Color Slides II

[Rick White]

A few from the Invasion of Norway...

1. In Aalesund.

[Rick White]

2. Crew of the "Franke" in Norway - I haven't been able to learn much about this vessel. Notice the XO (?) is wearing a Narvik Shield.

[Rick White]

3. Medical Personnel in Feldgrau uniform...reading The Good Book?

[Rick White]

4. GJ's in Norwegian Harbor.

[Rick White]

5. Harbor in Norway (Billfjord?)

[Rick White]

6. Escort Destroyer

[Akira Takiguchi]

Very, very nice... Until a couple of years back I did not realize that there were <b>many</b> color photos/movies back then... A friend told me that the great contrast in german B/W movies suggest that the original film was taken in color... I do not know if it is true or not, but when looking at many color slides that appear for sale, obviously c o l o r were rare but not extremely rare...

[Simon O.]

Very nice indeed Rick. With your permission, i'd like to bring this thread to the attention of the guys on the NUAV forum (Norway during WWII) I'm sure some of the guys there could help flesh out some of the details around the photos.

I'd hazard a guess that the GJ\ships photos were taken during the summer of 1940 as German troops began moving up to the far North. The fjord is i think Billefjord way up in Finnmark but not being familiar with the place i couldn't say for sure.

The escort destroyer is i think a Torpedo boat rather than a destroyer. i'll try and ID it later.

I did a quick search on the Franke and it would seem that it was a Vorpostenboot. It's mentioned here: Franke

and here Franke2


Out of interest, i have a locally published book called 'Narvik 1940' (although it has nothing to do with that campaign) which is basically a collection of one German soldiers colour photographs taken between the summer of 1940 and up to June 1941 in North Norway.


Thanks for sharing

Simon

[Rick White]

Hi Akira - that would be very interesting information to track down! Imagine finding all that Color film. Wow!

Simon, Thanks for the link on the Franke...I will check it out. Also, good eye on the T-Boot. I did not look close enough! The location is indeed Billefjord - it was written on the slide; I just was not sure of the spelling as the handwriting was poor. Yes, everything related to Norway in WWII tends to be referred to as "Narvik" this or that!

Kind regards,

Rick

[Alexander Zöller]

Hi,

I doubt all Wochenschau material was originally taken on color film, however *some* may have been, especially toward the end of the war.

In the autumn of 1944 the OKW's foreign propaganda division (WPr IV) began producing an all-color monthly newsreel called "Panorama", intended for exclusive distribution outside the Reich, in the still-occupied terroritories. Motivations were similar to those for Signal, i.e. presenting "a Germany assailed but unshaken" (http://www.ihffilm.com/619.html). This color material is what comprises most of today's "WW2 in color" DVDs, along with private films taken by various Kriegsberichters, and also by Hitler's entourage.

I agree with Akira that color material is very scarce, but still more available than initially anticipated. I'm actually surprised by the amounts of personal color slides that have turned up on various seller's sites and eBay recently. Just snagged this cartridge off eBay: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...em=3004929540.

It must be remembered though that color material was rationed, and obtaining Agfacolor products required exceptionally good connections unless you were an officially appointed correspondent, not to mention the investment, a single Agfacolor film cost a hefty RM 3.60!

[Akira Takiguchi]

Hi Alexander, thank you for the information and your earlier help with my website article!

That <i>Wochenschau was originally in color</i> was just a hypothesis of a friend, and not a fact, and I also doubt it I recently acquired a 16mm movie from a Bildberichter's estate (about 10.5 minutes running time, original films taped together) and (despite it was originally announced as color to me) it is in B/W Kodak film.

It is also very interesting that we see a lot of (and in color, as you say!) propaganda material toward the end of war, but very little private films. Hopeless situation must be hidden by glorious visual effects! Some things never change.

[Alexander Zöller]

Akira, you're very welcome

I should add that the price of RM 3.60 per Agfacolor film included the cost of processing, the films had to be sent in to Agfa, who would return the processed (i.e. inverted) slides in ready-to-view condition.