Heinz Guderian Visiting Tiger Company of SS Leibstandarte

Image size: 1600 x 1150 pixel. 292 KB
Date: Tuesday, 27 April 1943
Place: Kharkov, Ukraine, Soviet Union
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Wiesebach

Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen) made an inspection visit to Tiger company of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 / 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH) at Kharkov, April 1943. Officer wearing Sonderbekleidung Der Deutschen Panzertruppen is SS-Hauptsturmführer Heinrich "Heinz" Kling, Chef of 18.Kompanie / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 / 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division LSSAH, and he is shows one of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Panzerbefehlswagen Tiger I Ausführung E (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181) to Guderian. The coaxial machine gun was removed to make more room in the turret for the extra radio set and the hole in the gun mantlet was plugged. Ammunition stowage was also reduced and the vision block on the right side of the turret and the turret periscope were not mounted. Records show that 89 Panzerbefehlswagen Tiger I were produced during the war.

Source:

Book "Panzer Divisions in Battle 1939-45" by Tom Cockle 

http://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/3158/2a130b90ca3f32a148f6728273fedb4a/

http://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/archives/barchpic/search/_1377011867/?search[form][fulltext]={Wiesebach}+within+FOTOGRAF&search[form][sortorder]=DCDATA_CREDATE+ASC

http://www.bridgemanart.com/asset/350367/German-Photographer-20th-century/General-Heinz-Guderian-inspecting-the-troops-of-th

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=637234679634339&set=gm.506346472787297&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/41818881@N06/8776121513/

A Japanese Dive Bomber Shot Down Near Truk

Image size: 1600 x 1114 pixel. 773 KB
Date: Sunday, 2 July 1944
Place: Truk Lagoon, Caroline Islands, western Pacific Ocean
Photographer: William Janeshek

With its gunner visible in the back cockpit, this Japanese dive bomber (possibly Yokosuka D4Y Suisei or Nakajima B5N Kate), smoke streaming from the cowling, is headed for destruction in the water below after being shot down near Truk, Japanese stronghold in the Carolines, by a Navy PB4Y on July 2, 1944. Lieutenant Commander William Janeshek, pilot of the American plane, said the gunner acted as though he was about to bail out and then suddenly sat down and was still in the plane when it hit the water and exploded! When the Japanese Imperial Navy withdrew after the Gudalcanal campaign, some carrier aircraft and pilots operated from both Rabaul and Truk. The Allies named it 'Judy'. The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war. Its effectiveness was compromised by the introduction of improved American fighters, especially the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The photograph captures the last seconds before the plane impacts the water. You can see the rear gunner trying to see what is happening, but is not bailing out. When the Imperial Navy withdrew after the Gudalcanal campaign, some carrier aircraft and pilots operated from both Rabaul and Truk. Quite a number of carrier crews survived the Midway disaster. And when the Imperial Fleet withdrew, many of the air crews were transferred to Rabaul and Truk to continue the air war there even if the Imperial Fleet was withdrawn. This proved to be a terrible mistake. Most of these throughly trained air crews were gradually lost in the subsequent fighting as the Americans moved up the Solomon Chain. Carrier pilots are some of the most skilled individuals fighting the War. It takes a great deal of time and effort to train carrier pilots. And experienced pilots also have a great deal of experience and wisdom to pass on to the trainees and new crews. The Americans rotated experienced pilotsstate-side to help in the trainong of air crews. The loss of experienced Japanese air crews meant that when the Imperial Fleet finally emerged to do battle and stop the Americans from seizing the Marianas, they fought the Battle of the Philippines Sea with inexperienced, poorly trined air crews. The Americans by this time had better planes, but the catasrophe now known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot also resulted from poorly trained and led air crews.

Source:

http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/sea/pac/ncp-truk01.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-pacific-islands/100155/

Award Ceremony For Russian Generals by Montgomery at Brandenburg Gate

Image size: 1600 x 1086 pixel. 349 KB
Date: Thursday, 12 July 1945
Place: Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

British Field Marshal Sir Bernard "Monty" Montgomery (17 November 1887 - 24 March 1976) decorates Soviet generals at the Hindenburg Platz near Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, 12 July 1945. The Deputy Supreme Commander in Chief of the Red Army, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (1 December 1896 - 18 June 1974), the Commander of the British 21st Army Group, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky (21 December 1896 - 3 August 1968) and General of the Army Vasily Sokolovsky (21 July 1897 - 10 May 1968) of the Red Army leave the Brandenburg Gate after the ceremony. Zhukov (Commander of 1st Belorussian Front), on Montgomerys left, was presented with the sash of the Knight Grand Cross of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (G.C.B.), while Rokossovsky (Commander of 2nd Belorussian Front), on Montgomery right, was made a Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.). Sokolovsky (Deputy Commander of 1st Belorussian Front), in the background between Montgomery and Rokossovsky was made a Knight Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.). The same was Colonel General Mikhail Malinin (28 December 1893 - 24 January 1960) who is standing just behind Rokossovsky. As citizens of the UK or the Commenwealth, the four generals would have been entitled to wear the title "Sir" in front of their names. So they only had the right to put the K.B.E., etc. after their name, as the Austrian pianist Alfred Brendl. The British King's Company of the Grenadier Guards formed the guard of honor and tanks of the King's 8th Royal Irish Hussars were drawn up on either side. The ceremony was held in front of a banner proclaiming "Glory to the Soviet forces who planted the flag of victory over Berlin." Note the British officer on the far left having a hearty laugh!

Source:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=201010 
http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/14738-berlin-may-1945-picture/
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205189188 
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1945/jul45/f12jul45.htm

http://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Allies_at_the_Brandenburg_Gate,_1945.jpg

M-2 Wildcats and F4U Corsairs at Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California

Image size: 1600 x 1107 pixel. 577 KB
Date: Thursday, 10 August 1944
Place: Long Beach, California, United States
Photographer: Unknown

The Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) at Long Beach, or Daugherty Field, under the jurisdiction of the Eleventh Naval District. View from atop building 75. General Motors FM-2 Wildcats and Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsairs are undergoing maintenance. Throughout World War II, the airfield was given over to the war effort. In August, 1941, the Civil Aeronautics Administration took over control of the airport, which had increased in size to 500 acres. in 1941, NAAS Long Beach serviced carrier borne Grumman/General Motors F4F/FM-2 Wildcats, Douglas SBD Dauntlesses, Chance-Vought F4U Corsairs, Grumman F6F Hellcats, Grumman/General Motors TBF/TBM Avengers, and Curtiss SB2C Helldivers. In addition, it had utility aircraft and such patrol planes as the Consolidated PBY Catalina and north American SNJ "Harvard" trainers. In 1942, the Navy turned over the facilities to the U.S. Army Air Corps which had also established a training base adjacent to it. As the Navy's activities began to be shifted to Los Alamitos, the Long Beach Army Airfield at Long Beach became the home of the Army's Air Transport Command's Ferrying Division, which included a squadron of 18 women pilots commanded by Barbara London, a long time Long Beach aviator. Like the Naval Air Ferry Command at NAS Terminal Island, the Army's ferrying work was an immense undertaking, thanks to Douglas Aircraft's wartime production. With the end of the war, the U.S. Navy abandoned any use of the Long Beach Municipal Airport facility completely, and with it, the designation of Long Beach as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives) Identifier 295426

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_at_NAS_Long_Beach_c1945.jpg

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1063

Destroyed Catholic Church at Dulag, Leyte

Image size: 1302 x 1600 pixel. 734 KB
Date: Friday, 20 October 1944
Place: Dulag, Leyte, Philippines
Photographer: Unknown

Statue of the Sacred Heart at the Catholic church stands after complete destruction of the 18th-Century building. Dulag was shelled by battleships and bombed by carrier planes from October 17-20, 1944, prior to Sixth Army's XXIV Corps landings on A-Day, October 20. The town's mayor, Marcial Lagunzad, was killed along with many other civilians. Almost every structure was completely obliterated. The US Army's 96th Infantry Division, 184th Infantry, commanded by Colonel Curtis D. O'Sullivan, was to land on Yellow Beach 1 and Yellow Beach 2 near Dulag and then drive inland, directing its main effort toward an early seizure of the airfield west of Dulag. It was also to seize and secure the crossings of the Daguitan River. The 184th Infantry landed at 1000 Hours, two battalions abreast - the 1st on the southern half of Yellow Beach and the 3d on the northern half. They encountered surprisingly little resistance on either beach and were able to push inland at a much greater speed than had been anticipated. The 3d Battalion drove through the town of Dulag, which lay directly in its path, to the Dulag-Burauen Highway. The 1st Battalion pushed inland and reached the highway at 1210, just fifteen minutes after the 3d Battalion. At 1530 the two battalions established physical contact and maintained it throughout the day as they continued their advance along the highway. Eleven Japanese had been killed in the 184th Infantry's zone. After the front line moved on, the ruins were used as a hospital. The church was not rebuilt as a war memorial to those who sought refuge during the war. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives) Record Group 26: Records of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1785 - 2005 (ARC identifier: 355). Series: Activities, Facilities, and Personalities, compiled 1886 - 1967 (ARC identifier: 513164). NAIL Control Number: NWDNS-26-G-3577 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Still_standing_in_the_rubble_of_a_church_in_the_war-blasted_town_of_Dulag,_a_statue_of_the_sacred_heart_appears_to..._-_NARA_-_513209.tif

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1062

Memorial Service in Prisoner of War Heito Camp #3, Formosa

Image size: 1600 x 1067 pixel. 708 KB
Date: Saturday, 1 January 1944
Place: Heito Camp #3, Pingtung, Formosa (Taiwan)
Photographer: Unknown

American, British, Australian, Dutch and other Commonwealth prisoners of war honor their dead comrades. This was probably a propaganda photo staged for the Japanese press. Date is estimated; 1943-1944. Heito Camp #3 in Pingtung, Formosa (Taiwan) was a transit camp for Allied prisoners of war on their way to other camps, and a source of slave labor to clear rocky land for sugar cane production nearby. if the men did not fill their quota of railroad cars with rocks by hand, they were beaten. The Formosan conscript guards could be worse than the Japanese. Over 1000 men were incarcerated here between August 1942 and February 1945. Wainwright and the other American brass from the Philippines were brought here on their way to their permanent detention. An air attack on February 7 wrecked the camp and the prisoners were relocated to Taihoku Camp #6 in Taipei. The Japanese Commandant, Lieutenant Tamaki, boasted to the prisoners that he would fill the cemetery, and he did - a second one had to be constructed! Many prisoners were worked to death or contracted malaria from the nearby swamp.

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1060

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

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

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

Source:

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

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

German Pioneer Attempting to Demolish Turret No.2 of Fort Maxim Gorky

Image size: 1600 x 1154 pixel. 445 KB
Date: Thursday, 18 June 1942
Place: Fort Maxim Gorky, Sevastopol, Crimea, Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

German assault troops from the 1.Kompanie / Pionier-Bataillon 173 / 73.Infanterie-Division / XIV. Panzerkorps / 1.Panzerarmee / Heeresgruppe Süd attempting to demolish turret No.2 of Fort Maxim Gorky I on 18 June 1942. Althought the fort's two turrets were already inoperative, the German pioneers made repeated attempts with explosive charges and improvised fire bombs to get at the gun crews still holding out below ground. In June 15-17 Germans Infanterie-Regiment 213, 1st and 2nd company of Pionier-Bataillon 132 and 1st company of Pionier-Bataillon 173 moved in to encircle the 30th battery. Communication land line with Sevastopol was cut, on the next day radio communication was also shut down, since all external aerials were destroyed (radio with internal antenna proved to be unable to perform properly). Clearly understanding value of 30-th battery in Sevastopol defense system Germans continued attacks by tanks and infantry. Gnawing their way through Russian defenses they put out of action machine-gun nests, suppressed snipers fire and ward off counter-attacks. Previous heavy bombardment, going on for weeks, considerably soften defense, stripping 30th battery of all field defenses, removing barbed wire, leveling trenches, machine-gun nests and detonating minefields. On June 17 30-th battery was completely encircled. Next day it fired all remaining live shells. Battery gunners used whole shots, which were stored before war for training purposes. One such shot torn off turret of the German tank, which tried to fire from Sofia Perovsky state farm. When no more shells remains in stock, battery fired 70 kg powder charges, three at once, and lucky shot, producing jet stream of powder gases with temperature up to 1000 degrees Celsius, reportedly, could obliterate approaching German infantrymen. But 30th was already doomed. By that time Germans were storming Northern Side and Michailovsky Bastion, far in the battery's rare. 200 gunners, marines and soldiers from 95th Rifle Division were still inside the battery compartments, blocked by the Germans, who by that time positioned machine guns to control exits. German infantry regiment and three pioneer battalions managed to reach damaged turrets and lobbed hand grenades inside.

Source:
"Sevastopol 1942 - Von Manstein's Triumph" by Robert Forczyk
http://www.allworldwars.com/The%20History%20of%20Maxim%20Gorky-I%20Naval%20Battery.html

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kVLnn5bMbJE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

221 Japanese Prisoners of War Approach USS Admiral C. F. Hughes

Image size: 1600 x 1301 pixel. 845 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 May 1945
Place: Apra Harbor, Guam, Marianas
Photographer: Unknown

LCT approaches Coast Guard-manned USS Admiral C. F. Hughes (AP-124). She put in at Guam on April 30, 1945, and all her passengers disembarked. After taking another group on board, including 221 Japanese prisoners of war from a Tank Landing Craft (LCT), she stood out of Apra Harbor on May 3. The transport made a two-day stop at Pearl Harbor from May 10-12 to disembark the prisoners and then continued her voyage back to the west coast. While over 420,000 German and Italian POWs were held in American camps, only 5,000 Japanese were detained by the war's end. This was partly because of explicit and implicit orders to fight to the death, a reluctance by Americans to take prisoners, and an increasingly obvious threat to the Japanese Home Islands. Many Japanese fighting men preferred to die in combat rather than be taken prisoner. At the end of the war, when it was realized that Japan was going to lose, About 2,500 were held at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. The rest were dispersed to Camp Huntsville, Camp Hearn and Camp Kenedy in Texas, Camp Clarinda in Iowa, and Camp Livingston in Louisiana. Camp Kenedy housed most of the Japanese POW officers. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives) Record Group 26: Records of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1785 - 2005 (ARC identifier: 355). Series: Activities, Facilities, and Personalities, compiled 1886 - 1967 (ARC identifier: 513164). NAIL Control Number: NWDNS-26-G-4669

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_further_indication_that_not_all_Japanese_fight_to_the_death_is_this_bag_of_221_Nip_prisoners_of_war._Sprawled_on..._-_NARA_-_513225.tif

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1061

Adolf Hitler Second Visit to the Victims of the 20 July 1944 Plot

Image size: 1600 x 1058 pixel. 248 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 August 1944
Place: Karlshof hospital, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Adolf Hitler second visit to the victims of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt at the Karlshof Hospital near Rastenburg (which was located some 7 kilometers away from Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze) on 1 August 1944. Hitler next to the sick-bed of Kapitän zur See Heinz Assmann, Admiral's Staff Officer in the Wehrmacht High Command, and Konteradmiral Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer, Hitler's Naval Adjutant. Heinz Assmann (15 August 1904 – 15 October 1954) was born in Stendal in the Province of Saxony and was appointed an Admiralty staff officer in the Eastern Naval Group Command in November 1938. He then served in the Naval Operations Division and as the first officer on the battleship Tirpitz from October 1942 to August 1943. He was a general staff officer at OKW from September 1943 to May 1945. After the war he provides his recollections of the many briefings for Adolf Hitler that he attended.

Source:
Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Assmann
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=105910&start=0

The Death Of SS General Ernst Fick

Image size: 1600 x 1338 pixel. 466 KB
Date: Sunday, 29 April 1945
Place: Murnau, Southern Bavaria, germany
Photographer: Unknown

On April 29, 1945, during the Murnau Oflag (Offizierslager) VII-A assembly, a plane with Polish insignia had appeared in the sky, circled above the assembly square, tried to signal something and went away. Soon on the road to the camp appeared American tanks. At the same time from the other side of Murnau, two German cars approached. They stopped upon noticing the tanks. Germans had been taken by surprise. SS officer in the first car opened fire from the machine gun, at the same time his companion jumped out of the vehicle. Both men were killed on a spot by the Americans (SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve Max Teichmann and SS-officer Widmann). The same fate met the passangers of the second car. Among the dead Germans was SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Ernst Fick (in the above picture lies at left, while at right is his driver with the rank SS-Untersturmführer) who rides in the second car. His briefcase contained the letter signed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. It was an order to kill all 5,000 Polish POW officers encamped in Murnau! To execute this task Fick had had at his disposal an SS group in 40 armoured vehicles that started from Münich. Most likely the SS-man intended to assemble the POWs and killed them with the machine guns fire from guard's towers. After finishing off the Germans, one of the Americans' tank smashed the entrance gate and entered the assembly square. The representative of POWs welcomed American soldiers. He had addressed them in English. The commander of the tank shook his head and answered in Polish: " My name is Szewczyk, we came to liberate you". He was from Kalisz, Poland!

Source:
http://einestages.spiegel.de/external/ShowTopicAlbumBackgroundXXL/a26823/l16/l0/F.html

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=196178
http://www.forum-der-wehrmacht.de/thread.php?threadid=4895

http://www.sppw1944.org/index.html?http://www.sppw1944.org/powstanie/powstanie_oboz_eng.html

Adolf Hitler and Wachtmeister Arthur Adam

 

Image size: 1600 x 1060 pixel. 199 KB
Date: Early August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

In the first days of August 1944 Adolf Hitler receives Wachtmeister Arthur Adam. Following the assassination attempt of 20 July 1944 he was the first to become suspicious of Oberst Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. It was he who noticed that the colonel left the conference early and had forgotten his briefcase and service cap in the outer office. After a vain attempt to report this to the two responsible intelligence officers, he turned directly to Reichsleiter Martin Bormann who took him to Hitler in order to state his suspicions. For his deeds, Wachtmeister Arthur Adam was promoted to Oberwachtmeister and received a small house near Berlin and 20,000 RM (Reichsmark). Standing in the left is SS-Obergruppenführer Julius Schaub (Chefadjutant des Führers Adolf Hitler). Please note that Hitler used his left to shakes hand with Adam because his right one is still affected by the bomb blast!

Source:
Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Günther Rall and His Men with Unit Mascot

Image size: 1600 x 1184 pixel. 408 KB
Date: Saturday, 6 March 1943
Place: Kerch Strait, Crimea, Soviet Union
Photographer: Reissmüller

"Wie spricht Rata?" (how does Rata?) Eichenlaubträger Oberleutnant Günther Rall (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52) and the men of his Staffel (Fighter Wing) during a short break between two feindflüge (combat missions). The standing squadron dog is named "Rata". Front, from left to right: Unteroffizier Manfred Lotzmann (15 Abschüsse), Unteroffizier Werner Höhenberg (33 Abschüsse), and Leutnant Hans Funcke (19 Abschüsse). Rear : Oberleutnant Günther Rall (275 Abschüsse), Leutnant Hans Martin Markoff (15 Abschüsse), Feldwebel Karl-Friedrich Schumacher (56 Abschüsse), and Oberleutnant Gerhard Luety (38 Abschüsse). The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Reissmüller in March 1943. Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was the third most successful fighter ace in history. He achieved a total of 275 victories during World War II: 272 on the Eastern Front, of which 241 were against Soviet fighters. He flew a total of 621 combat missions, was shot down 8 times and was wounded 3 times. He fought in the invasion of France, the Battle of Britain, in the Balkan Campaign and over Crete. He began the conflict as a young Leutnant (Second Lieutenant), and was a Major and Kommodore of JG 300 at the surrender. He claimed all of his victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Source:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14142,_Jagdflieger_G%C3%BCnther_Rall_mit_Kameraden.jpg

http://www.jg52.net/2010/05

Portrait Photo of Karl Ullrich After Award Ceremony

Image size: 1082 x 1600 pixel. 491 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown photographer from Heinrich Hoffmann Firm

Following the presentation of the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) #480 to SS-Standartenführer Karl Ullrich (1 December 1910 - 8 May 1996), the Hoffmann photographer uses the opportunity to take a portrait photograph. The decoration was conferred on 14 May 1944 to the commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 "Theodor Eicke"/3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf". The presentation of the award was deferred because of the assassination attempt on 20 July 1944. One month later Ullrich became commanding officer of the 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking". He died in Bad Reichenhall in 1996.

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Urakami Cathedral at Nagasaki After Atomic Attack

Image size: 1600 x 1322 pixel. 954 KB
Date: Saturday, 15 September 1945
Place: Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Photographer: Unknown

Urakami District after atomic attack. St. Mary's Cathedral is the only major structure, totally destroyed. Note people on main road. Often known as Urakami Cathedral after its location, it is a Roman Catholic church located in the district of Urakami, Nagasaki, Japan. Construction started in 1895 and was completed in 1914. At the time it was the largest Cathedral in Asia. The atomic bomb that fell on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 detonated in Urakami, only 1640 feet (500 meters) from the cathedral, which was completely destroyed. Urakami was not the intended Nagasaki ground zero for the explosion of the 'Fat Man' atom bomb, however winds on the day moved the bomb towards the hills of Urakami, which was close to the Mitsubishi Shipyards. Dr. Nagai Takashi, a medical doctor whose efforts secured funds for children orphaned as a result of the atomic bomb, was known as 'The Saint of Urakami'.What remained of the cathedral is now on display in the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Statues and artifacts damaged in the bombing, including a French Angelus bell, are now displayed on the grounds. The nearby Peace Park contains remnants of the original cathedral's walls. A replacement was built in 1959, and remodeled to more closely resemble the original in 1980. The hills around Nagasaki kept the blast from expanding, minimizing casualties (74,000) compared to Hiroshima (140,000). 

Source:

NARA (National Archives) Identifier 519385

http://www.archives.gov/research/ww2/photos/images/ww2-165.jpg

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1057

Artillery Fires in Support of Tenth Army Advance on Shuri

Image size: 1600 x 965 pixel. 397 KB
Date: Friday, 11 May 1945
Place: Southern Okinawa Near Shuri, Japan
Photographer: USMC Corporal Eastman

Marine M114 155mm howitzer of III Amphibious Corps fires in support of Tenth Army advance. On May 9, 1945, US Army Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. ordered a coordinated Tenth Army attack for May 11. The plan of attack called for Tenth Army to renew the assault on the Shuri defenses with its two corps abreast, III Amphibious Corps on the right, XXIV Corps on the left. The initial scheme of maneuver was an envelopment of Shuri by the Marine divisions on the west and the Army divisions on the east, while a strong holding attack was maintained in the center The Tenth Army staff believed that the Japanese positions were weaker on the right and that the fresh Marine divisions had a chance for a quick break-through on that flank. Moreover, the terrain was more favorable along the western coast. The wide flanking maneuver around Shuri that later developed was not projected in the original plans. General Buckner explained on May 10 that there would be nothing spectacular. He added: "It will be a continuation of the type of attack we have been employing to date. Where we cannot take strong points we will pinch them off and leave them for the reserves to reduce. We have ample firepower and we also have enough fresh troops so that we can always have one division resting." The initial order for the attack provided for a 30-minute general preparation by the artillery just before the ground attack. This provision was revoked two days later in favor of pinpointing of targets. The new order stated that "the maximum practicable number of known enemy guns and strong points will be destroyed or neutralized" prior to the infantry assault. The attack launched on schedule, although coordinated initially along the entire front, soon broke down into a series of intense battles for particular landmarks. For ten days of continuous fighting, from Sugar Loaf on the west coast to Conical Hill on the east, the Japanese, except for local and relatively minor retreats, held tenaciously to their long-prepared positions. Finally, on May 21, after some of the fiercest action of the battle of Okinawa, the American forces were to seize the eastern slope of Conical Hill, close to the east coast, and thereby to make an opening in the enemy lines which permitted an attempt at envelopment. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives)

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1056

Reception of Leading NS Officers by Adolf Hitler

Image size: 1600 x 1056 pixel. 226 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Reception of leading NS (National-Socialist) officers by Adolf Hitler, 1 August 1944. In his headquarters Hitler receives a number of leading national-socialist officers from Wehrmacht (Armed Forces). He is seen here during the welcoming with Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht), SS-Hauptsturmführer Heinz Linge (persönliche Ordonnanz Hitlers), SS-Obergruppenführer Julius Schaub (Chefadjutant des Führers Adolf Hitler) and General der Gebirgstruppe Georg Ritter von Hengl (Chef des NS-Führungsstabes im Oberkommando des Heeres). Hengl was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph and was an Observation Officer of the Flying Corps during the First World War. On 7 May 1945 Kampfgruppe Hengl (Battle Group Hengl) had their last combats against the advancing U.S. forces at the Wilder Kaiser. He is the recipient of both Deutsches Kreuz in Gold #587/3 (20 June 1944 as General der Gebirgstruppe and Kommandierender General XIX. Gebirgs-Korps) and Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #449 (Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137)

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Schwertern Award Ceremony For Rainer Stahel

Image size: 1600 x 1064 pixel. 205 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Presentation of the Schwertern zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub (Oak Leaves and Swords of the Knight's Cross) #79 to Generalleutnant Rainer Stahel (15 January 1892 - 30 November 1955) that held in Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, 1 August 1944. As a Generalmajor and Kommandant Fester Platz Wilna (commanding officer of the stronghold at Vilnius), he was responsible for tying down large enemy forces so, on 18 July 1944, was awarded the Swords and promoted to Generalleutnant. While commanding operations in Bucharest (Rumania) he fell into Russian captivity. In 1955, he died in Russian Gulag from a heart attack as news of his release was broken to him! Also present in this picture: Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen und Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres) and Oberst Nicolaus von Below (Luftwaffen-Adjutant der "Adjutantur der Wehrmacht beim Führer und Reichskanzler").

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Luftwaffe General Werner Kreipe and Eckhard Christian

Image size: 1600 x 1066 pixel. 312 KB
Date: Wednesday, 2 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Eventual General der Flieger Werner Kreipe (right, Chefs des Generalstabes der Luftwaffe) in conversation with Oberst Eckhard Christian (persönlicher Generalstabsoffizier des Chef der Oberkommando Wehrmacht). During his time at the Military College in Münich, Kreipe (12 April 1904 - 7 September 1967) participated in Hitler's march on Feldherrnhalle, and therefore he wears the ribbon of 9 November 1923, the so-called "Blutorden" (Blood Order) award, on his right breast pocket. He also sporting his Deutsches Kreuz in Gold which he received in 29 June 1942 as an Oberst i.G. (im Generalstab) and Chef des Generalstabs des I. Fliegerkorps. Following the assassination attempt on 20 July 1944, from which Generaloberst Günther Korten (26 July 1898 - 22 July 1944) was critically wounded and died shortly afterwards, Kreipe was temporarily entrusted with the business of Luftwaffe Chief of the General Staff.

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Hans Lex Award Ceremony

Image size: 1070 x 1600 pixel. 307 KB
Date: Friday, 10 September 1943
Place: Werchopenje, southeast of Orel, Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

Oberleutnant der Reserve Hans Lex (Chef 7. Kompanie / II. Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment "Großdeutschland" / Panzergrenadier-Division "Großdeutschland" / XXXXVIII.Armeekorps / 4. Panzerarmee / Heeresgruppe Mitte) proudly displayed his newly received Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) after an award ceremony which taken place in Werchopenje (Russia) on 10 September 1943. This prestigious medal was awarded  to Lex (21 January 1916 - 11 August 1994) by the Divisionskommandeur, Generalleutnant Walter Hörnlein, after his company of 5 Tigers destroyed 16 Soviet T-34 tanks without loss of his own (!) from a Panzer position near Novenskoje on 15 July 1943, thus alleviating a strong flank threat. Because the "real" Ritterkreuz was still on the way at the time of the award ceremony, so a converted Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse was used instead! Lex ended the war as Hauptmann der Reserve.

Source:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=105457
http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?p=144498

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2429363

U-37 Returned to the Base at Wilhelmshaven

Image size: 1600 x 1025 pixel. 273 KB
Date: Sunday, 18 April 1943
Place: Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

On 18 April 1943 the type IX boat U-37 returned to the base at Wilhelmshaven after its fourth patrol. On this mission, the boat had operated off Norway under Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartmann’s (11 December 1902 - 26 April 1903) command as part of Operation “Weserübung”. It hadn’t been as successful though, as during its previous patrols. Having sunk 8 ships on both the 2nd and 3rd sortie, it “only” flew three pennants on its periscope this time. The Viking cry “Westward-ho!”, adorning the conning tower, was adopted by Hartmann for his new boat U-198 that completed its first and only patrol under his command very successfully in 1943. It should be mentioned that Kapitänleutnant Asmus Nicolai Clausen (2 June 1911 - 16 May 1943), former 1st Watch Officer and later captain of the U-37, also used the “Westward-ho!” emblem on it and the other submarines commanded by him, namely U-129 and U-182.

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" magazine 2nd edition 2007

http://uboat.net/boats/u37.htm

U-125 Returning To Lorient

Image size: 1600 x 1025 pixel. 241 KB
Date: Friday, 6 November 1942
Place: Lorient, Brittany, France
Photographer: Unknown

Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Folkers (6 March 1915 - 6 May 1943) was one of the most successful commanders of the 2. Unterseebootsflotille (2nd Submarine Flotilla). Here he is seen returning to Lorient in U-125 on 6 November 1942 after his fifth patrol and more than three months at sea. Folkers sank six British ships during this sortie in his Type IX C boat. The extended patrol has caused the submarine’s paint to become very weathered. Note the windscreen on U-125’s conning tower, something normally seen only on torpedo boats! On the night of May 6 1943 the destroyer HMS Oribi located the U-125 in a heavy fog with its radar set just before 0300 and rammed her while doing something close to 20 knots. The boat was severely damaged and the British believed her to be sunk. But she did survive and at 0331 Folkers radioed BdU with an urgent request for help and U-552, U-381, U-413 and U-260 were ordered to assist him (U-614 and U-402 also in the area were told to remain on station). The boats searched for the wounded boat until the morning of the 7th. The corvette HMS Snowflake got a radar contact 0354 and soon the contact had closed to 100 meters! The starlights were turned on and revealed a heavily damaged U-boat and apparently already sinking. The corvette tried to ram but the boat escaped the turn. The crew of U-125 scuttled their boat with 5 explosive charges while almost alongside the HMS Snowflake and waited in the water to be rescued. Another corvette HMS Sunflower did reach the scene about this time. The commander of the corvette radioed the escort commander in HMS Tay but was given the shocking reply: "Not approved to pick up survivors". The corvettes HMS Sunflower and HMS Snowflake then turned towards the convoy leaving the men in the water. Kptlt. Folkers and his crew of 54 men died during that night!

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" magazine 2nd edition 2007

http://www.uboat.net/boats/u125.htm

U-553 Returned From Successful Patrol

Image size: 1600 x 1126 pixel. 584 KB
Date: Saturday, 19 July 1941
Place: Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France
Photographer: Unknown

When U-553 returned to St. Nazaire from its second combat patrol on 19 July 1941, not only did it come home with two combat pennants, but a badly-damaged attack periscope as well! On 12 June 1941, after five days at sea, Kapitänleutnan Karl Thurmann (4 September 1909 - 20 January 1943) came upon stragglers from the westbound convoy OG-64 north of the Azores. at 0122 hours on the night of 12 June Thurmann sank the British steamer "Susan Maersk" (2,355 GRT). Because of the darkness and the speed with which the ship sank, less than a minute, only a rough tonnage estimate was posible, thus the gross registered tonnage on the sinking pennant is incorrect! At 1505 hours U-553 attacked the Norwegian tanker "Ranella" (5,590 GRT). A torpedo struck the ship, but it did not sink. A finishing shot was attempted at 1536, however the contact pistol failed. After the shot, Kapitänleutnant Thurmann turned away in the direction of the steamer, passing under the bow of the "Ranella", which was now stopped. The periscope, which was not fully lowered, struck the tanker and and the top two meters were bent backwards. Finally, at 1635 hours, a third torpedo struck its target, causing the ship to break into two parts. It still did not sink, however (read Lothar-Günther Buchheim "Die U-Boot Fahrer - Die Boote, die Besatzungen und ihr Admiral", page 160-161)! 100 rounds from the 88-mm deck gun were needed to finally sink the two parts of the wreck. The 29-man Norwegian crew had already left the ship and reached the Azores 12 days later.

Source:

"U-Boot Im Focus" edition no.2 - 2007

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/

The "Last Stand" Defender of Cherbourg

Image size: 1600 x 1308 pixel. 472 KB
Date: Tuesday, 27 June 1944
Place: Cherbourg-Octeville, Manche Department, Basse-Normandie, France
Photographer: Unknown

This dead young German Luftwaffe soldier wearing Zeltbahn M31 was one of the "last stand" defenders of German-held Cherbourg. Captain Earl J. Topley from St. Paul, Minnesota (left), who led one of the first outfits into the fallen city, blamed him for killing three of his men, until they got him with a grenade. France, 27 June 1944. The speed with which Cherbourg fell demoralised many German generals. Once the original landings had succeeded, and it became clear that the Allies were not going to be swept back into the seas, the Germans knew that they could only win if they could move reinforcements to the front quicker than the Allies. Like the Allies they underestimated how much could be done on the beaches, and believed that the capture of a major port was essential. As a result every major port was heavily fortified, but the fall of Cherbourg made it clear that even the best fortifications could be beaten, and quickly.

Source:

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration ARC Identifier: 531214

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dead_German_soldier_in_Cherbourg.jpg

Karl Dönitz Studying Maps at Kriegsmarine Headquarter

Image size: 1221 x 1600 pixel. 472 KB
Date: January 1943
Place: Marinehauptquartier Koralle, Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Walter Frentz

First published by "Signal" magazine February 1943 edition (to celebrate the new leader of the German Kriegsmarine), this picture (made by Walter Frentz) shows Generaladmiral Karl Dönitz (Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote) studying maps on a table (center) with Kapitänleutnant Adalbert Schnee (Geleitzugs-Asto, Admiralstabsoffizier beim Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote) at left and Kapitän zur See Eberhard Godt (Chef der Operationsabteilung beim Befehlshaber der U-Boote). The briefing held at the U-Boat operations section of the Kriegsmarine HQ in Berlin (Marinehauptquartier Koralle). On 30 January 1943, Dönitz replaced Erich Raeder as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine) and Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) of the Naval High Command (Oberkommando der Marine). His deputy, Eberhard Godt, took over the operational command of the U-boat force.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_D%C3%B6nitz

https://www.ullsteinbild.de/ullstein-webshop/detail_print.html?id=4662786&ref=workbench

Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring at the Demonstration of Hetzer

Image size: 1138 x 1600 pixel. 698 KB
Date: Thursday, 20 April 1944
Place: Near Schloss Klessheim, Wals-Siezenheim, Austria
Photographer: Walter Frentz

Adolf Hitler (Führer und Reichskanzler; Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht; Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres) and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der deutschen Luftwaffe) at the demonstration of the newly developed Hetzer tank destroyer at a closed highway near Klessheim Palace (Schloss Klessheim), west of Salzburg (Austria), on the occasion of Adolf Hitler's 55th birthday, 20 April 1944. In the left behind Hitler wearing ledermantel (leather jacket) is General der Flieger Karl-Heinrich Bodenschatz (Chef des Ministeramts im Reichsluftfahrtministerium und gleichzeitig Verbindungsoffizier Görings zu Hitler), while in the far left (face cropped) is Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht). Last, the man wearing black hat behind Göring is Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (Austrian-German automotive engineer).

Source:

http://www.ww2shots.com/gallery/v/People/Adolf+Hitler/Hitler+und+Hermann+G_ring-color+photo-ww2shots-people.jpg.html

M4 Sherman stuck in Okinawa Stream

Image size: 1300 x 1600 pixel. 787 KB
Date: Monday, 21 May 1945
Place: Wana Draw, Okinawa, Japan
Photographer: Alexander Roberts

M4A3 Sherman of the 706th Tank Battalion attached to the US Army's 77th Infantry Division, Tenth Army, stuck crossing a 5-foot stream. Other Shermans are behind it. Both the Americans and the Japanese could not maneuver in a constant torrential downpour known locally as the "Plum Rains." The tank commander looks on as the driver bales the tank out. Note "Pop" written on the driver's helmet. The tank would have to wait until a tractor could be available to pull it out. The 706th fought at Guam, Leyte, Ie Shima, Okinawa, and was back at Luzon in the Phillipines at the end of the war. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1055