Westerplatte 1939 German MG

[pzo]

Odd. I had newer heard of the battle of Westerplatte. Pretty awesome.
The polish soldiers held out for a week. With a battleship firing directly into their positions from a distance of 300 meter, and after 2 waves of Ju87 stuka bombers attacking.

Just a speculation, but just maybe, the house in the background in this photo, could be the warehouse from which the germans held Westerplatte under fire.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...apitulacja.jpg

Update... at least the building it placed correctly for the fight.
Here is another view, looking toward east south east.
Westerplatte is the left bank of the harbour in this photo.
http://www.ebay.at/itm/39119596-Danz...UAAOSwuLZY3UJM
another closer view:
http://www.ebay.at/itm/Ak-Nowy-Port-...0AAOSwHHFY9MKN


More photo´s from Westerplatte. Including the battleship.
http://www.1wrzesnia39.pl/39p/galeri...terplatte.html

And, if correctly identified, a photo of the nicely dressed Schütze. Not that I see how they would know it is him. But he was with the navy infantry at the time.
Later became Chief in command of the west german navy. Died 2014.
http://uboat.net/men/commanders/427.html


The germans tried to get radio codes from the surviving polish radio operator. Apparently they did not succeed, so they shot the man after having tortured him.

According to the Hartwig, I also looked for him and found that record about u-boot commander. It must be him...

[Johnny R]

The other bank makes the most sense. My wife and I went there is 2014. My Mother and that side of my family is from Jarmo which is the area of Elbing. We stayed at a Best Western right next to the Post Office.

[Johnny R]

There is a Polish movie about the battle that is very good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerplatte_(film)

[pzo]

There is a Polish movie about the battle that is very good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerplatte_(film)

I always loved chor. Gryczman. He was real soldier, hardened by WW I fightings.

[Mikedenmark]

I wonder if a telephone directory from Danzig might help to establish what that building is, ..if it IS that building.

Besides, looking at the original photo, I can see the windows are glass in iron framings. The one they shoot from has been bashed to pieces. In my experience, such windows are used in stalls, and therefore, very likely also in factories or other commercially used buildings. Less likely, in living quarters.
I can see there is a staircase behind the soldiers, with a steel handrail. It suggest either an institution or, again, something factory related. It may fit the building in the photo´s. Reinforced Concrete.

[Binoswede]

I am a bit amazed of Mike's unswarenes of the Westerplatte fightings. After all it is considerd as the start of WW 2.
What I did not know, until I read a book of Johan Andre'e, was that there was a second battery position on the peninsula Hel outside of Danzig (se picture).
It was among other things equipped with 4 Swedish Bofors 15,2 cm guns.
The Battery Laskowski surendered after 4 Weeks (!)of intensive fighting with German Stukas, battleships and troops on the 2nd of October.

[Mikedenmark]

Well, 6 years of war will always have stories no one has ever heard of.

The other night I spent an hour looking at old german helicopters. The germans were the first to employ helicopters in active service. Completely unknown to me. I only knew the little towed models for uboats and the one from Deutschlandhalle.

So it was really freaking me out to see a german helicopter fly away with a Kübelwagen hanging below, or a Field Howitzer.

On a personal note I like how my granddad first contacted the luftwaffe and then the RAF before he flew in Europa during the war. So everyone knew he was coming. Not that that would help a lot if a wing of triggerhappy fighters dived out of a sky.
Then, some years ago, I read a story about some (swedish?) freighters that sailed/was towed through the mediterranean during the war. Not only for airplanes but for ships as well, there were international lanes for neutral traffic. I never knew that about the ship lanes. The ships made it home to Sweden. Straight through the ongoing war.
No end to unknown stories. Or, maybe, I am just another oaf.

[pzo]

I think that mystery is at least partially solved. Quite accidentally I have found nice web site with these pictures. Have You ever seen this optical sight?

[hchris]

I think that mystery is at least partially solved. Quite accidentally I have found nice web site with these pictures. Have You ever seen this optical sight?

Thank you very much for sharing, really interesting device.

Never seen this one so far, also not mentioned in any documents, but I did not check Kriegsmarine documents (no idea where to start here, I did not research KM documets a lot so far…)

But I will Keep an eye out in the future!