SS Photo Album TK MG34 Camo Graves Ect

[Graham G]

info on the grave yard shots.








6. SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord"
- Ein Friedhof der Division am "May-Weg" ostwärts von Kiestinki

Republic of Karelia

Northern Russia on border with Finland 1944

Is that from the album? I thought it was (I commented on the other thread, in the SS section).

Confirms what I said to the seller, that the first part of this- before Vilna- is 6. SS Nord in Karelia.

[clestuff]

Thank you for all the comments and information, I just posted for sale with all the pics in the album shown.

[Gerdan]

One grave I could identify in the Volksbund list:

Nachname: Reininger
Vorname: Georg
Dienstgrad: Schütze
Geburtsdatum: 29.06.1922
Geburtsort: Semelijci
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 13.11.1941
Todes-/Vermisstenort: Kiestinki 18 km ostw.

Georg Reininger - war graves cemetery: Salla (RUS).

Endgrablage: Block 5 - Unter den Unbekannten (in the unknown area)


Gerdan

[Gerdan]

# 7 last one: Dünaburg

# 8 first one: Dünaburg

# 8 no 3 : Vilna - Juden (jews)

Gerdan

[Simon O.]

The machinegun picutred is an MG34, i corrected the thread title for you.

[clestuff]

# 7 last one: Dünaburg

# 8 first one: Dünaburg

# 8 no 3 : Vilna - Juden (jews)

Gerdan

I didnt notice before but #8 does say Vilna Juden June 43. I think this is little known proof that this element of the Nord Div was involved with deportation and liquidation of the Jews in the Vilna ghetto. I researched and found Bruno Kittel was sent to Vilna in June 43 to liquidate the Vilna ghetto under orders of Einsatzkommando 3. The trains in two of the photos are clearly SS men resting after there "hard work". This really is unbelievable and very rare photographic proof. The story the album tells is so sad all around. Clearly these men started out thinking they were an elite unit ready for combat but ended up being ordered to commit unspeakable acts. The captions above the photos disappear after the "Vilna" photos. The faces on the men change....

[Simon O.]

That an individual has some photos from Vilnius i june 43 does not prove that elements of the Nord division were there in any capacity. In fact it makes no sense, the division was in Norway, then Finland an Norway again from the summer of 40 until the end of 44.
I could however easily see the photos being taken whilst on their way to or from leave having shipped out from Finland and landing in Riga or Tallinn for example, prior to transport by train, as you can see in the photos, towards Germany.

[clestuff]

That an individual has some photos from Vilnius i june 43 does not prove that elements of the Nord division were there in any capacity. In fact it makes no sense, the division was in Norway, then Finland an Norway again from the summer of 40 until the end of 44.
I could however easily see the photos being taken whilst on their way to or from leave having shipped out from Finland and landing in Riga or Tallinn for example, prior to transport by train, as you can see in the photos, towards Germany.

Really? Some SS Nord soldiers that were once part of the Totenkopf division and camp guards just happen to be taking a tour of a Jewish Ghetto during the same time Bruno Kittel was taking it over to liquidate it. And, they decided to take the cattle type train used to transport Jews to get there. Then went back to Norway or Finland. Get real! The full history of these SS divisions have not yet been written my friend. Trying to paint the division of having "clean" hands when it comes to the Holocaust is naive.

[Graham G]

You are incredibly wrong on the history of Nord. I recommend reading a basic history of the division. From 1941 until September 1944, they were in Northern karelia. Yes, the division was formed in 1941 (as a Kampfgruppe) from TK standarten, with some former KZ men, but this is separate from the division.

The Vilna photos are certainly from the same man, but have absolutely nothing to do with 6. SS Nord; this isn't a matter of whitewashing the division's (very clean) history, but simply a basic fact. The man was most likely transferred to another unit, where he took part in this area. But this certainly is not Nord for this area. Whether he was temporarily or permanently transferred, it's hard to say, as well as the reasons for it.

[clestuff]

You are incredibly wrong on the history of Nord. I recommend reading a basic history of the division. From 1941 until September 1944, they were in Northern karelia. Yes, the division was formed in 1941 (as a Kampfgruppe) from TK standarten, with some former KZ men, but this is separate from the division.

The Vilna photos are certainly from the same man, but have absolutely nothing to do with 6. SS Nord; this isn't a matter of whitewashing the division's (very clean) history, but simply a basic fact. The man was most likely transferred to another unit, where he took part in this area. But this certainly is not Nord for this area. Whether he was temporarily or permanently transferred, it's hard to say, as well as the reasons for it.

I'm not trying to "whitewash" anything, my friend. I did read the basic history of Nord, and then some. And, I did study the faces in the photographs as I have a very clear vision of them with my mag glass, looks like the same group of dudes to me. Not just this one guy getting "transferred". To say a unit from "Nord" could not have been assigned to this Ghetto is just being blind. There is no way you or I could know that. I'm just going by the photographic evidence I have in front of me...I personally don't think any SS division has "clean" hands. No insult intended to anybody. This is just my opinion as well as many Americans who had relatives who served in the war.

[Simon O.]

Really? Some SS Nord soldiers that were once part of the Totenkopf division and camp guards just happen to be taking a tour of a Jewish Ghetto during the same time Bruno Kittel was taking it over to liquidate it. And, they decided to take the cattle type train used to transport Jews to get there. Then went back to Norway or Finland. Get real! The full history of these SS divisions have not yet been written my friend. Trying to paint the division of having "clean" hands when it comes to the Holocaust is naive.

This album has no connection what so ever with the totenkopf division. Individual soldiers moved around a lot, leave, hospital, courses and what have you, the cattle trucks you see were also widely used as regular troop transports. The very idea that troops were taken out of a frontline division that was in combat and sent over 1000 km, across a sea as well. Placed under the command of an SD sergeant just for this action when there were hundreds of thousands of troops and local security forces to do the job makes no sense at all.
I would also question whether the Jewish photo was taken in the ghetto, seems more like a group moving to or from the ghetto. The other photos of them in Lithuania and Latvia (Daugavpils) show no weapons or equipment, just soldiers at rest and relaxed, as you would expect if they were on their way on leave.

[Simon O.]

I'm not trying to "whitewash" anything, my friend. I did read the basic history of Nord, and then some. And, I did study the faces in the photographs as I have a very clear vision of them with my mag glass, looks like the same group of dudes to me. Not just this one guy getting "transferred". To say a unit from "Nord" could not have been assigned to this Ghetto is just being blind. There is no way you or I could know that. I'm just going by the photographic evidence I have in front of me...I personally don't think any SS division has "clean" hands. No insult intended to anybody. This is just my opinion as well as many Americans who had relatives who served in the war.

I think you're reading far more in to this than there is evidence for. Nobody is being naive or trying to whitewash anything.

[byterock]

# 8 no 3 : Vilna - Juden (jews)

Hmm Most likely a work party going out to do a menial job somplace. Most likely just takne on the fly as to show too much intrest could of got the soilder in troubble by that stage in the war.


The spring on early summer of 43 was a quite time in the Vilna Ghetto it wasn't till August of that year that the final round-up started.

[clestuff]

This album has no connection what so ever with the totenkopf division. Individual soldiers moved around a lot, leave, hospital, courses and what have you, the cattle trucks you see were also widely used as regular troop transports. The very idea that troops were taken out of a frontline division that was in combat and sent over 1000 km, across a sea as well. Placed under the command of an SD sergeant just for this action when there were hundreds of thousands of troops and local security forces to do the job makes no sense at all.
I would also question whether the Jewish photo was taken in the ghetto, seems more like a group moving to or from the ghetto. The other photos of them in Lithuania and Latvia (Daugavpils) show no weapons or equipment, just soldiers at rest and relaxed, as you would expect if they were on their way on leave.

I don't know that Nord was in so much "combat" in 1943. It seems to me they had it kind of quiet and some of them could be spaired. I suggest to those who have not, go onto estand where I have photographed the entire album is succession.. "across a sea"? Pics of that just before Vilna pics. There are 3 cattle train pics. Two of which have soldiers resting just yards away from the stopped train. These were not soldiers on leave. Perhaps they were helping load or unload the large bundles shown in one of the pics. What the bundles are?, who knows but they don't look like any military supplies. I don't know if it was a common site for groups of woman to be marched in tight groups in and out of a ghetto? Why would anybody march into a ghetto? To work? Didn't they have pleanty of slave labor in the ghetto already? My point is, June is the date the Vilna photos show up, and June is the month Bruno Kittle of Einsatzkommando 3 arrived in Vilna. Perhaps the Ghetto wasn't liquidated until Sept but the group of soldiers who did the liquidation where there and ready to do it. Were the soldiers in the photos involved? I don't know but they were in the area. Maybe they were just there to help unload the trains. Perhaps I am reading way too much into it. It just looks fishy to me. I wish I could know what was going on but none of us ever will. Nuff said, thanks for reading.

[jujuy]

letter is in romanian