Bf 109s of JG 53 vs Hurricanes of No.145 Squadron

Image size: 1194 x 1600 pixel. 398 KB
Date: Monday, 12 August 1940
Place: Isle of Wight, English Channel

Artist: Mark Postlethwaite

On 12 August 1940, Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) was tasked with carrying out a ‘Freie Jagd’ off Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in support of Ju 88s of KG 51 that were attacking Portsmouth harbour and Ventnor radar station on the Isle of Wight. Leading 1./JG 53 was Hauptmann Hans-Karl Mayer, who was flying a Bf 109E-4 coded ‘White 8’. His Rottenflieger was Unteroffizier Heinrich Rühl in a Bf 109E-1 coded ‘White 10’. Flying at 8500 m, Mayer spotted three Hurricanes below attacking a lone Bf 110 at 1220 hrs, and although he quickly engaged the enemy fighters the Bf 110 pilot bailed out. Mayer selected the right Hurricane and Rühl the left, the former firing a total of 20 20 mm shells and 80 7.92 mm machine gun rounds into the RAF fighter, which immediately burst into flames and dived into the sea for what would be Mayer’s tenth victory of the war. Having already exhausted his supply of cannon shells, Rühl fired 200 machine gun rounds at his Hurricane, which then hit the sea in a gentle curve. Mayer now turned his attention to the remaining Hurricane, which had been engaged by the rest of his Staffel. This combat was not as one-sided, however, for his Bf 109E was hit six times. Mayer’s combat report noted; ‘After my first kill I flew back to the dogfight with the last remaining Hurricane against several aircraft of my Staffel. I immediately attacked and was able to open fire twice, and also received some hits myself. The damaged aircraft tried to escape in the direction of the coast but I stayed close to it, while my Staffel lost me in the haze. At first it made only slight evasive actions, and so I was able to get in several well-aimed bursts. The aircraft started emitting black smoke, went down in a shallow dive and disintegrated on impact.’ Mayer had achieved his second victory of the mission, firing ten cannon and 250 machine gun rounds at the Hurricane, which, after hitting the sea, sank immediately. Although it cannot be said for certain, it is believed that Mayer and Rühl accounted for Plt Off John Harrison, Acting Flt Lt Wilhelm Pankratz and Sgt Josef Kwiecinski of No 145 Sqn, all of whom were reported missing in action off the Isle of Wight at times that matched the three German claims.

Source :
"Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik-As' Bf 109 Aces of 1940" by Chris Goss

General Alfred Gutknecht Captured by the US

Image size: 1213 x 1600 pixel. 638 KB
Date: Tuesday, 29 August 1944
Place: Near Fismes, France
Photographer: Snyder

This NARA (National Archives) photo collection, made by war correspondent Snyder, shows some time after Generalmajor Alfred Gutknecht (Höherer Kommandeur der Kraftfahrtruppen beim Oberbefehlshaber West) was captured by the US Army, on August 29, 1944. He was arrested when the vehicle carrying him crossed path with a convoy of American armored vehicles - which was advancing at high speed toward territory still controlled by Germany - near Fismes, France, which was located on the road between Reims and Soissons. You could say that this was the peak of the general's sadness and depression (clearly visible from the expression on his face, which was in sharp contrast to the grinning look of the Military Police next to him!). When he was transferred from his position as Officer of Staff Grenzabschnittskommando Nord to Staff 16. Armee on the Western Front shortly after the end of the German invasion of Poland, Gutknecht Beurteilung (Evaluation) document stated that he - who was still in the rank of Oberst - openly wept and asked to ask to remain stationed in the East in order to stay close to his sickly wife in the Ostpreußen region. His personnel were affixed with scathing comments: "If we cannot prevent the whiny colonel in our military, at least we can still prevent him from becoming a crybaby general!" While in Allied detention in the Berlin prison camp, Gutknecht received the tragic news that his beloved wife had died. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he later committed suicide on November 12, 1946.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=160170&hilit=leyser
https://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2018/10/penangkapan-jenderal-jerman-oleh.html

German and Finnish Officers at a Ferry on Lake Ladoga

Image size: 1600 x 1024 pixel. 577 KB
Date: Monday, 10 August 1942
Place: Lake Ladoga, Lahti, Finland
Photographer: Carl Gustav Rosenqvist

This interesting, original color photo by Carl Gustav Rosenqvist was taken on August 10, 1942 and shows German and Finnish high-ranking officers crossing the Ladoga lake in Finland using Siebelfähre (Siebel's Freight / Ferry Boat) owned by Einsatzstab Fähre Ost (EFO), a Luftwaffe unit in Finland. This ferry operates around the Lake Ladoga region along with Italian MTB (12. Squadriglia MAS) and German mine ships from C-Gruppe / 31.Minensuch-Flottilla. From left to right: Oberstleutnant der Reserve Friedrich-Wilhelm Siebel (Kommandeur Einsatzstab Fähre Ost); Finnish Colonel Eino Iisakki Järvinen (Commander of the Lake Ladoga Beach Brigade), and two unknown Luftwaffe officers (the one on the far right is from the Flak unit based from his waffenfarbe). Original description from SA-Kuva - Finland: "During an inspection of the German Navy (Einsatzstab Fähre Ost) in Lahti, the invited guests set out on an infantry boat from where Colonel Keller received the parade. Bay bottom, Ladoga." Please note that if it's referred to Generaloberst Alfred Keller, so the ID is wrong because it is NOT him.

Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41944&p=374911&hilit=Colonel+E.+J%C3%A4rvinen#p374911
https://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2018/11/perwira-jerman-dan-finlandia-di-danau.html

German Tank Convoy Near the Soviet Border

Image size: 1600 x 1014 pixel. 367 KB
Date: Saturday, 21 June 1941
Place: Romania
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Horst Grund

This photo was taken by Kriegsberichter Horst Grund and shows a convoy of Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.F1 on their way to the Eastern Front, 21 June 1941. These panzers used Dunkelgrau Nr.46 camouflage paint all over the body. The Germans had begun gathering their troops near the border with the Soviet Union, even before the military campaign in the Balkans had ended. As of the third week of February 1941, 680,000 Wehrmacht soldiers were gathered in the Romanian-Soviet border region. In preparation for the attack, Hitler moved more than 3.2 million German soldiers and 500,000 other Axis troops into the border area; sending innumerable aerial reconnaissance missions over Soviet territory; and piling up supplies in the East. Although all these things did not escape the observations of the Soviet High Command, but their dictator, Stalin, considered that it was merely an overly excessive concern. He did not believe that the Germans would attack the Soviets only two years after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Agreement, and this resulted in the slow preparation of the Red Army. Even so, Soviet military officials themselves never believed that the Germans would continue to be their "loyal" allies. Marshal Semyon Timoshenko once said that Germany was the "strongest and foremost enemy" of his country, and from the beginning of July 1940 the Red Army Chief of Staff, Boris Shaposhnikov, wrote a paper predicting that the Wehrmacht would attack the Soviet Union from three directions - which turned out to be the exact same way the German would choose a year later! To cover up his intention, Hitler leaked to Soviet intelligence the plans for Unternehmen Haifisch and Unternehmen Harpune, to support his claim that Britain was Germany's main target. In the attack on the Soviet Union itself, the invaders deployed an independent regiment, a motorized training brigade, and 153 divisions. The latter includes 104 infantry divisions, 19 panzer divisions, and 15 motorized infantry divisions which are divided into three Army Groups. This is added to the nine security divisions that would operate in occupied territories, four divisions in Finland, and two divisions as reserves which are under the direct control of OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres). These combat units will be armed with 3,350 tanks, 7,200 artillery guns, 2,770 airplanes (which make up 65% of the Luftwaffe's strength), around 600,000 vehicles, and 625,000 to 700,000 horses! To help Germany, Finland provided 14 divisions, while Romania mobilized 13 divisions assisted by eight brigades. The Axis' total strength was 3.8 million troops, stationed along a front that stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea.

Source :
https://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2018/11/konvoy-panzer-iv-ke-front-timur.html

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Alexander von Hartmann in Stalingrad

Image size: 1170 x 1600 pixel. 0.98MB
Date: Thursday, 8 October 1942
Place: Stalingrad, Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Generalmajor Alexander von Hartmann (Kommandeur 71. Infanterie-Division), which was held on October 8, 1942 in Stalingrad. The two generals who put the medal were Hartmann's two bosses, from left to right: General der Artillerie Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach (Kommandierender General LI. Armeekorps) and General der Panzertruppe Friedrich Paulus (Oberbefehlshaber 6. Armee). When his division (and all 6. Armee) could no longer escape from the Soviet siege around the city, Hartmann spoke to his officers calmly: "It is a great honor when an officer died in a battle. I will not kill myself, but I will sell my life dearly." He then took the rifle and headed for the embankment of the Stalingrad train located in the south. In front of the remaining members of his division (3 officers, 7 noncommissioned officers, and 183 soldiers), von Hartmann started firing at the Russian soldier who was invading ... while standing still! At 8:00 a.m. on January 26, 1943, he finally fell as he wished, shot right in the head. Also killed in the same day and in the same embankment were Oberstleutnant Kurt Corduan (Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment 191) and Major Bayerlein (Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment 211). Hartmann was promoted to General der Infanterie posthumously (he was promoted to Generalleutnant previously, on December 1942).

Source :
https://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2018/11/upacara-penganugerahan-ritterkreuz.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

U.S. Assault Team Landing at Omaha Beach

Image size: 1600 x 1600 pixel. 519 KB
Date: Tuesday, 6 June 1944
Place: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
Photographer: Robert F. Sargent

In what has become one of the most famous photographs of D-Day, Chief Photographer’s Mate Sargent captures the men of the same assault boat team seen in his previous photograph as they wade through the surf in front of the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach at approximately 7:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944. These E Company / 16th Infantry Regiment /1st Infantry Division ("The Big Red One") troops are assaulting the area between Exit E-1 and Exit E-3 under fire from Widerstandsnest 62 and Widerstandsnest 65. On the beach directly ahead of the ramp can be seen M4 Sherman tank Number 9 from A Company, 741st Tank Battalion.While capturing an iconic moment of the twentieth century, this photograph is also perhaps one of the most frequently incorrectly attributed. Often it is credited as part of the series of eleven shots taken by the famous Life magazine photographer, Robert Capa. The photograph was in fact taken by Robert F. Sargent, Chief Photographer’s Mate, United States Coast Guard. Landing craft operated by the Coast Guard continuously ferried soldiers from ships to the Normandy shore: the photograph was titled 'Taxis to hell – and back – into the jaws of death'. The combat photographs taken at Omaha beach by Sargent and Capa have become symbolic of something bigger than just a single moment in time. They have come to represent, in the words of Churchill, “much the greatest thing we have ever attempted”.

Source :
U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives 26-G-2343

"The Americans on D-Day: A Photographic History of the Normandy Invasion" by Martin K.A. Morgan
https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/66/Capa

Private Jim Flanagan with Captured Nazi Flag in the Morning D-Day

Image size: 1600 x 1155 pixel. 454 KB
Date: Tuesday, 6 June 1944
Place: Fontenay-le-Marmion, Calvados, Normandy, France
Photographer: Unknown

The famous image of Private James "Jim" Flanagan (14 March 1923 - 8 December 2005) of 2nd Platoon / C Company / 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) / 101st Airborne Division holding a captured Nazi flag was taken at Marmion, Normandy (France), in the morning of D-Day. Flanagan parachuted into Normandy hours before the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division was to land at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. He and his fellow airborne soldiers came down in the middle of the night, charged with removing any German resistance along the vulnerable causeways that led inland from the beach. They would be the prelude to the largest amphibious invasion in history. After landing near Ravenoville, France, the first vehicle that the paratrooper saw later in the morning while mopping up near a captured farm complex was coming from the beach and carrying two men, one an International News Service photographer. It was 9 a.m., about three hours into ‘the longest day’ in history. The soldiers took a brief timeout so that the photographer could record the event. Flanagan, in the center, smiled while clutching the Nazi flag that had been ‘liberated’ from the enemy command post headquarters in the farm complex they now occupied. The German helmet at his feet in the bottom of the picture was still lying where it had fallen from the German who had died while defending the place. When this picture was wired back to the States, it became one of the most widely distributed newspaper photos taken from the events of June 6. The flag was kept by Flanagan for years, before donated to the General Donald Pratt 101st Airborne Museum in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on 10 June 1986, where it is today. From left to right: Private First Class Arthur A. Justice (B/502), unknown, Private Justo Correa (A/506), Private First Class Arthur J. Barker (B/502), Private Joe E. Ridgeway (B/502), Private James "Jim" Flanagan (C/502), Private Norwood B Newinger (B/502), Jerry Giarritano (with machete), Corporal Earl H. Butz (HQ/502), and Sergeant Smith C. Fuller (B/502).

Source :
"101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles in World War II" by Mark Bando
https://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-interview-with-101st-airborne-trooper-james-flanagan-about-d-day.htm
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/triggertimeforum/marmion-farm-german-flag-where-is-it-t7394.html

Finnish StuG Crew

Image size: 1600 x 1132 pixel. 779 KB
Date: Friday, 7 July 1944
Place: Viipuri (Vyborg), east of Ihantala, Finland
Photographer: Oswald Hedenström

Finnish Sturmgeschütz III Ausf.G "Bubi" and its crew near Vyborg, sitting in the summer sunshine in a brief moment of happiness, 7 July 1944. From left to right: Staff Sergeant Börje Brotell (Commander, former member of Waffen-SS), Private Armas Launikko (Loader, 19 year old from Turku), Lance Corporal Olli Soimala (Gunner, credited with 11 tank kills), and Lance Corporal Sulo Kauppi (Driver, car mechanic from Tampere). The StuG is loaded with wooden logs for extra protection against enemy guns. Stu-40 Ps.531-10 "Bubi" destroyed 11 Russian tanks during June-July 1944. After the war it serviced until 1960's and after that was placed to Niinisalo shooting grounds a shooting target. It almost got destroyed there, but were saved in 1980's. Today it is placed in front of the Army barracks in Häme Armoured Battalion. This picture was taken by Finnish war photographer Oswald Hedenström.

Source :
http://www.andreaslarka.net/sturmi.html
https://live.warthunder.com/post/393804/en/
http://sa-kuva.fi/neo?tem=webneo_image_large&lang=ENG&imgid=7aa7d22560254d13e00992506e9e168e&docid=7aa7d352216b0553;&ddocid=7aa7d352216b0553&archive=

Three High Ranking German Officers Captured at Ruhr Pocket

Image size: 1600 x 1313 pixel. 491 KB
Date: Sunday, 15 April 1945
Place: Ruhr, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Lieutenant Byron Hansford, a Military Police from the 99th "Battle Babes" Division, interrogated three high-ranking German officers arrested in the Ruhr Pocket, 15 April 1945. Four months earlier, the same U.S. infantry division had been fighting desperately to resist the last major German offensive in the West, which happened in the Ardennes region. How the situation has changed now! The three VIP prisoners are, from left to right: Generalarbeitsführer Paul Hoppenrath (Gauarbeitsführer Alpenland), Generalmajor Maximilian Jais (Kommandeur Abschnittskommando / Kampfgruppe Jais in Westwall), and Generalmajor Robert Eimler (XXI Festungs-Pionier-Kommandeur). The Ruhr Pocket was a battle of encirclement that took place in April 1945, on the Western Front near the end of World War II, in the Ruhr Area of Germany. Some 317,000 German troops, consisting mostly of unarmed Volksturm militia and Hitlerjugend units were taken prisoner along with 24 generals. The Americans suffered 10,000 casualties including 2,000 killed or missing.

Source :
"Images of War: Victory in Europe" by Andy Rawson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhr_Pocket
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14230&start=10350

Neville Chamberlain's 'Peace of Our Time'

Image size: 1600 x 985 pixel. 594 KB
Date: Friday, 30 September 1938
Place: Heston Aerodrome, London, England
Photographer: Unknown

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain holding the paper containing the resolution to commit to peaceful methods signed by both Hitler and himself on his return from Münich, Germany. He is showing the piece of paper to a crowd at Heston Aerodrome, west of London,  in front of G-AFGN, a British Airways Lockheed 14, on 30 September 1938. He said: "...the settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine (waves paper to the crowd - receiving loud cheers and "Hear Hears"). Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you ...". Later that day he stood outside Number 10 Downing Street and again read from the document and concluded: "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time." The last phrase ('Peace for our time') echoed Benjamin Disraeli, who, upon returning from the Congress of Berlin in 1878, stated, "I have returned from Germany with peace for our time". It is primarily remembered for its ironic value: less than a year after the agreement, continued pressure for return of the Polish corridor by Hitler, and subsequently the invasion of Poland was followed by declarations of war on Germany by France and the United Kingdom. It is often misquoted as "peace in our time", which had appeared long before in the Book of Common Prayer as "Give peace in our time, O Lord", probably based on the 7th-century hymn "Da pacem Domine! in diebus nostris, Alleluja". It is unknown how deliberate Chamberlain's use of such a similar term was. 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_for_our_time
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/on-this-day-1938-peace-for-our-time-was-a-hollow-boast-by-neville-chamberlain/

Wounded SS Soldier during the Battle of the Bulge

Image size: 1518 x 1600 pixel. 610 KB
Date: Saturday, 16 December 1944
Place: La Gleize, Stoumont, Liège, Belgium
Photographer: John Florea of LIFE Magazine

Wounded German soldier of the Waffen-SS lying on a makeshift bedding after being taken prisoner during an attack on an American fuel depot at outset of the last major German offensive on the Western Front, a.k.a. the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance. American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them. German personnel and, later, Luftwaffe aircraft (in the concluding stages of the engagement) also sustained heavy losses. The Germans had attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, taking advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions that grounded the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air forces. Fierce resistance on the northern shoulder of the offensive, around Elsenborn Ridge, and in the south, around Bastogne, blocked German access to key roads to the northwest and west that they counted on for success. Columns of armor and infantry that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. This, and terrain that favored the defenders, threw the German advance behind schedule and allowed the Allies to reinforce the thinly placed troops. The furthest west the offensive reached was the village of Foy-Nôtre-Dame, south east of Dinant, being stopped by the British 21st Army Group on 24 December 1944. Improved weather conditions permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, which sealed the failure of the offensive. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment, as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge
https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/wounded-german-soldier-lying-on-makeshift-bedding-after-news-photo/50494163?fbclid=IwAR1SoAFMCqA_IX25BsfVt5drlt4dt6klEI85ZjpUleJzkmhJoxGh4pHHrk4

Japanese Buddhist Monks during Gas Mask Drill

Image size: 1600 x 1024 pixel. 427 KB
Date: Saturday, 30 May 1936
Place: Asakusa Temple, Tokyo, Japan
Photographer: Unknown

Buddhist priests of the Senso Temple in Asakusa prepare for the Second Sino-Japanese War as they wear gas masks during training against future aerial attacks in Tokyo, Japan, on 30 May 1936. The war was the result of a decades-long Japanese imperialist policy aiming to dominate China politically and militarily and to secure its vast raw material reserves and other economic resources, particularly food and labour. Before 1937, China and Japan fought in small, localized engagements, so-called "incidents". In 1931, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria by Japan's Kwantung Army followed the Mukden Incident. The last of these incidents was the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of 1937, marking the beginning of total war between the two countries. Initially the Japanese scored major victories in Shanghai after heavy fighting, and by the end of 1937 captured the Chinese capital of Nanking. After failing to stop the Japanese in Wuhan, the Chinese central government was relocated to Chongqing in the Chinese interior. By 1939 the war had reached stalemate after Chinese victories in Changsha and Guangxi. The Japanese were also unable to defeat the Chinese communist forces in Shaanxi, which performed harassment and sabotage operations against the Japanese using guerrilla warfare tactics. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and the following day (December 8, 1941) the United States declared war on Japan.

Source :
https://teddymanyvanhpearlharbor.weebly.com/second-sino-japanese-war.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/world-war-ii-before-the-war/100089/

American Paratrooper Before D-Day

Image size: 1279 x 1600 pixel. 384 KB
Date: Monday, 5 June 1944
Place: Greenham Common Airfield, Berkshire, England
Photographer: Unknown 

Lieutenant Rodney Parsons of D Company / 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (502nd PIR) / 101st Airborne Division 'The Screaming Eagles' was photographed in front of his plane by Captain George Lage, the 2/502 surgeon, at Greenham Common Airfield on June 5, 1944. In this interesting study of equipment, we can see a map case, Air Corps ammo pouches, leg scabbard for M1A1 carbine, assault gas mask carrier, binoculars in case, compass in pouch, wrist watch, M3 trench knife worn in M6 scabbard in front of belt, and white unit identification rag for 2/502 PIR around left shoulder. That night of nights, June 5, 1944, spelled a one-way journey to destiny for the 6,670 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division who boarded more than four hundred C-47 transport aircraft at various air bases in England. The troopers were superbly conditioned and well trained, but they were totally inexperienced in combat and could not have known what was in store for them.

Source :

"101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles in World War II" by Mark Bando

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

The First Arrival of German Delegation to Montgomery's Headquarter

Image size: 1600 x 1598 pixel. 527 KB
Date: Thursday, 3 May 1945
Place: Lüneburger Heide, Hamburg, Germany
Photographer: Captain E.G. Malindine

The first arrival of the German delegation to the headquarters of the British 21st Army Group in the Lüneburger Heide (Luneburg Heath), east of Hamburg, to discuss a ceasefire on May 3, 1945. The Germans offer to surrender the Heeresgruppe Vistula - who was surrounded by Soviet troops - to the Allies, was rejected by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Commander of the 21st Army Group), because he wanted the unconditional surrender of German troops in the north-west Germany, as well as in the Netherlands and Denmark. The German delegation replied that they were not given the power to determine this, and had to negotiate it first with their leader, Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (the successor to Hitler who committed suicide a few days earlier). Finally Montgomery allowed them to return home, and gave 24 hours for the answers to be given. This photo was taken by Captain E.G. Malindine (British No. 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit) and shows Marshal Montgomery standing second from the left, while the German delegation starts with their leader Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine) who holding the document in the middle, followed to the right as follow: General der Infanterie Eberhard Kinzel (Chef des Generalstabes Operationsstab Nord), Konteradmiral Gerhard Wagner (Admiral z.b.V. Beim Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine), and Major i.G. Hans Jochen Friedel (half visible, Stabsoffizier Operationsstab Nord).

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2010/01/killed-in-action-pictures-koleksi-foto_12.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timeloberg_%E2%80%93_030545.jpg

The Capitulation of Greek Forces to SS Leibstandarte

Image size: 1600 x 1114 pixel. 180 KB
Date: Sunday, 20 April 1941
Place: Katara Pass, Northern Greece
Photographer: Unknown

SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (Kommandeur Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler) negotiated the capitulation of Greek Armed Forces along with the Greek military representatives sent by Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglu (Commander Army of Epirus). The handsome officer at left is SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Wünsche (Adjutant Kommandeur Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler). This photo was taken at Katara mountain range, Greece, on April 20, 1941. Representatives from the Greek side are, from nearest to the camera: Lieutenant-Colonel Georgios Lagas, Colonel Nikolaos Balis, Major Vlachos, and an unidentified Lieutenant. In the account of that day from Rudolf Lehmann’s 'The Leibstandarte' Volume 1, the II.Bataillon / Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (motorisiert) led by SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Horstmann were surmounting the Katara mountain range on their way to Joanina. Before the summit, SS-Untersturmführer Jupp Diefenthal came careering down in a motorcycle combination with a Greek soldier in the side car who was holding a white flag of surrender. Relaying to Horstmann that he had been approached by the Greeks who were anxious to discuss surrender terms, Dietrich was immediately wired to come up himself to conduct the discussions. SS-Untersturmführer Ralf Tiemann was also dispatched back down to Hani-Murgani to escort Dietrich up accompanied by SS-Hauptsturmführer Max Wünsche. They arrived to see the soldiers from both sides standing casually about playing cards etc and a giant swastika hung from the road. Dietrich went to talk to the ‘parlementaires’ who were no doubt Greek Officers and they told him he would need to travel 15km west to Vontonosi where the HQ of General Tsolakoglou’s was situated. Tiemann than states the Wünsche was dispatched to inform Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm List in person of the developments while Dietrich and a small entourage drove on to the HQ. Tiemann states that he took over Wünsche’s duties in his absence and further relates that they arrived to be greeted personally by Tsolakoglou outside his HQ.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=229924&hilit=ralf+tiemann

Chinese Generals Chiang Kai-Shek and Long Yun

Image size: 1600 x 1065 pixel. 340 KB
Date: Saturday, 27 June 1936
Place: China
Photographer: Unknown

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, right, Chairman of the National Military Council, Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China, and President of the Republic of China, with General Long Yun, left, Warlord and Governor of the province of Yunnan, Nanking, on June 27, 1936. Many Chinese commanders had enjoyed regional autonomy too long to risk their lives and power merely at Chiang Kai Shek’s command. Governor Han Fuju, for example, ignominiously abandoned Shandong province to the Japanese, although he, in contrast to most, paid for his disregard of Chiang’s orders with his life. He was executed in January 1938. Kuomintang's Army was not, however, a united, national army, but a coalition of armies which differed in degrees of loyalty to the central government as well as in training, equipment and military capabilities. Long Yun, governor of Yunnan, for example, resisted central government encroaches upon his provincial power; Governor Yan Xishan, commander of the Second War Zone in North China and vice chairman of the Military Council, ruled his native Shanxi as an autonomous satrapy. He prohibited units of the Central Army from entering his war zone. Since 1941, Yan had even maintained close and amiable relations with the Japanese invader.

Source ;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/histolines/27372126450
https://www.marxist.com/the-chinese-communist-party-1937-49-the-unfolding-of-historical-necessity-chinas-great-revolution-part-two.htm
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/world-war-ii-before-the-war/100089/

Soldiers of 502nd PIR Donning the Equipment

Image size: 1153 x 1600 pixel. 440 KB
Date: Monday, 5 June 1944
Place: England
Photographer: Unknown

“Suiting up” - two members of the U.S. 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (502nd PIR) of 101st Airborne Division donning equipment on the evening of June 5, 1944, in preparation for boarding a C-47. Notice the white residue typical of CC2. CC-2 Chloramide or CC2 chemical (to "protect" the uniform) was invented during the 1930’s although wide use impregnating garments doesnt begin really, until early in World War II. The 6,670 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne would be delivered in 432 C-47s, with most troopers jumping between 01:00 and 02:00 hours. The Air Corps called this the “Albany mission.” The 82nd Airborne would begin jumping after the 101st was on the ground, with most of their personnel landing between 02:00 and 03:00. The 82nd was delivered in 369 C-47s. This was known as the “Boston mission.” The drop zones for both divisions were all located in the Cotentin Peninsula, behind Utah Beach and south of the port city of Cherbourg. Although Commonwealth forces deployed their own paratroopers of the British 6th Airborne Division closer to Caen, no American paratroopers were dropped behind Omaha Beach.

Source :

"101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles in World War II" by Mark Bando

https://foxholefashion.wordpress.com/2016/07/24/reenacting-and-replica-cc-2-impregnated-uniforms-a-pursuit/comment-page-1/

German Prisoners at Enfidaville Tunisia

Image size: 1522 x 1600 pixel. 110 KB
Date: Wednesday, 12 May 1943
Place: Enfidaville, Tunisia
Photographer: Unknown

Photo from 12 May 1943, Enfidaville, Germans surrendering to New Zealand troops. Mixed emotions printed on the faces of the prisoners and their captors. For some anger and disappointment, for others relief "their war was over." The battle of Enfidaville (19-21 April 1943) was the Eighth Army's last significant battle in North Africa, and saw them fail to break through unexpectedly tough Axis resistance in the mountainous terrain around Enfidaville. After forcing the Axis troops to abandon the Gabes Gap (6 April 1943) the Eighth Army pushed north further into Tunisia. Sfax fell on 10 April, and in the process Monty won a bet with Eisenhower that the port would fall by 15 April. His prize was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, which he insisted on collecting and used as his personal transport for the rest of the war. X Corps captured Sousee on 12 April and reached the outskirts of Enfidaville on 13 April. This was the eastern end of the Axis 'Last Stand' line, which ran north-west from Enfidaville towards Pon de Fahs, Medjez el Bab and Sedjenane. On 20 and 21 April there were heavy counterattacks, led by General Bayerlein, the commander of the German forces in the 1st Italian Army. The British were able to take Takrouna and part of Djebel Garci, twelve miles inland, but at heavy cost. The counterattacks and the heavy losses inland helped convince Montgomery that there was no point going on with the battle. The defenders had a series of strong positions, and were clearly willing to fight to hold onto them. On 21 April the Eighth Army attack was suspended, although at that point the plan was to renew the attack along the coast after four days.

Source :
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_enfidaville.html
http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/history-research-third-reich-ww2/you-war-over-period-photos-german-pows-686919/

Captured Afrikakorps after the Battle of Sened

Image size: 1600 x 1041 pixel. 212 KB
Date: Saturday, 27 February 1943
Place: Sened Station, Gafsa Governorate, Tunisia
Photographer: Unknown

This photo shows four captive prisoners of the famed German Afrikakorps that caught in the attack of the US forces (from the 168th Infantry Regiment) to the German-Italian defense position around the Sened train station, southern Tunisia, on February 27, 1943. They are all under 25 years old, while unarmed soldiers told the Allied guards that he was only 20. The position of the Axis defense forces in Sened itself was finally captured by the American troops on March 21, 1943 after going through a fierce battle. In the end, 152 German and Italian soldiers became prisoners of war (including an Italian general). Meanwhile, the same number was also recorded for those who were killed and injured. The capture of Sened Station has paved the way for American forces to master the next larger target: City of Maknassy. In addition, this success was very meaningful for the 168th Infantry Regiment (led by Colonel Thomas Drake), because this were their very first battle against the Axis forces!

Source :
https://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2019/05/tawanan-afrikakorps-dalam-pertempuran.html

General John Crocker with Soviet Delegation

Image size: 1600 x 1165 pixel. 584 KB
Date: Friday, 28 July 1944
Place: Somewhere in France
Photographer: Unknown

Lieutenant-General John Crocker (left, Commanding Officer of British I Corps) with members of a visiting Soviet delegation, 28 July 1944. Crocker (4 January 1896 - 9 March 1963) was not much of a talker and he was a lousy self-promoter because of it. Yet he was one of the most important British soldiers of the Second World War, commanding a corps in North Africa and subsequently being assigned “the most ambitious, the most difficult and the most important task” of any Allied corps commander during Operation Overlord. His influence was not limited to the period of the war either. He was intimately involved with the development of British armoured forces during the 1920s and 1930s, and after the war he oversaw the production of the doctrine and training publications that would guide the British Army for much of the Cold War. He also served as Commander-in-Chief Middle East Land Forces, and he finished his career as Adjutant-General to the Forces. Field Marshal Montgomery would have preferred it if Crocker had retired as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), but in 1949 Prime Minister Clement Atlee chose Sir William Slim for the post instead.

Source :
"Corps Commanders: Five British and Canadian Generals at War, 1939-45" by Douglas E. Delaney

A Change of Command Ceremony of SS Division Wiking

Image size: 1600 x 1072 pixel. 450 KB
Date: Saturday, 20 May 1944
Place: Lublin, Poland
Photographer: Unknown

A change of command ceremony for the III.Bataillon of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Germania" / 5.SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking" on 20 May 1944. The entire battalion is present in a U-shaped formation, only partially visible in this photograph taken on the football field at the Lublin army barracks in Poland. The ceremony is seconds away from starting, and waiting in the wings at stage right to begin the transfer before their men are three commanding officers: The center officer is SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Dorr (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Germania"). On the left is SS-Sturmbannführer Franz Hack, the out-going battalion commander who was moving up to take command of Wiking’s Westland Regiment. On the right is SS-Sturmbannführer Paul Kümmel, the new commander of the III. Bataillon, who was a commander of I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 "Wiking" before. Starting with Dorr, each of the officers in turn addressed the men of the III.Bataillon, who were fresh off from participating in the battles for the relief of the surrounded city of Kovel. The two halftracks is Sd.Kfz.251/1 Ausf.D.

Source :
https://reibert.info/threads/5-ja-tankovaja-divizija-ss-viking-ss-division-wiking-5-ss-panzer-division-wiking.24489/page-31

German POWs Trudge Past a Sherman Tank

Image size: 1600 x 1079 pixel. 120 KB
Date: Friday, 19 January 1945
Place: Höngen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

German prisoners trudge past a Sherman tank of the British 8th Armoured Brigade in a German frontier village of Höngen, 19 January 1945, during Operation Blackcock. Operation Blackcock was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg. It was conducted by the British Second Army between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Rur and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out under command of Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps, by three divisions, the 7th Armoured Division, the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division and the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. The operation, named after the Scottish black male grouse, is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the "Roer Triangle". 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8th_Armoured_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205203000
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/the-sherwood-rangers-in-january-1945.57430/

The Surrender of the Dutch Forces to the Japanese at Kalidjati

Image size: 1600 x 1152 pixel. 313 KB
Date: Sunday, 8 March 1942
Place: Kalidjati Airfield, Subang, West Java, Netherlands East-Indies
Photographer: Unknown

The surrender of the Netherlands East-Indies to the Japanese at Kalidjati military airport, Subang, West Java, on 8 march 1942 The Governor General of the Netherlands East-Indies had ordered to avoid armed conflict in the city of Bandung, crowded as it was with refugees. With the invading Japanese forces already in Lembang and Buitenzorg, a few miles away,  the commanding officers had no choice but to surrender. The negotiations took place on March 8, 1942 at Kalidjati airfield. Thoughtful as always the Japanese had lined the road to Kalidjati with hundreds of corpses of those killed in the defence of this airfield! Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten surrendered unconditionally to General Hitoshi Imamura and after a few more days all fighting in Java ceased. But in other places the fight went on longer. Sumatra KNIL forces capitulated on March 29 and the Australians and Dutch on Timor continued a guerrilla war for several months.

Source :

https://thejavagoldblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/the-loss-of-java-and-the-surrender/

German Troops Push into Barrikady Gun Factory

Image size: 1600 x 1079 pixel. 541 KB
Date: Friday, 16 October 1942
Place: Stalingrad, Soviet Union
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Kurt Heine

Infanterie-Regiment 577 of 305. Infanterie-Division, supported by Sturmgeschütz III Ausf.E assault gun of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 245, push into the Barrikady gun factory from the north of Stalingrad on 16 October 1942. The collapsed building is the warehouse on the northwest side of the factory. Assault guns supported the infantrymen as they pushed into the chaotic tangle of railway sidings, gutted warehouses and stacks of gun barrels that lined the western edge of the Barrikady Gun Factory, the assault guns in turn being guided on to their targets by the soldiers. The large-scale German attack on that day sweeping south through the brickworks and into the factory. Despite the menacing bulk of the factory’s workshops, progress was quite good. The panzers of 14. Panzer-Division suffered an initial setback when they lost 17 of their number to dug-in T-34s. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, the overall balance favoured the attackers: a large section of the gun factory was in German hands, as was a lengthy stretch of the Volga cliffs east of the brickworks and tractor factory. These operational successes were not as apparent to the weary infantrymen as was the loss of so many long-time comrades. 305. Infanterie-Division lost 1 officer and 30 men killed, 5 officers and 74 men wounded, and 1 officer and 13 men missing; 14. Panzer-Division lost 2 officers and 21 men killed, 4 officers and 121 men wounded, and 2 men missing. The photographer was Kriegsberichter Kurt Heine, and most of his photos were taken in November 1942 around the Barrikady Factory ruins.

Source :

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

https://www.facebook.com/pg/wehrmachtinstalingrad/posts/

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/

Dutch SS Ceremony in Utrecht

Image size: 1056 x 1600 pixel. 317 KB
Date: Sunday, 11 May 1941
Place: Utrecht, Netherlands
Photographer: Unknown

Dutch SS ceremony in Utrecht, 11 May 1941. On 11 September 1940 the NSB (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging in Nederland) formed the Nederlandsche SS (Dutch SS), it had up to 7,000 members. Himmler's vision for a Germanic SS started with grouping the Netherlands, Belgium and north-east France together into a western-Germanic state called Burgundia which would be policed by the SS as a security buffer for Germany. In 1940, the first manifestation of the Germanic SS appeared in Flanders as the Allgemeene SS Vlaanderen to be joined two-months later by the Dutch Nederlandsche SS and in May 1941 the Norwegian Norges SS was formed. The final nation to contribute to the Germanic SS was Denmark, whose Germansk Korpet (later called the Schalburg Corps) came into being in April 1943. For the SS, they did not think of their compatriots in terms of national borders but in terms of Germanic racial makeup, known conceptually to them as Deutschtum, a greater idea which transcended traditional political boundaries. While the SS leadership foresaw an imperialistic and semi-autonomous relationship for the Nordic/Germanic countries like Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway as co-bearers of a greater Germanic empire, Hitler refused to grant them the same degree of independence despite ongoing pressure from ranking members of the SS.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_SS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Movement_in_the_Netherlands
http://virepicf.pw/Image-Dutch-SS-in-Utrecht-11-May-1941-History-World-War-II.html

Eisenhower Chats with Paratroopers Before D-Day

Image size: 1600 x 1284 pixel. 368 KB
Date: Monday, 5 June 1944
Place: RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, England
Photographer: Unknown

One of the most iconic photographs of World War II, and of General Eisenhower, this image is forever linked with June 6th D-Day Landing. The photograph was actually taken the evening before the June 6th operations for the allied assault on Normandy, also known as "D-Day." In an English airfield in Greenham Common, members of the 101st Airborne were being briefed for their operation to jump from their gliders in the early hours of June 6th behind Utah beach. General Eisenhower left his command post and drove down to Greenham to spend time with the men of the 101st and 82nd before their jump. Eisenhower had been advised by his tactical air commander that 50 percent of the paratroopers would be dead before they hit the ground, and that 70 percent of the gliders would be lost in the initial air assault. British Air Marshall Trafford-Leigh Mallory warned Eisenhower to cancel the drop on Utah Beach, that in his opinion it would result in the “futile slaughter” of two airborne divisions. Though Eisenhower agonized over the projected heavy casualties, he decided to go ahead with the air drop that would spearhead the invasion. In the snapshot, the general has an intense look on his face and appears as if he could be giving a rousing speech, speaking to a young paratrooper with 23 around neck. That young man was LT. Wallace "Wally" Strobel. But actually, they were talking about fishing. Eisenhower asked where Strobel was from and he replied "Michigan, Sir." "How is the fishing in Michigan?" Eisenhower asked. Strobel replied, "It's great, sir." Eisenhower then said he had visited the state several times himself and that it was a beautiful state. Before moving on, Eisenhower ended with "Go, Michigan." According to Strobel's wife, when the planes took off early the next morning, Eisenhower was standing on the tarmac watching. Wally Strobel survived D-Day, the invasion of Europe and the rest of the war. He returned to Michigan and eventually died of respiratory failure at the age of 77. Servicemen from every unit in the U.S. military have claimed to be in this photo - one of the most famous of World War Il. The paratroopers in this series taken at Greenham Common on June 5, 1944, are all members of the 'E' and 'D' Company of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment / 101st Airborne Division. Anyone saying they are in it who was not a member of that organization is making a fraudulent claim. Left to right: Hans Sannes D/502, Bill Bowser E/502, General Eisenhower, Ralph Pombano E/502, Schuyler Jackson HQ/502, Bill Hayes E/502, Carl Vickers D/502, Lieutenant Wallace Strobel (“23” sign around neck) E/502, Henry Fuller E/502, Bill Boyle E/502, and William Noll E/502. U.S. Army.

Source :

"101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles in World War II" by Mark Bando

https://www.amazon.com/World-War-Airborne-Eisenhower-WW2V15/dp/B00ONJR4L2

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/general-dwight-d-eisenhower-talking-with-american-news-photo/500471937
https://imgur.com/gallery/fnNFMNS

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