join the SS after an agreement between the German and the Italian governments to permit "Germans" from south Tyrol to join the Reich.

Source:

Book "The Italian Army 1940-45: Italy 1943-45" by Philip S. Jowett and Stephen Andrew

Churchill Crocodile "Calgary" Attacks German Positions Across the Senio River

Image size: 1600 x 1410 pixel. 410 KB
Date: Monday, 9 April 1945
Place: Between Cotignola and Felisio, Romagna, Italy
Photographer: Sergeant Menzies from 2 Army Film & Photos

Churchill Crocodile "Calgary" of 51 Royal Tank Regiment, C Squadron, attached to the 2nd New Zealand Division, sprays flame across the Senio River prior to the Allied crossing on April 9, 1945. The Senio River crossing was preceded by a large aerial bombardment, then 28 Crocodiles and 127 Wasp flamethrower carriers, spaced every 70 yards (64 meters) along a five-mile (8-kilometer) front, burned everything along the line. The 2nd New Zealand suffered no casualties in crossing the Senio. The Crocodile was based on the Mark VII Churchill Tank, and retained a 75mm (3 inch) cannon in the turret with a flamethrower in place of the hull-mounted BESA 7.62mm (.30 caliber) machine gun. Designed by Major-General Sir Percy "Hobo" Hobart (June 14, 1885 - February 19, 1957) famed commander of the 79th Armoured Division, the Crocodile was one of "Hobart's Funnies" designed for specialized operations during the Normandy Campaign. Only in 1945 were the "funnies" made available to the Italian Theatre of Operations. The unique design - a trailer pulled behind the Crocodile held four hundred gallons (1500 liters) of fuel - made the Crocodile marginally safer than previous motorized flamethrowers, which would burn furiously if hit. The Crocodile used pressurized nitrogen to send flame up to 120 yards (110 meters). The appearance of a Crocodile, or a spray of unignited fuel, would be enough to affect a surrender. Used in concert with the Churchill Armored Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) which mounted a 290mm (11.4 inch) spigot mortar. The AVRE would fire on a bunker, then the Crocodile would flame the debris. There are reports that some Crocodile crews, when their tank was "brewed" or knocked out, were executed immediately by the Germans rather than taken prisoner because of the fear and anger over the weapon! A unit of Crocodiles was sent to Korea in 1950. 

Source:

Imperial War Museum (IWM) NA 23837 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0054

German self-propelled gun Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär"

Image size: 1600 x 817 pixel. 451 KB
Date: Wednesday, 1 March 1944
Place: Nettuno, Lazio, Italy
Photographer: Unknown

Sturmpanzer IV Series 2 of Sturmpanzerabteilung (Asault Tank Battalion) 216 pauses in an Italian road to let Free French colonial prisoners of war taken by the Germans pass by. The Sturmpanzer IV was also known as Sturmpanzer 43, Sonderkraftfahrzeug Sdkfz 166 (Special Purpose Ordinance Vehicle 166) and nicknamed "Brummbar" (Grizzly Bear) or "stupa" in the field. Mounting a 150mm (5.9-inch) Sturmhaubitze (StuH) 43 L/12 infantry assault gun on a Panzer IV ausf G chassis, the Brummbar was developed in response to the inability of 75mm (3-inch) guns to reduce Soviet bunker positions during the Battle of Stalingrad. The first fifty Brummbar equipped Sturmpanzerabteilung 216 at the Battle of Kursk; seventeen were lost in combat. While it was an effective infantry support weapon, the shift from offensive to defensive operations in 1944 limited its original purpose. Still, it was a powerful weapon that could provide effective defense, especially in urban areas. The first version suffered from being overweight for the Panzer IV chassis and had transmission problems. Later versions corrected these problems and added a bow-mounted MG34 machine gun for anti-infantry defense. In December 1943, Sturmpanzerabteilung 216 was pulled out of the Eastern Front and set to Italy to confront the allied landings in the Anzio-Nettuno area. They were part of the failed offensive in February 1944 to push the Allies into the sea. Sturmpanzerabteilung 216 remained in combat in Italy until April 1945, when the unit destroyed its remaining vehicles to prevent their capture. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0050