Photos WW2 German Forces
- Thread starter BravoZulu
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Yep, I read Iron Coffins, https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Iron-Coffins-Herbert-A-Werner/9780304353309, the attrition rate was horrendous.
Ah, sorry to correct you, Bravo Zulu, that's a Panther tank with 75mm main gun & curved mantle.
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Thanks mate, I didn't check the image properly and went with the caption.
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Tiger I from s.Pz. Abt. 509 and Panzer Crewman in early April 1944 in the Tarnopol Region in the Ukraine
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U-530 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat. She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg on 8 December 1941 as yard number 345, launched on 28 July 1942 and commissioned on 14 October 1942 with Kapitänleutnant Kurt Lange in command, who led her in six patrols. Lange was replaced in January 1945 by Oberleutnant zur See Otto Wermuth, who led her escape to Argentina after Germany's surrender. The submarine's voyage to Argentina led to legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that it and U-977, which surrendered on 17 August, had transported escaping Nazi leaders (such as Adolf Hitler) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, and even that it sank the Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic. Later investigations led by the U.S. and Brazilian Navies proved that the cruiser was sunk in an accident with depth charges during exercises.
U-977 was a World War II Type VIIC U-boat which escaped to Argentina after Germany's surrender. The submarine's voyage to Argentina led to legends, apocryphal stories and conspiracy theories that it and U-530 had transported escaping Nazi leaders (such as Adolf Hitler) and/or Nazi gold to South America, that it had made a secret voyage to Antarctica, and even that it sank the Brazilian cruiser Bahia as the last act of the Battle of the Atlantic.
After surrendering to the Argentine authorities, as had happened to the crew of U-530, they were extradited to the US where they responded to the charge of having torpedoed the cruiser Bahia, and then to the UK, where they faced accusations that they had landed Nazi leaders in Argentina before surrendering. Schäffer was released in 1947. U-977 like U-530 was seized by the US Navy, and sunk during naval firing exercises, in its case in 1946, when it was used as a target. U-977 was a training boat and made no war patrols
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This is Kurt Knispel, a German Feldwebel of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion, cutt of from any hope of rescue, outnumbered, and dangerously low on ammunition, ready to make the last standing on Stalingrad in November 1942.
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Knispel was severely wounded on 28 April 1945 by shrapnel to his head when his Tiger II was hit in battle by Soviet tanks. He died two hours later in a German field hospital.
On 10 April 2013, Czech authorities said that Knispel's remains were found with 15 other German soldiers behind a church wall in Vrbovec, identified by his dog tags.
On 12 November 2014, the German War Graves Commission reburied his remains at the Central Brno military cemetery in Brno. He was buried with 41 other German soldiers who died in Moravia and Silesia
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Battle of the Bulge, a German officer stands by his Brummbar in the snow. The Sturmpanzer was a specialised adaptation of the Panzer IV, developed to provide heavy fire support for infantry, particularly in urban combat environments.
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The German Navy experimented with several hydrofoil designs during the Second World War. Most were designed to fast attack boats, potential replacements for the highly capable Schnellboots. However, one particular hydrofoil design differed from the herd in that it was designed as a highspeed transport and landing craft. This hydrofoil was known as VS8.
The difficulties in transporting equipment across the Mediterranean were the primary motivator behind the design. Earlier testing with smaller hydrofoils had been positive and it was hoped that such a craft would allow for reliable transport of material across the Mediterranean with a smaller chance of interception. In 1942, two hydrofoil transports were ordered, designated VS8 & VS9. Ultimately, only VS8 would be completed.
VS8 was designed as a large, very fast transport craft. It was the largest hydrofoil yet built at 104.5' (31.9m) in length and 26.25' (8m) at the beam (35' (10.6m) across if counting the foils). Displacement was about 70 tons with no cargo.
Maximum cargo capacity was to be 28 tons, originally designed with the ability to carry a Panzer IV or Panzer 38(t) tank in mind. Two 2500hp diesel motors, each driving their own shaft, would propel the craft at a sustained speed of 41 knots with the ability to briefly sprint to 45 knots.
The most interesting feature of VS8 was how it offloaded cargo. Hydrofoils, due to their underwater foils, have difficulties navigating shallow water. This makes the process of removing the cargo difficult as the craft cannot beach itself or even easily tie up to piers. To address this issue, VS8 carried its own separate landing craft. A motorized pontoon, driven by two 40hp motors, would be carried in a vehicle bay at the stern. Once VS8 arrived offshore, the vehicle bay would be flooded and the pontoon would carry the cargo ashore. Testing revealed this process to be remarkably easy, the pontoon being able to be offloaded in as little as 1 minute.
Though the pontoon worked well, other tests of VS8 were something of a mixed bag.
Due to material shortages, the specified 2500hp diesel motors could not be sourced. Instead, weaker 2000hp motors had to be used. This, coupled with the fact that the prototype was a few tons overweight, resulted in a slower speed. The highest speed achieved during trials was 41 knots. The maximum sustainable speed was about 37 knots.
Despite these initial hangups, further development was ordered. As the need for transport craft diminished, it was hoped that VS8 could function as a high-speed minelayer.
Unfortunately, VS8 would not have a long career. VS8 was lost during tests in September 1944. During the trials, the motors were disabled (supposedly after running aground during bad weather) and the craft drifted ashore. Despite salvage efforts, the hull broke in two and was declared a total loss. A sad end to one of the most interesting designs of its time.
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