Writing on wall in France, SS unit?

[johnny_ola2000]

Anyone can decipher this? photo taken postwar (1946)

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

there is a "panzer" symbol and "A.R." could be the name of a company/battalion/regiment commander ?
There is also a "1" (but the number is maybe incomplete).
LSSAH, Das Reich, Hohenstaufen, Frunsberg, HJ, Götz ?

Any info on the location ? Normandy ? South or East of France ?

See You

Vince

[johnny_ola2000]

Here is the back of the photo



On the top it says "Sunday, November 3, 1946" but I can't make out the word at the bottom "elampes" ? I unfortunately don't read French very well...

I was thinking if the writing "A.R 1" on the wall could be "Artillerie Regiment 1" ? it also looks like it says "7a " underneath the panzer rhomboid symbol, anyone familiar with these abbreviations? you see them on road signs too

[karlo]

imo..... V = 5th and the large 1 could be half of a directional arrow...k

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

the location is Etampes, located 40km to the south of Paris.

No we have to check which unit passed by the city in 1944.



See You

Vince

[johnny_ola2000]

Great!

Finding the proper location of the photo makes a big difference

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Definitely 5th SS Art. Reg. with arrow pointing in the the direction of probably regimental command element.

[kaiserwilhelm2]

Definitely 5th SS Art. Reg. with arrow pointing in the the direction of probably regimental command element.

This does not have to be divisional arty could also be an art reg part of the I or II SS Corps.

[ss3]

Not aware that the 5th (Wiking) were ever in France. Taking how the German list their units, could this be 5th Battalion, SS-Art Reg 1? (LAH)?

[kaiserwilhelm2]

could this be 5th Battalion, SS-Art Reg 1? (LAH)?

This makes sense as well or even more sense as Roman numerials were used for batallion designation and regular ones for regiments.

Parts of Wiking may have been in France during the war for refitting (though you are correct not for battle).

[johnny_ola2000]

Arrow?

I think that Karlo is right that the "1" is in fact an arrow pointing upwards

The panzer rhomboid should indicate a fully tracked/ armoured unit, so is this graffitti a road sign saying that further ahead is the "A.R" of the fifth battallion of an SS armoured unit? I think I see a "7a" beneath the rhomboid, would that be a seventh - "aufklärungs" (recon) company?

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

if the tags are from summer 1944, maybe they are showing identifications for more than 1 unit, as many convoys may have used the same road/identification checkpoint ?

See You

Vince