only a dead german...

[JYN]

Hi all,


I think most of those pictures were made to save the location of their friend's death in order to send information to relatives afterward. I think that the most frightening thing for everybody
is to die in the middle of nowhere without somebody by you who will tell your family about it.

The problem for a basic foot soldier is that you you are marching several miles in a strange and unknown land, it's quiet, then a offensive, you fight, comrades are falling around you and then you march again. NCOs and officers have maps; you just have to follow them.
Did men knew what happened to corpses or graves ?

Jean-Yves

[werner geier]

from/to the other side

"NAZI-KILLER.
Her mild manner and demure smile belie the fact that pretty Senior SGT Roza Shaniana is a crack Nazi Killer.
A volunteer of the lumber industry in Archangelsk, the Russian blonde has shot 54 Germans.
She has been decorated with the Order of Glory of the 2nd and 3rd Classes."
Credit Acme News 1/31/45

<img src="http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=2219425" width=600 height=826>

[Alexander Zöller]

Here's one fresh off eBay that I'd like to share with you. Came with a larger batch of photos from this unit (which I haven't been able to identify yet).

Soldiers also photographed dangerous scenarios upon realizing they had luckily escaped sudden death. This is a striking accident that took place in the Balkans in March 1944:

This motley crew of Polizei and Waffen-SS partisan hunters was on the road with their truck when they hit a mine. The engine was completely destroyed, the truck wrecked and reduced to scrap metal. By sheer fortune, none of the men was killed, and only the driver suffered some serious injuries. Having regained their composure after the initial shock, these roughnecks posed for a photo

[Akira Takiguchi]

The following two pictures came from an album of StuG.Abt.184. The soldier who made the album put a few of these gruesome pictures in a separate paper bag, probably so that it won't accidentally be seen by somebody else, still wanted to keep them "not to forget".

Soldiers including Sanis lay dead in the field after the battle. Russia, 1941

[Akira Takiguchi]

Shot in the head.

[Akira Takiguchi]

Panzers are iron coffins... one Panzer I and one Panzer II from 9.Panzer-Division were shot immediately after they came out of the woods into the open field. Luck was elsewhere. France, 1940.

[Akira Takiguchi]

Closer looking shows an unfortunate commander of this Panzer I, who would soon be taken care of. The other crew is seen nowhere.

[Akira Takiguchi]

Armored personnel carriers were thinly protected. A similar picture is known when Knight's Cross bearer Eckinger's SPW was shot by a russina KWI, killing him. This picture was also taken by a photographer in 1.Panzer-Division in 1941.

Ashes to ashes...

[Rick Research]

.

[Rick White]

I have had several photos from albums that show KIA German soldiers but, as everyone has commented already, they are scarce.

The following is an interesting series of photos pertaining to the subject. Sorry that I could not find my hi-res copy of these.

Despite the fact that the first photo is double-exposed, you can see two soldiers - one French (Belgian?), the other is possibly another Allied soldier who is wounded (notice bandage on his head) or a wounded German soldier guarding him. Look at the photo long enough and you will be able to make everything out.

In the next photo you see that both the wounded soldier (I think he is German - see the rifle that was probably in his hand when shot?) and the Allied soldier dead in the road.

The other photos show that, evidently, a firefight errupted in which German and French soldiers were killed.

Let me know if you see something that I didn't or think I have the "story" wrong

Rick

[Akira Takiguchi]

Rick, this is a rare sequence to show the actual battle, not some staged shots, says my gut feeling (explosion and fighting pose were sometimes staged, I have such examples). Thank you for sharing. The poplar trees look familiar to me somehow. I can't remember where...

[Dave Danner]

Based on my own experience, I find it somewhat macabre, to say the least, to take pictures of the dead. That said, I can understand there are sometimes compelling reasons. On Sept. 11th, 2001, my most recent experience with widespread death, I couldn't or wouldn't take any pictures of the bodies, but at least one member of my search and rescue team did. He was a trauma surgeon and an Air Force Reserve Lt. Colonel, so I believe he though the pictures he took would have educational value for other medical personnel.

I would say, building on what others have said, that you don't see too many pictures taken by German soldiers because pictures were taken generally by two classes of people: (1) the regular soldier who wanted to remember his experiences, and, as noted, probably wouldn't want to photograph his own recently killed comrades; and (2) members of the Propaganda companies, who, even if not under orders, might censor themselves in not photographing violently killed comrades. Pictures of funerals and the treatment of the wounded are a different thing - caring for the wounded and the dead is a demonstration of one's humanity. Relatedly, greater willingness to take pictures of enemy dead might also reflect the success in dehumanizing the enemy.

Dave

[dm5000]

The real war...

There are very few "pretty" death photos, most are fairly gruesome. I have maybe a dozen albums which comprise about 1,000 photos. NONE of the albums contain photos like these. These are found in forgotten bundles stored away in shoeboxes in someone's closet.

What makes them so important to me personally is that I get a sense that I am the last witness. So many of these poor bastards died horrible deaths. The odds are fairly good that the small group of people who witnessed these deaths are gone now. That little tattered black and white photo which may have not seen the light of day in 60 years makes you a permanent witness to one person’s horror.

Some of these are reposts from an old thread I started. (Actually, it was the companion thread to Tank Destruction Photos Post and Trade, which seems to live on forever!).

I am VERY MUCH interested in getting some high resolution scans of some of the photos that have been posted earlier in the thread. Please contact me here: motecpa@mchsi.com
Thanks,
Dave

[dm5000]

Tank?

Photo shot into a vehicle. Several items which appear to be exploded shell casings are scattered around.

[dm5000]

A new one from Rick

A new photo acquired from Rick White. Appears to be a wehrmacht "regular" on the right.