Moscow Victory Parade (1945)

Video size: 480p (854 x 480 pixels) - 85.1 MB
Date: Sunday, 24 June 1945
Place: Red Square, Moscow, Soviet Union
Cameraman: unknown

The 1945 Moscow Victory Parade (Russian: Парад Победы, romanized: Parad Pobedy), also known as the Parade of Victors (Russian: Парад победителей, romanized: Parad pobediteley), was a victory parade held by the Soviet Armed Forces (with the Color Guard Company representing the First Polish Army) after the defeat of Nazi Germany. This, the longest and largest military parade ever held on Red Square in the Soviet capital Moscow, involved 40,000 Red Army soldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware. The parade lasted just over two hours on a rainy June 24, 1945, over a month after May 9, the day of Germany's surrender to Soviet commanders.

The parade itself was ordered by Joseph Stalin on June 22, 1945, by virtue of Order 370 of the Office of the Supreme Commander in Chief, Armed Forces of the USSR. This order is as follows:

    Order #370 of the Supreme Commander in Chief, Armed Forces of the USSR and concurrent People's Commissar of State for Defense

    To mark the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I order a parade of troops of the Army, Navy and the Moscow Garrison, the Victory Parade, on June 24, 1945, at Moscow's Red Square.

    Marching on parade shall be the combined regiments of all the fronts, a People's Commissariat of National Defense combined regiment, the Soviet Navy, military academies and schools, and troops of the Moscow Garrison and Military District.

    My deputy, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov will be the parade inspector. Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky will command the Victory Parade itself. I entrust to Col. Gen. Pavel Artemyev, the preparations and the supervision of the parade organization, due to his concurrent capacities as the Commanding General of the Moscow Military District and Commanding Officer in charge of the Moscow City Garrison.

        June 22, 1945
        (signed) MARSHAL OF THE SOVIET UNION JOSEPH V. STALIN
        Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Armed Forces of the USSR

        And concurrent People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

This was preceded by another letter by General of the Army Aleksei Antonov, Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces to all the participant fronts in attendance on the 24th of the previous month which is as follows:

    Order to the Fronts who will participate in the Victory Parade

    The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has ordered that:

    1. In order for the front to participate in the Moscow City parade in honor of the victory over Germany, each front will be represented by a combined regiment which is to be raised among them.
    2. The following pattern will form the combined front regiment as follows:

        5 two-company battalions with 100 men in the company (10 squads of 10 men each) will be the basis, accompanied by:
            19 command staff officers from the front
            One regimental commander
            Two deputy regimental commanders for drill and ceremony and political training respectively
            One regimental chief of staff
            5 Battalion commanders
            10 company commanders
            36 color bearers and 4 escorting officers.

    All in all the regiment will be composed of 1,059 male active personnel and 10 additional reserve personnel.
    3. A combined regiment for the parade will have the following companies:

        6 infantry companies
        1 artillery company
        1 tank company
        1 air company
        and 1 combined company (composed of cavalrymen, sappers and signalmen respectively).

    4. The companies in attendance will be manned so as to have the middle-ranked officers commanding the squads, which are then composed of privates and sergeants.
    5. The combined regiment will be armed in the following pattern on the parade:

        3 infantry companies with rifles,
        3 infantry companies with sub-machine guns,
        the artillery company with slung carbines,
        the tank company and the air company both armed with pistols,
        and the combined cavalry, signals and sapper company also with slung carbines and with sabres for the cavalrymen in attendance.

    6. The Front Commanders and all commanders including air and tank army commanders will arrive in Moscow for the Parade.
    7. On June 10 of this year, the combined regiment of the front will arrive in Moscow having 36 combat colors from selected Front units that are the most distinguished in action, and all the captured enemy standards, whatever the number, selected to be carried in the parade proper.
    8. The full dress uniform will be issued in Moscow for use on the parade by the regimental staff.

        May 24, 1945
        (signed) GENERAL OF THE ARMY ALEKSEI ANTONOV
        Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces

Intensive preparations for the parade took place in late May and early June in Moscow. The preliminary rehearsal of the Victory Parade took place at the Central Airfield, and the general rehearsal on Red Square on June 22.

Marshals Georgy Zhukov, who had formally accepted the German surrender to the Soviet Union, and Konstantin Rokossovsky, rode through the parade ground on white and black stallions, respectively. The fact is commemorated by the equestrian statue of Zhukov in front of the State Historical Museum, on Manege Square. Zhukov's stallion was called Кумир ("Idol") while Rokossovsky's was called Столб ("Pole"). The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, stood atop Lenin's Mausoleum and watched the parade alongside other dignitaries present.

According to certain editions of Zhukov's memoirs, Stalin had intended to ride through the parade himself, but he fell from the horse during the rehearsal and had to yield the honor to Zhukov, who used to be a cavalry officer. However, this story is disputed by former Soviet spy Viktor Suvorov. He claims that the story was inserted into Zhukov's memoirs as a counterargument to his theory, (although it apparently was in circulation earlier) that Stalin didn't lead the parade because he considered the war's results not worthy of the effort invested. Suvorov notes several inconsistencies in the story, along with numerous evidence that Zhukov was intended all along for the role of leading the parade; for example, the memoirs of Sergei Shtemenko, the man responsible at the time for the preparation of the parade, state that the roles were decided from the start, and Igor Bobylev (who took part in the preparations) claims that the story never happened and that Stalin never visited the Manege at that time. Another planned part of the parade was the march of the Victory Banner, which was delivered to Moscow from Berlin on June 20 and was supposed to begin the procession of troops. Despite this, the weak drill training of Mikhail Yegorov, Meliton Kantaria and Stepan Neustroev forced Marshal Zhukov to not go ahead with this portion of the parade.

Displays of the Red Army vehicles were some of the focal points of the ceremony. It was one of the few times in which Cossacks took part in a victory parade, with personnel from the 4th Guards Cossacks Cavalry Corps taking part in the procession of troops as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front's combined regiment. One of the most famous moments at the end of the troops parade took place when soldiers from the Separate Operational Purpose Division of the NKVD carried the German standards and threw them down next to the mausoleum. One of the standards that was tossed down belonged to the LSSAH, Hitler's personal bodyguard.

The next day, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the participants in the Victory Parade. Due to the bad weather that day the flypast segment and the planned civil parade were cancelled. Nonetheless, this two-hour parade remains the longest and largest military parade in Red Square's history, and involved 40,000 soldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware.
Band and music

The procession had musical accompaniment that was provided by the massed bands of the Moscow Garrison, led by Major General Semyon Tchernetsky, Senior Director of Music. The combined band consisted of 38 military bands coming from Moscow military schools, as well as military units of the Red Army and the NKVD. The combined band numbered 1,220 musicians under the direction of 50 bandmasters. In total,the parade saw the participation of 1,313 musicians, the youngest of whom was 13 years old.

The parade repertoire was finalized for approval on 5 June 1945. The final list included 36 tracks, including the Soviet anthem, fanfares and slow marches. Twenty works that were performed at the parade were written by Tchernetsky himself. The inspection part of the parade commenced with Tchernetsky's Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" and ended with the performance of Slavsya. The first song after the conclusion of the inspection was the Moscow ceremonial fanfare under the direction of conductor Vasily Agapkin. The parade was opened by the young drummers of the Corps of Drums from the Moscow School of Musicians, wearing uniforms similar to those of the Moscow Suvorov Military School and led by a bandmaster, which after marching past soon took its place behind the massed bands to provide additional support. The parade ended with the Glory to the Motherland march. Additional marches have included Jaeger March, March of the 92nd Pechersk Regiment, March of the Leningrad Guards Divisions, March "Joy of Victory", March "Hero".


Parade participants

Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (parade inspector)
Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky (parade commander)

Military bands
Massed military bands of the Moscow Military District
Conductor: Major Gen. Semyon Tchernetsky, Senior Director of Music of the Central Military Orchestra of the People's Commissariat of National Defense
Moscow A. Surovov Military Music School Corps of Drums

Ground column
Fronts of the Soviet Army, Navy, Army Air Forces and Air Defense Forces composed of:
Ground Troops and Air Force officers and personnel of the following fronts:
Karelian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Grigory Kalinovsky and Marshal Kirill Meretskov
Leningrad - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Andrei Stuchenko and Marshal Leonid Govorov
1st Baltic - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Lt. Gen. Anton Lopatin and General of the Army Ivan Bagramyan
1st Belorussian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Ivan Rosly and Col. Gen. Vasili Chuikov
2nd Belorussian - led by Regimental Commanders Lt. Gen. Konstantin Erastov and General of the Army Vasily Sokolovsky
3rd Belorussian - led by Regimental Commander Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
1st Polish Army Color Guard Company led by Chief of the Army General Staff, General Władysław Korczyc (the only foreign army squad invited for the parade)
1st Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Gleb Baklanov and Marshal Ivan Konev
4th Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Lt. Gen. Andrei Bondarev and Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin
2nd Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Lt. Gen. Ivan Afonin and General of the Army Andrei Yeremenko
3rd Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Maj. Gen. Nikolai Biryukov and Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, and the Commander of Bulgarian 1st Army Lt. Gen Vladimir Stoychev
Fleet, Land and Air personnel of the Soviet Navy, under Navy Contingent Commander Vice Adm. Vladimir Fadeev
Northern Fleet
Baltic Fleet
Dnieper Flotilla
Danube Flotilla
Caspian Flotilla
Black Sea Fleet
Naval Infantry
Coastal Forces (including naval artillery)
Combined battalion of the Corps of Cadets, M.V. Frunze Naval College and Naval Engineering Academy
Flag Disposal regiment of the 1st Internal Troops Division of the USSR NKVD "Felix Dzerzhinsky" composed of captured enemy standards and colors carried by the fronts
Maj. Gen. Mikhail Duka was entrusted with carrying the symbolic key to the defeated city of Berlin
Moscow Military District, Armed Forces of the Soviet Union contingent under Garrison and District Commander Col. Gen. Pavel Artemyev
Military Schools and Academies Combined Joint Division
Officers and other ranks of the People's Commisariat of Defense
M. V. Frunze Military Academy
Suvorov Military School
Military Armored Troops Service School
Military Engineering Academy
F. Dzerzhinsky Military Artillery School
Lenin Military-Political Academy
Air Force Engineering Academy
Moscow City Soviet Border Protection Superior College
Moscow Military Infantry Training School
Guards Mortars Training School
Airborne Troops Officer Candidate School
Technical Forces Officer School

Infantry Units
Kremlin Regiment
OMSDON 1st NKVD Internal Troops Mechanized Rifle Division (Special Duties) "Felix Dzerzhinsky"
2nd NKVD Internal Troops Division
Border Protection and Security Service of the NKVD
K-9 Units (engineering, medical troops, anti-tank)

Mounted column
Army Cavalry regiments within the Moscow area
Army Horse Artillery
M1927
M1909
152 mm howitzer M1909/30
122 mm howitzer M1910/30 (also used by the regular artillery)
Tachanka battalion

Mobile column
Soviet Air Defence Forces
Anti-aircraft guns (towed and truck-mounted)
72-K
61-K
52-K
Searchlight trucks
Acoustic range finders
Army Rocket Forces and Field Artillery
Mortars
160mm Mortar M1943
120-PM-43 mortar
Field guns

            76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3)
            100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)
            76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22)
            76 mm regimental gun M1943
            85 mm divisional gun D-44
        Anti-tank guns

            53-K
            M-42
            ZiS-2
        Mountain guns
            76 mm mountain gun M1938 (also used by the Airborne)
        Katyusha rocket launchers of the Army Rocket Forces and Artillery
            BM-8
            BM-13
            BM-30/BM-31
        Howitzers
            D-1
            M-10
            ML-20
            M-30
            B-4
            A-19
            152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2)
            203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4)
            122 mm howitzer M1910/30
    Army Infantry - joint regiment of motorized infantry formations
        Dnepr M-72 motorcycles
        BA-64 armored cars
        BA-20
    Army Airborne Forces
    Army Tank Forces contingent
        T-34 (Victory tanks)
        T-34/85
        IS-2
        T-44
        T-70
    Army Artillery self-propelled artillery contingent
        SU-76
        SU-100
        SU-152
        ISU-152
        ISU-122
        SU-85
        SU-122

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Moscow_Victory_Parade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hITzVSw6t18

Dutch Military Motorcyclists during Parade

Image size: 2500 x 1809 pixel. 924 KB
Date: Tuesday, 30 April 1940
Place: Netherlands
Photographer: Unknown

A line-up of Dutch military motorcyclists led by a three-wheeled motorcycle with timpanist during an inspection, held by Major General Van Nijnatten, Commander of III Army Corps, for the birthday of Princess Juliana on April 30th, 1940. The timpanist belongs to the Hussars Motorcyclists Regiment. The picture was taken during the mobilization of the Dutch army and 10 days prior to the German invasion of The Netherlands. During the mobilization of 1939, both the 'Regiment Wielrijders' (RW) and the 'Eskadrons Wielrijders' formed war units. The number of infantrymen on the bicycle (but also on the motorcycle) was about 5600 men. In May 1940, both regiments of cyclists mainly fought in Dordrecht and the surrounding area. The squadrons of cyclists have distinguished themselves in the fighting around the 'Grebbeline'. The Dutch army confiscated many civilian motorbikes during the mobilisation in 1939. 'Anything goes' applied more or less, although according to the mobilization instructions the following brands were eligible: Indian, Harley-Davidson, Douglas, Gilette, FN, Sarolea, Ariel, BSA, Eysink, Excelsior, Simplex and Triumph. But bikes from other brands were also welcome, such as DKWs and Nortons.”

Source :
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdABVlqLJB3/

German Armored Parade in Oslo

Image size: 8308 x 6236 pixel. 17 MB
Date: Tuesday, 1 October 1940
Place: Oslo, Norway
Photographer: Unknown

The German military parade of the Panzertruppen (Tank Troops) unit which were held at Karl Johans Gate, Oslo, the capital of Norway, on October 1, 1940. These Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf.B type tanks were from the Panzer-Abteilung z.b.V. 40 led by Oberstleutnant Ernst Volckheim (1898-1962), seen here giving a military salute accompanied by one of his officer. Volckheim is dressed in a black Panzer uniform. The Universitetsplassen square is surrounded by buildings of the University of Oslo.. Ernst Volckheim himself went down in history as one of the founders of the German panzer force, apart from the more famous Heinz Guderian. From 1924 he had written on the theory of tank warfare, drawing on his experiences in the First World War as a member of the Imperial German Tank Corps. Ironically, the one who then received wider publication was Guderian, who had just written his masterpiece, "Achtung Panzer!", only in 1937! This is because it was the latter who introduced the armored unit to German leader Adolf Hitler, who was then so impressed by Guderian's presentation that he immediately said enthusiastically, "This is what I need! This is what I want to have!"

The Norwegian "Aftenposten" newaspaper described the parade on page 2 in its evening issue on Tuesday 1 October 1940, as follows: "German armored vehicles parade on Karl Johan. Just before half past ten this morning, a large German military music corps marched down Karl Johan and lined up just opposite the University on the occasion of German armored vehicles parade for its commander, Colonel Volksheim. It was not long after the band had lined up, before people gathered along the curb to watch the parade. And on the University Stairs, a number of students had gathered, who had a short break between lectures. Before the parade itself, the units that were to participate were gathered on Tullinløkken and marched from there to their tanks, which were meanwhile parked in the side streets. Shortly after, the long wagon column came up in Karl Johan and passed over Drammensveien. When Colonel Volksheim had taken his place, the first tank passed the colonel a moment later, while the music played a military march. Armored car after armored car rolled past on its belts. Different types of passers-by, followed by open cars, which brought everything an armored battalion needs to be effective. When the last carriage in the column had passed, Colonel Volksheim drove away, the music was silent and the parade was over. A few minutes later, the traffic went back to normal on Karl Johan."

Source :
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fo30141711070017_WW2_Norway_1940-10-01_Wehrmacht_Panzertruppen_Ernst_Volckheim_Panzerkampfwagen_German_Tank_troops_parade_salute_Karl_Johans_gate_Universitetsplassen_Oslo_NTBs_krigsarkiv_Riksarkivet_CC_BY_Rettighetshaver_etc_krediteres.jpg

Motor Units of LSSAH at Amsterdam (1940)

Image size: 1600 x 1081 pixel. 546 KB
Date: Thursday, 16 May 1940
Place: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photographer: Unknown

On 16 May 1940, German troops marched into Amsterdam, including a Zündapp type KS 600 belong to motor units of Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (motorisiert). In early 1940 the LSSAH was expanded into a full independent motorized infantry regiment and later a Sturmgeschütz (Assault Gun) battery was added to their establishment. The regiment was shifted to the Dutch border for the launch of Fall Gelb. It was to form the vanguard of the ground advance into the Netherlands, tasked with capturing a vital bridge over the IJssel, attacking the main line of defense at the Grebbeberg (the Grebbeline), and linking up with the Fallschirmjäger of Generaloberst Kurt Student's airborne forces, the 7.Flieger-Division and the 22.Luftlande-Infanterie-Division. Fall Gelb—the invasion of France and the Low Countries—was launched on 10 May 1940. On that day, the LSSAH crossed the Dutch border, covered over 75 kilometres (47 mi), and secured a crossing over the IJssel near Zutphen after discovering that their target bridge had been destroyed. Over the next four days, the LSSAH covered over 215 kilometres (134 mi), and upon entering Rotterdam, several of its soldiers accidentally shot at and seriously wounded General Student. After the surrender of Rotterdam, the LSSAH left for the Hague, which they reached on 15 May, after capturing 3,500 Dutch soldiers as prisoners of war. After the surrender of the Netherlands on 15 May, the regiment was then moved south to France through Amsterdam.

Source :
"May 1940: The Battle for the Netherlands" by Herman Amersfoort and Piet Kamphuis

German Convoy in Amsterdam 1940

Image size: 1154 x 1600 pixel. 768 KB
Date: Thursday, 16 May 1940
Place: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photographer: Unknown

16 May 1940. German troops, after the capitulation of the Dutch Armed Forces, on the Reguliersbreestraat and Rembrandtplein in the center of Amsterdam, on their way to Utrecht. In the background we can see the Munttoren ("Mint Tower") or Munt. It stands on the busy Muntplein square, where the Amstel river and the Singel canal meet, near the flower market and the eastern end of the Kalverstraat shopping street. On the left is cafeteria Heck’s Popularis. Despite being neutral, the Netherlands in World War II was invaded by Nazi Germany on 10 May 1940, under orders of Adolf Hitler. On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family saved themselves by going to London. Princess Juliana and her children moved on to Canada for additional safety. The Netherlands was placed under German occupation, which endured in some areas until the German surrender in May 1945. Active resistance was carried out by a minority, which grew in the course of the occupation. The occupiers deported the majority of the country's Jews to Nazi concentration camps.

Source :

"May 1940: The Battle for the Netherlands" by Herman Amersfoort and Piet Kamphuis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munttoren

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_in_World_War_II

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/49047083425596505/

German Victory Parade in Belgrade

Image size: 1600 x 1200 pixel. 609 KB
Date: Sunday, 13 April 1941
Place: Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Heinz Fremke from Propaganda-Kompanie (PK) 691

House of the National Assembly in Belgrade – then and now. After nine SS men from the "Reich" Division used the general confusion and formally captured the Yugoslav capital on 12 April 1941, a victory parade of the true conqueror of the city, the 1st Armoured Group, was held on 13 April at noon. In the (old) photo, tanks of the Panzer-Regiment 15 / 11.Panzer-Division "Gespensterdivision" (Ghost Division) parade in front of their commanders: standing in the centre is Generaloberst Ewald von Kleist (commander of the armoured group), to his right is Generalmajor Ludwig Crüwell (divisional commander), and on the left, in black uniform, is Oberstleutnant Gustav-Adolf Riebel (commander of the division's panzer Regiment). The defeat of Belgrade was also celebrated in the "Song of Armoured Group Kleist": "We were the victors of Belgrade; we defeated all resistance, and broke up with a false state!" Crüwell later fought under Rommel and after the war became chairman of the Africa Corps Veterans Association; Riebel was killed in 1942 at Stalingrad – and von Kleist ended his life in Soviet captivity, as a war criminal, in 1954. At the spot from which these three officers once proudly watched their rolling tanks – today stand the civilians, waiting for a bus.

Source :

http://bandenkampf.blogspot.co.id/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50

General Kurt von Briesen Reviewing His Troops in Paris Parade

Image size: 1600 x 1126 pixel. 821 KB
Date: Friday, 14 June 1940
Place: Avenue Foch, Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Folkerts

Generalleutnant Kurt von Briesen (Kommandeur 30. Infanterie-Division) reviewing his troops in a parade at Avenue Foch, Paris, 14 June 1940. The German 30. Infanterie-Division was approaching Paris from the north, but its original intention was to by-pass the city and continue its pursuit of the French forces retreating southward. When the commander of the division, Kurt von Briesen, heard that Paris had been declared an "open city", he decided to send units into the city outskirts to test whether the declaration was genuine. Those units reported back that there was no French resistance, and that all French forces had left the city. At that point, von Briesen decided to change the 6th Army's line of advance, and route through the city centre.When the advancing German units had reached the Champs Elysees, von Briesen decided to hold an extempore parade, so the 6th Army marched down the Champs Eysees accompanied by a band, with von Briesen taking the salute. The film footage of that parade is well known, but is usually mistakenly presented as the German victory march after the French surrender. In fact, after the parade the 6th Army kept on moving, exiting Paris from the south and continuing its pursuit of French forces. The case of Paris in 1940 is an example of a genuine "open city". The French Government and military forces had left the city, and no resistance was presented to the approaching German forces. The German response to the French declaration was appropriate. By contrast, regardless of any declaration that the Yugoslav Government may have made, that Government was still located in the city, and at least part of its war effort was still being directed from there. That made it a military target.

Source:

Book "Uniforms of the German Soldier; an Illustrated History from 1870 to the Present Day" by Alejandro M. De Quesada

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=664485#p664485

A column of German Wehrmacht paraded in Paris

Image size: 1600 x 1226 pixel. 534 KB
Date: 1941
Place: Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
Photographer: André Zucca (French photographer from SIGNAL magazine)

A column of German occupation troops paraded in the streets of Paris after change of the guard ceremony. Please note the German precise in this pic: The front row looks like stair-steps, and when you look at the later rows, it appears that they are organized by size from left to right as well! In 1943 these brave men were sent to Russia to the Southern Front. After the warmth and French women, sparkling wines and brave marches they were in the steppes of Azov, in the trenches filled with dirt and lice. After many days of artillery attack, many of them are mad. Russian soldiers who fought here have told how they dragged these, after a breakthrough in the river Mius of dirt from the wild-eyed. They were killed or captured everything ... In the trenches there were many bottles of champagne and wines from France, greeting cards with attached pics of French women. “The French photographer André Zucca was not a Nazi,” Ian Buruma writes in his recent article on 'Paris during the German occupation', “but he felt no particular hostility to Germany either…. Zucca simply wanted to continue his pre-war life, publishing pictures in the best glossy magazines. And the one with the glossiest pictures, in fine German Agfacolor, happened to be 'Signal', the German propaganda magazine!” Born in Paris in 1897, Zucca worked for both French and foreign publications in the 1930s, and covered the Russian–Finnish War in the winter of 1939–1940 for Paris-Soir, before becoming a photographer for 'Signal' from 1941 to 1944. After the liberation he was arrested but never prosecuted, and spent the remainder of his career as a wedding and portrait photographer in a small town west of Paris. He died in 1973. Recently, a volume of Zucca’s controversial wartime pictures of Paris was published in France

Source:
Book "Les Parisiens sous l’Occupation: Photographies en couleurs d’André Zucca" by Jean Baronnet