panzer loading phto with text ?

[milcollector]

Hello, can anyone read the caption on the reveser of this photo.
I can see the bottom line reads Panzer wagen, but cannot make out the rest.

I am trying to guess which part of the Europe this tank is being loaded.
Perhaps the camo scheme on the ship would be a good clue.
The soldier on board appears to be wearing a tropical visored cap.

[milcollector]

reverse

reverse

[ustufvorwaerts]

Hi,

in my opinion the back of the photo reads:
So werden wir in Deutschland verladen - Panzer Wagen
Which would be translated (excuse my poor English):
That´s the way how we are loaded in Germany - Tank.
So this might have taken place somewhere in Germany.

Hope this helps,

ustufvorwaerts
...

[HPL2008]

in my opinion the back of the photo reads:
So werden wir in Deutschland verladen - Panzer Wagen
Which would be translated (excuse my poor English):
That´s the way how we are loaded in Germany - Tank.
So this might have taken place somewhere in Germany.

Allow me to make just one very small correction: it is "wurden", the past tense of "werden"; so it says: "This is how were loaded in Germany - Tank."

[F L Clemens]

I would bet this is bound for Afrika. Anywhere else would have been by rail. I have seen a lot of Afrika panzer shipping photos from the early delpoyment.

[Bill Murray]

I am no expert in this area but............

As far as I can remember from reading a lot of posts and books, German forces embarked vehicles such as your photo in only a couple of instances.

One would be during the invasion of Norway and the other in the invasion of North Africa.

The tank being loaded would seem to be consistent with equipment going to North Africa and that seems to be verified by the tropic helmet we can barely see in the photo.

Again, I am no expert but I seem to remember also seeing photos of such vehicles being loaded from ports in Greece and Italy bound for North Africa and the cammo on the ship also seems to verify those ports of embarkation.

The photos I have seen of vehicles bound for Norway, out of ports in northern Germany do not seem to have exactly the same cammo as your photo and I think the tanks sent to Norway were rather older and somewhat obsolete compared to those sent to North Africa.

Just a few thoughts.

Bill

[milcollector]

thanks for your help. Yes I also thought it is heading for North Africa, but then the caption would contradict that theory.
If it is being loaded in Germany, then it could only be from a Northern German port. Ships bound for Africa were not dispatced from Kiel and other German coastal ports in Northern Europe.
Maybe it is just in the translation and interpretation of his caption regarding his mention of "Germany".

[Bill Murray]

I agree that it may be a question of "literal" translation versus what the writer may have meant to say. In this case, he may have meant this was "the German way" of loading vehicles.
Bill

[jmehner]

Bill,

the tank being loaded is a Pz II , and those saw action in Norway. Also, the text really means "That's how we were loaded aboard in Germany", if the writer would have referred to the German way, he'd have written "So wurde in Deutschland verladen".

HTH

Jens O.

[F L Clemens]

The original post says the soldier on the right is wearing a tropical cap. That would suggest against Norway. If, however, he is wearing a Gebirgsjaeger cap, then we would have to say yes to Norway.

Perhaps a cloesup of that man would settle the issue.

[Bill Murray]

Good input, both of you. Armour is definitely not my strong area.
The gebirgisjaeger hat is also a distinct possibility but here again, uniforms are not my area either. As to my command of the German language, I surrender.
Bill