Rare Photo Report Excecution in Russia / Crime of War ?

[Lionel H.]

Hi Guys. Here are some photos I want to share with the Collector Community. I assume they are quite rare... After the War, former Soldiers having such Photos in their archive have been probably tempted by destroying them... I have got these Pictures from a german Friend of mine as a "Group" without Story and origin, kept in a small cardboard box, sadly.... My conclusion was at that time this Soldier may have belonged to the Infantery-Rgt.35 (mot.) (25.I.D., later 25.PGD). But without Garantee....
I have try to interprete them, to order them, not easy as just the Nr.1 has a caption on the back... So all your Comments, Opinions, are very welcome.

I have numbered them to make all Comments easier.

All my Comments, numbers, are my own Interpretations, and have none Pretention to be "The Truth"....

The 6 first Pictures are describing something "common" at the Front : the attack of an ennemy Bunker. Is it real ? Posed ? Re-make after Action to justify anything ?? Is the Ennemy really attacked or just smoked-out in the Bunker ??
<p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/I/H/IHnpgif0KxjQ146885443702P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/5/w/5wKEUg7kIaQh146885444334P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/J/3/J35oQESz9hRO146885445185P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/s/a/saZrN1VTI4FK146885445675P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn01.trixum.de/upload2/W/j/WjIul8UMYsch146885446955P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/X/4/X4sBO8SaWC2R146885447645P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

Prisoners have been made (7), are searched (9). On 8, you see clearly two officers on the left, with combat Equipment. A third Officer is reading a Paper. On the Ground, beside 4 or 5 MG-Munitionskisten, 2 civilian coffers, one is opened and show a white content, I don't know what it is. Last Point : on these Pictures and on the next one, note the Prisoners are wearing IMO, regular russian Army Uniforms. <p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/k/j/kjKnIPt2v3sw146885521982P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/i/J/iJkfyvCXl4MA146885522588P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/q/O/qOJHZrIPkNBW146885523111P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

The Photo 10 seems very interesting : one Guy is already laying dead on the Ground. One other wipes his Eyes : Crying because he knows his End is near, or from the smoking-out of the Bunker ?? Note also the cut-Tree in the foreground. Probably to improve the rifle-range of the Bunker.
Photo 11 : The whole Scene seems to be under supervision of the Officer with "raincoat". A saluting Uffz is obviously making a Report....<p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/6/2/62eHrUmpT9w7146885589147P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/a/M/aMfgtRu1K4eJ146885590001P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

The Photos 12,13,14,15 are showing the Exectution itself.... 12 . An Officer is talking to a Sgt (Translator ??). 13 : the sgt is now alone with the Prisoner. Note the three Soldiers with each a light M.G.34, ready to open fire. 14 : Fire. 15 : Note the Tree almost cut by the 7,92-Squals.<p><img src="http://cdn01.trixum.de/upload2/Y/M/YMTFmh1KNfwk146885669544P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/q/d/qdIcP67pV0sZ146885670286P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/H/J/HJaL1tzSORmb146885670898P1683.jpg"></p>
<p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/u/G/uGfvsK2yRgwX146885671753P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

Photo 16. These Soldiers seems to live there last Seconds. One Soldier is already dead on the Ground. One Soldier is talking to his Neighbour. They are not bound and seems to front the Death with a great Courage. <p><img src="http://cdn02.trixum.de/upload2/9/m/9mpGVbFRBcAT146885784309P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

Photo 16 : These 2 Soldiers seems to wait for the Death with a great COURAGE ! The older one speaks to the Younger. One is still lying on the Ground. <p><img src="http://cdn03.trixum.de/upload2/7/Z/7Znhtyom4QFP146885867443P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

Photo 17 : Seeming almost unreal at this Place.... the only Woman in civilian Clothes.... Partisan ? All around, german Soldiers walking, so she will not be shoot down immediatly.... On this Picture,, note the high number of Trees cut to permit the Bunker to have a better Firing Field. <p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/l/6/l6TnJeBKqCvZ146885888431P1683.jpg"></p>

[Lionel H.]

Photo 18. A dead russian Soldier. Next to his Body seems to be a Peg with a rope...

So, this is the last Photo of this gruesome Report. As I wrote before, all elements for Dating, identifying a Place, a Unit, and so on... are welcome ! Such photos are always historically important. <p><img src="http://cdn04.trixum.de/upload2/z/5/z5IyuTA8QbWn146885906823P1683.jpg"></p>

[Ohlau]

For me looks like events from 1941... Who knows, maybe story from one of Molotov or Stalin Line bunkers which cutted from backs fought isolated.

For sur a evidence of war crime, shooting unarmed POW's. Probably some kind of revenge / punishment for long resistance and Wehrmacht own loss during assault.

Yes, could be units of 25 InfDiv : " Bei Zwiahel am Slucz durchbrach die Division die Stalinlinie und marschierte dann auf ****omir und Kiew zu"

[Edward]

From uniforms and equipment 1941. The substantial concrete structure appears to be one of the types that one would associate with the Stalin Line during Barbarossa. The photos appear to be more of a mopping up type of operation. Numbers of Russian soldiers by passed at this time were rounded up in the manner shown in the photos. Not enough to really go on to link the woman as a partisan. She could be, or simply a local resident that the soldier who had taken the photos thought was cute. Who know's. What is odd to see is that they used 3 men lying prone on the ground to hastily execute a lone prisoner tied to a tree with what appears to be at least 2 MG34's. Of the 3 men in photos 13 and 14, the one on the right and left appear to be using bipods. That would explain the large amount of dust thrown up in photo 14.

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

the soldier who was shot is maybe a politrouk ?

See You

Vince

[Vancharger]

Thanks for showing

Very special and most interesting series of photos, have never seen anything like it.

Thomas

[jmark]

Hi,

the soldier who was shot is maybe a politrouk ?

See You

Vince

That's exactly what I was thinking. Lionel, can you zoom on on Photo 12 to see if he's wearing a politruk's star insignia on his sleeve.

[compressore]

Poor men ! How horrific it must have been to stand there and wait for the end of the life....

[Lionel H.]

Thanks Guys for your Imput. Thereafter for Jason, the best close up I was able to do, to determine if the Guy is a Politruk or not. By the Way, there was some divisions where this Order was not applied, and Politruk threated correctly as PoW, a friend of mine, KC Holder from the 290th ID testified it. Follow blind an order or not, that is/was a courageous Decision in the War, the kind of decision which makes you, especially if you are defeated at the end, a war criminel or not.... And even if he is a Politruk, it seems that he was not alone to be executed on that tragical Day....