Dirlewanger soldier?

[PzV]

actually it was not my find but a friend of mine who I believe paid € 1 for the photo!! He also only noticed later what it was. The photo is of course not available as a good friend of ours from Stuttgart is now the owner.

[Woolgar]

Great to see

Nick

[kuratorium]

What do you think - what is the real price of this unique photo

[PBR]

Last time I saw a Dirlewanger picture for sale was around 5 years ago at Weitzes, was an absolutely stunning double-portrait of two armed thugs with leather gloves, MP40 and tab in wear.
It went for 800 euros if I recall well, I would actually pay 1000 right away to obtain it, I was a fool to let it go!

[Michael Root]

Anybody notice the date?

March of '45!

I think that's about the time the unit was trying to booster it's numbers up to divisional strength. Blondy was in for a tough spring that's for sure.

The above picture is incredible.

[MarcRikmenspoel]

I don't normally post pictures sourced from the internet but,
I just noticed a Dirlewanger soldier in this LIFE photo of POWs. He's seated in the middle with a bandaged head and cap over the bandages. note the CCC and Ek1.

its clearly not a private german photo but it still is interesting seeing the tabs in wear on newly surrendered troops.

source:internet- LIFE

These are most likely men who survived the Halbe Pocket, south of Berlin, and were able to surrender to American forces at Tangermünde along the Elbe River at the beginning of May, 1945. The Dirlewanger Division (36. Waffen-Grenadier Division) had been defending positions near Guben, before falling back through Halbe. There, many of the Communists and criminals in the unit mutinied and killed some of their officers. Only a few dozen men gathered around the division's acting-commander, Fritz Schmedes, and surrendered as a group.

The other Waffen-SS prisoners would have been survivors of the 23. SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nederland and the 32. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier Division 30. Januar. The 35. SS-Polizei-Grenadier Division was also at Halbe, and some of its personnel wore Waffen-SS uniforms, so some men may be from that division. Schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 502 spearheaded the Halbe breakout, so some of its men may be here, but it was only a battalion. Many of the Heer soldiers present were likely from the Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark, which was also in the Halbe pocket.

[Vinland]

If you look closely in the Time Life photo, it looks like another Direlwanger man in a smock, check the collar tabs...