Japanese in Russia?

[maxft82]

Hi,

I found this image in a stack of many photos.
All images show the Russian campaign.
In my opinion I see in this picture a German Wehrmacht soldiers, a pilots of the Japanese armed forces and a Japanese officer. How can this be explained?
Japanese units were involved in the Russian campaign?

Thanks for looking

Michael



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[Simon O.]

A handful of officers on official tours of the front. I know some also visited German units in Finland.

[Alex Stefanut]

Visitors at the frontlines, often involved in inspection of captured enemy equipment.

[Laurens Q-fin]

The one on the left is Hiroshi Oshima, the Japanese ambassador in Germany. I have two pictures from him during a visit in Belgium and once owned the following group:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=150322

In the second to last photo, one can easily recognize the same official as on your photo. Yet, why on earth is he wearing such a hat ?!?

Best,
Laurens

[maxft82]

Thank you all for your answers.
Fantastic, as soon there is a name of the person in the photo.
And really, I think it's the same man
Is it perhaps a flying caps?

Michael

[jmark]

A handful of officers on official tours of the front. I know some also visited German units in Finland.

I know of a Japanese delegation that visited Sevastopol.

[Ed Taylor]

Japanese Lieutenant Gereral Osamu Otani visited St.G.2 at Kertsch in the Crimea on July 3, 1943, with his aide. This is probably the group that also visited Sebastopol. He was the Japanese military atache in Berlin and the representative of the Japanese Main Armament Factory in Germany during the war. There are photos of him published I believe in Der Adler. He was very involved in obtaining the technical plans for the long range Ju-388 and Ju-390 together with a production license. They were very interested in obtaining a long range bomber that could reach the US. It has been suggested that he returned to Japan on March 28, 1945, on a Ju-390 flight to Japan via the polar route. He was not found in Europe after the war, but surfaced in JApan. He lived until 1969.

The officer in the left photo is Major Ernst Kupfer, Kommandeur of II./St.G.2. He is also in the middle of the photo on the right. Does anyone know the officer on the right without his jacket?

[maxft82]

Some images are inscribed on the back. It always will be the cities of Minsk and Smolensk.
Perhaps it could help this picture. It is probably related to the first image.

Michael



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[Elwyn]

The Japanese officer inspecting the captured Russian tank was Oshima. Google and you will find literally dozens of him running around in Berlin and Russia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_%C5%8Cshima


Cheers
Elwyn