Photos WW2 German Forces

[BravoZulu]

"Beutepanzer" Captured T-34/76 with modified commander's cupola

 

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Panzer II's and III's in an occupied Russian village in December 1941

 

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German Lancia IZM Panzerspähwagen, PK 501 used by the Wehrmacht operating in Italy after the capitulation of November 1943

 

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Hubert "Hugo" Primozic was a platoon leader in the Sturmgeschutz Abteilung 667 of the Army Group Center. He took out 60 tanks in the span of 5 months. As a result, he was the first NCO to be awarded with Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Likewise, his crew were awarded with the Iron Cross. Promoted to lieutenant, Primozic went on to the Stug training school for the rest of the war.

 

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Panther A from the 5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking”

 

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Aircraft based along the Munich-Salzburg autobahn in Germany, 1944-45, at the edge of the hidden final assembly forest factory “Kuno 1” near Leipheim. Where they’d fly off to deliver the aircraft to airbases.

 

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Bismarck circa August 1940, when first completed. Rangefinders atop her tower and conning tower have not yet been installed

 

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Spähpanzer Luchs 2 cm
The Luchs 2 cm looked like this from October 1942 to May 1943. This vehicle belongs to the 2nd company of the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion of the 4th Tank Division.

 

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T-26 with a 7.5 cm PaK 97/38. A french gun, using a Swiss muzzle brake, mounted on a Soviet tank chassis and that used captured polish or french ammunition.

 

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Tiger II Ausf. B

 

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Panzergrenadiers of the 2nd SS Panzer Division ride their halftrack in an advance on Voronezh Front of the Battle of Kursk, July 1943

 

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Panzer I with a 75mm STuK 40 L/48. During the Battle of Berlin in April of 1945, the Germans used a vehicle which carried a 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 gun. It is not known who built this SPG. It is only known that the Germans used it in Berlin and abandoned it.

Pz.Kpfw V Panthers fresh from the factory

 

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The VK 45.01 (P) or Tiger P was a German heavy tank designed by Porsche, only one was used as a command vehicle and saw combat. The engines and the drive system were very prone to break down, and needed constant maintenance to keep the tank available to fight. For this reason, and being less manoeuvrable than its competitor, the Tiger I.
Only one Tiger P went into service as a command tank, and served in Panzerjäger Abteilung 653 in the Eastern Front 1944. The tank in the picture. This tank had a crew of 5 members, an armour from 20mm to 100mm of thickness, a main armament of a 88mm KwK 36 L/56 gun and a secondary armament of two 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns.

Turret of a German Maus, with a Tiger I turret on top for scale.

 

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Tiger II #104 at La Gleize

"It seems most likely that these Tigers belonged to Panzer Abteilung 508 and that these Tigers were located in or around Cori, Italy in May 1944. The 508th was retreating from Anzio and entered Cori on the 24th of May with a number of Tigers that had been damaged by artillery in tow plus one that had slipped a track.
By 1600 on the 25th US forces had surrounded Cori and the 508th was forced to abandon any equipment in the town which included 6 Tigers in various states of repair. In all, the 508th lost 24 Tigers to all causes during May 1944."
Artillery, self destruction, and probably being fired upon by American tanks after the fact was the cause of what you see now.

 

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Late version Hummel

Pz Kpfw II

 

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German troops are welcomed by citizens of Danzig in a propaganda photograph, 3 September 1939

 

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Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in Norwegian waters during World War II.

Admiral Hipper view taken circa 1941.

Tirpitz in Bogen Bay in Ofotfjord, near Narvik, Norway, circa 1943-44

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at anchor together, summer 1939

 

[Chazman]

This has to be the highest concentration of Panzershreks I've ever seen in one pic.

View attachment 199797

Also the highest concentration of MP-35s in one pic! I see two. The guy on the right and the guy on the left.

 

[Chazman]

Maybe Lake Balaton if memory serves me correct? They had to know the end was nigh.

For sure they did. All but the most indoctrinated. It was the last German offensive of the war, after just losing 250,000 men in the Ardenne's Offensive against the Americans, now another 300,000 sent to Hungary on a wild goose chase. All the remnants would end up in the final defense of Berlin.

By this time Hitler was getting his morning "vitamin" injections which were a combo of of heroin and cocaine. He was a stark raving lunatic at this point, making military decisions that made no sense.

Think about the Ardenne's Offensive for a second and it's insanity. Send 250,000 men with new tanks you've been keeping in reserve just for this. Plan for bad weather, to cover you from air attack, capture fuel on the way - because you don't have enough, capture Antwerp and this would so stun the Americans that they would retreat and make peace. Crazy S**t. His Generals should have put a 9mm bullet in his forehead, rather than sending their men to die pointlessly.

 

[Chazman]