Early Fallschirmjager Album ( a little strange )

[Eric Queen]

Thanks to Erich C. for pointing this album out to me. On the surface it looks like a fantastic piece ( some nice early shots, a lot of notations, captions, etc. ). Then I noticed the page on the bottom right here. ( the 3 portraits of para's wearing camo smocks, helmets and MP 40's ). The notation says that all three were killed at the Dordrecht bridges on 5.10.40. That is not possible because these photos were clearly taken much later.
( I believe similar photos were pictured in JYN's "Green Devils", and my recollection is ( I don't have the book in front of me ), that he indicated that his information was that these were taken in a studio in France in 1944 ) Perhaps Jean Yves could expand on what he knows about these photos. Anyway, wondered what you guys thought about this. Clearly something a little "funny" here.

Thanks,

Eric

[jacques]

Hi Eric
The 3 pics are in the JYN's book. 2 of them are inverted.
friendly
jacques

[JYN]

Hi Eric,

Concerning the dealer... the big problem is that this guy is assembling documents and photos from different unknown sources and put them together without forget to name this lot NACHLASS. When he needs photos to match with certificates, he just add some which are not related to the group as well as, when just has a

[JYN]

sorry... little group of photos, he add the classical postcards depicting the training of the FJ or those which are post war repro !
JYN

[Prosper Keating]

It seems pretty clear that this album is either a clever fake using a melange of images from different sources and, in some cases, postdating WW2, or that it is an original FJ album that has been 'improved' by the addition of some photos from different sources.

Who's the dealer?

PK

[Ian Tannahill]

Giday Prosper,

The dealer's name is E. Bethge.

All the best,

Ian

[Eric Queen]

Heres the link if anyone wants to look at the whole thing.

http://www.militariaweb.com/d/lot.cfm?lotID=724301

[Gary T]

Don't know about this ablum but this guy has had several wehrpasses with faked entries (EK1's, some faked SS entries) on militariaweb over the last year or so. The entries were quite 'good' for fakes...all were sold for prices that would have been obtained if the entries were real.

I wouldn't buy anything from him if there was even the slightest doubt.

Cheers,
Gary.

PS Also a few soldbuchs including a snipers one which looked okay from a distance - it had list of kills and a square section of the awards page removed, purporting to be where the Snipers Badge entry had been removed. As always though this bloke will never (or hasn't when I've asked) send decent scans.

[Akira Takiguchi]

OK, probably some would call me stupid, but somehow I wanted to check this stuff in my own eyes...

You can watch me...

[Ian Tannahill]

Giday everyone,

I assume having read your comments Akira, that you were the successful bidder? I too had thought of bidding for the album, but expected that it would have sold for more than it did.

If you were the successful bidder, would you please share with us some of the other photographs from the album? In particular, I would also like to know what the five badges are that Jahn is wearing in the portrait photograph of him resting against a fence.

All the best,

Ian

[JYN]

Well,

Congratulations to the higher bidder and good luck for the rest:; I mean what is the real percentage of photos which is concerning the DKG ?
JYN

[Akira Takiguchi]

Yes, your assumption is correct...

>I would also like to know what the five badges are that Jahn is wearing in the portrait photograph of him resting against a fence.

With pleasure, Ian!

[Akira Takiguchi]

Well, the album has come.

I feel like a recruit in front of 4 star brasses here (if it's something about Panzers I could behave at least like a junior officer ), so I expect to receive ruthless orders...

The album has one recent repro, an image of the <i>Ritterkreuztr&auml;ger</i> Germer. The photo being repro had been notified by the seller before my purchase. I was told that the widow wanted to keep it as Herr Germer was the best friend of Herr Jahn.

There is an old reproduction of their wedding, but it is an enlargement of a photo also present in the album.

Eric wrote:
>... that he (JYN) indicated that his information was that these were taken in a studio in France in 1944

Well, here are two photos.

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/MJahn-FJPortrait-1s.jpg">
<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/MJahn-FJPortrait-2s.jpg">

And the Dortrecht photo.

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/MJahn-Dortrecht-1s.jpg">

These three share the cutting pattern. Another 1940 (without doubt) photo shares the same pattern. Of course this theoretically means only that the same cutting apparatus was used == same photoshop, but from my experience of handling 20,000+ photos, somehow it means that they stemmed from the same period.

Suspicious mind can say that they were made by the same faker, but the 4th photo is on a different page and looks so "natural" to be there. So my guess is that the comment "<i>+ 10.5.40 Gefallene Kameraden von Dordrecht"</i> <b>could</b> be true.

I would appreciate if Mr. JYN can show me the ground on which he says that <i>they were taken in a studio in France in 1944</i>.

I am not someone who just wishes my thing to be genuine, I know I own a couple of made-up albums and have the heart to accept the truth, so relentless attacks are appreciated

Now here's a photo at the request of Ian:

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/MJahn-1943-1s.jpg">

The caption says only <i>1943</i> but the other photo taken at the same time is captioned <i>Okt. 1943</i>, which is strange, he should already have his DKiG by that time.

Before ending this message, a dessert, an Panzer III Ausf. E with <i>Fallschirmj&auml;gers</i>.

<img src="http://www.history.jp/images/MJahn-PzIII-1s.jpg">

[Gary T]

Well, I'm no FJ expert but I didn't think splinter smocks were around in May 1940.....as I said before I wouldn't trust that seller as far as I could throw him.

[Eric Queen]

Akira,

I am not saying that the photos are recent prints, but what I am saying is that without any doubt whatsoever, these men were not killed at Dordrecht in May of 1940. As Gary pointed out, the splinter pattern smocks did not exist at that time. Also, you will notice they are wearing RZ-20 harnesses. These did not first appear until 1941. Either the owner didn't know when and where his friends were killed, or someone has added these after the fact.

Also, perhaps Willi and John can help with this, but the smocks seem to be the M41 "snap crotch" type ( as opposed to the early M40 "step in" overprints ), which were popular post operation
MERKUR ( May 1941 ). The only smocks which existed during operation YELLOW were the M36 "double zipper", and the M38 with no pockets.

There is no way these guys died in Holland. Even Crete a year later would be highly unlikely, IMO.

Some nice images though.

Eric