Wochenbild #12

To cool us down on these hot summer days, a picture showing the freezing conditions of Winter 1941/2!

This photo is from the same source as PotW #2 and once again shows men of Artillerie Lehr Brigade 900.  Only one of the soldiers shown has had the good luck to acquire some locally produced fur clothing - however he still looks very cold indeed.  

Once again, note the position has been excavated from the snow and ice - in winter the ground was often too frozen to move unless explosives were used.

In the foreground is the rear spade from an artillery piece - at first I thought a leFH 18 but now I am unsure.  Can anyone identify the weapon? 

Wochenbild #11

Medical wagons somewhere in Russia.

It's been another week fraught with difficulties so the postings have slowed quite a bit.  In the pipeline I have the improvised Panzerjäger and a rather nice recon vehicle based on an historical "what-if".  I am also being side-tracked by a "Weird War" idea that meshes with these projects...

Anyway, number eleven in my series is a rather forlorn scene.  No details on the reverse but the content is self-explanatory.  Medical care was often rough and ready in the East and the dearth of antibiotics in wartime Germany certainly made infection even more deadly.  To be incapacitated in an horse-drawn ambulance or cart might sound scary but the alternative was probably a slow death in the field or worse still capture by the Soviets!

Wochenbild #10

Catching up with the news.

A little later than usual - I am sorry but real life got in the way!

Today for your delectation we have four Luftwaffe men and their 20mm (?) FlaK.  I purchased the photo from a dealer who had clearly split up a LW veteran's album.  Some of the photos were taken in the East - others on training/garrison duties on the "Heimatfront"  This picture has a barely legible pencil note on the reverse.  The legend appears to read:  "Stellung Morfecvem"

Although sold as an "Ostfront" photo, I think this has been mis-labelled.  The uniforms are clean and tidy - not something normally seen during Russian winter.  The troops are reading pristine newspapers and their hair is neatly clipped.  Thus I suspect that this photo was taken taken in or around the "bricklayers' village" of Mörfelden (near Franfurt am Main)  What they are guarding is a mystery, although there was a prison in the vicinity.

Still, a nice clear photo.

Wochenbild #9

Ex-Soviet bunker - Kholm 1941.

For a change this picture has perfectly legible details on the reverse!  The legend is simple: "Bunker, Kholm".  So it shows a bunker in or near to the city of Kholm in North/Central Russia.  The attire of the soldier suggest Summer/Autumn 1941.  

Within six months the city and ad-hoc garrison were encircled during the first major Soviet offensive of the campaign.  The defence, led by General Scherer is an epic story of suffering, desperation and heroism.  The story of the "pocket" is told in an excellent photo-book: "The Indomitable Defenders of Kholm" well worth purchasing if you find it around.

The details of the bunker's construction are apparent from the shot and it would make a nice little modelling project.  "Logs" from garden canes would be a good start...

Wochenbild #8

Firstly, a big apology to all my regular readers.  This week has been fraught with medical, dental and familial problems.  I have in turn been too preoccupied and too unwell to post.  Hopefully the worst has now past!

I find this photograph very intriguing.  The grizzled soldiers have been snapped during fatigues.  Their "panje" sled is loaded with what appear to be milk-churns, although now they could contain almost any liquid.  This little vignette is of interest in itself but the back-drop is what I find especially noteworthy.

To the rear are the ruins of a Russian village (perhaps the outskirts of a town due to the presence of telegraph lines?)  Both timber and brick/masonry structures are present, albeit much the worse for wear.  In the middle-ground stands a very odd structure.  To me it looks like part of a defensive stockade better suited to a Wild West setting - but perhaps it is something different.

As always, if you can shed any light on the picture - please comment below.

Wochenbild #7

The mystery gun / mortar.

Something a little different this week, some monstrous ordnance!

I bought this photo as part of a collection and all the others were clearly taken on the Eastern Front - being scenes in and around villages or men on the Steppe.  This picture was the "odd man out" showing a busy urban rail yard.  Due to the provenance, I assume the photo was taken in the East but cannot be sure.

The gun is a model that I have never identified.  Perhaps a French or Soviet piece pressed into German service?  I am not even certain if this is a weapon mounted upon a flat-bed wagon for transportation or a specialised piece of railway ordnance.  If anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate your comments.

Wochenbild #6

T38 abandoned in the mud.

Firstly apologies for the lack of posts this week.  My attention has been focused upon home - my eldest's birthday and my health problems have been flavour of the week.

Anyway, to today's photo.  This is a first for Frontkämpfer as it shows a tank - albeit not too impressive a vehicle!  Here we see a Soviet T-38 relegated to duty as an unusual photo-prop.  Designed as a reconnaissance vehicle, the T38 was rendered amphibious by large flotation tanks (as was the T37)  Armed with a 7,62mm MG and sporting very thin armour, it was near useless in combat.  Surprisingly the top speed of these little "tankettes" was just 40kmh.  Another peculiarity was the lack of radio on most T38s - particularly strange given their scouting rôle!

As was the case with a great many captured vehicles, the T38 was pressed into German service as both a tractor and anti-partisan AFV.  There are reports of this tankette being converted into a mount for a 3,7cm Flak but I have yet to see any evidence of this conversion.

Once again, there are no details on the reverse of the photo.  The conditions suggest Spring or Autumn but as these vehicles were used until at least 1943, dating is difficult.  However, 1941/42 is probably the most likely window.

Wochenbild #5

At least the chap on the right appears happy!

As I have said before, many of the photographs in my archive have, on the reverse, notes giving information about the location and/or the unit depicted.  Sadly this picture has nothing of use.

In the foreground we see two men sawing logs for firewood.  The younger of the two wears what appears to be a Red Army greatcoat and the kneeling fellow is wearing the extremely effective "Telogreika" winter outfit issued by the Red Army.  My guess would be that both of these men are "Hiwis" performing manual tasks for the German military.

The background shows a rather dejected looking German sentry guarding an 88mm FlaK which is deployed in anti-tank mode.  Although a very large weapon with an extremely high profile, it can be seen that when properly emplaced only a small portion was visible above ground-level - the gun barrel must be less than a foot from the snow's surface.  Note what appear to be kill rings on the barrel - clearly the crew has had some degree of success!  In my opinion, such an emplacement would look very attractive on the table-top.

If forced to speculate I would go for winter 1941/2 as the gun is not whitewashed - by the second winter of the war this was in fairly plentiful supply.  However this is far from conclusive.  The location is anyone's guess - as no buildings are visible.  Though the flat terrain may indicate "Somewhere in Ukraine"!

Wochenbild #4

Anti-mosquito protection.

When people think of the Eastern Front, the usual picture is that of unfortunates exposed on the frozen steppe.  Whilst this is certainly part of the picture, the climate and terrain of European Russia presents other hazards to the unwary.

Amongst these are mosquitoes! Prevalent in the Central and Northern forests, these blood suckers caused a great deal of discomfort to troops unused to dealing with them.  Whether these annoying and painful partisans were following Comrade Stalin's call to repel the invaders is unknown - nevertheless they were a menace!

Just as winter clothing and camouflage had initially to be improvised, so too did anti-mosquito protection.  In this photo we see three unnamed soldiers going about their business in a forest position.  Tucked under the field caps of the soldiers on the left and centre are cloths that act as rudimentary protection for the sensitive neck area.   The fellow on the right has something a bit more elaborate that may indeed be a proper anti-mosquito net (always in short supply)

Wochenbild #3

"Ortskampf mit Partisanen"

This week's photograph shows men of an unknown unit taking a pause from the "Ortskampf mit Partisanen" (Village fight with Partisans) - according to the note on the reverse.

The anti-Partisan war was a particularly savage and oft-forgotten aspect of the Ostfront.  To keep open the tenuous supply-lines, Germany was compelled to commit large forces to security duties.  These operations ranged from simple "policing" to all-out warfare against well-supplied paramilitaries.

To protect them from the cold the soldiers wear a variety of greatcoats - all of which proved entirely inadequate to deal with the severe Russian winters.  The man second from the left wears an especially long coat which may be either a special "sentry duty" pattern or alternatively a "liberated" item.

What makes this photo particularly interesting is the ersatz winter camouflage.  The soldiers sport bedsheets or (night)shirts worn over over the greatcoat in an attempt to break up their otherwise dark silhouettes.  Such measures were widespread during winter 1941/42 when troops had to improvise locally due to the High Command's failure to make provision for the Eastern conditions.

From his lack of winter kit, I assume the NCO in the centre of the picture has dashed out to get his photo taken before returning back to his billet!

Wochenbild #2

"Artillerie Lehr 900" - Russia, Autumn 1941.

Lady and Gentlemen (I think there is just one female who reads this blog!) please enjoy the second in my Picture of the Week series.

Today's offering is unusual in that the unit is identified on the reverse of the photo.  The information pencilled states that these are men and vehicles from "Artillerie Lehr 900"  I assume that this refers to the Artillerie Abteilung 900 of Lehr-Brigade (Mot.) 900.  The Brigade was raised from instructors and students at the schools for Mobile Troops and Infantry at Wünsdorf & Döberitz respectively.

Apparently, this unit had a short but distinguished career on the Ostfront.  Entering the fray with HGM in July 1941 and serving through the first savage winter - eventually being disbanded in April 1942.

Of special interest is the variety of different trucks - none of which are coping too well with the dreadful Russian roads!  Even in what was considered an elite formation, standardisation was rarely (if ever) achieved by the Wehrmacht.

If the caption and my interpretation are correct this must be a fairly unusual photo as the subject is both esoteric and short-lived.

As always, any comments or corrections are most welcome.

Wochenbild #1

"Stellung Warwarowka" 1941/2

Each week I will post - from my collection - a photo that I feel is particularly interesting or atmospheric.  If a reader has additional information concerning any of the images, please feel free to share in the comments section or send me an email.  For anything pertinent, you will earn my thanks and a mention!

It should be noted that a great many of my photographs have notes on the reverse and often the writing is very hard to read.  Any errors are most probably mine -  apologies in advance!

The first picture is labelled "Stellung Warwarowka"  I have a nice series of images that were apparently taken in Winter 1941/2.  These show the fortified position (trenches excavated from the snow and ice) and the small settlement from various angles.  The heaviest weapon I have seen is an MG34 on tripod.  The soldiers in these photos sport a wide variety of improvised winter kit - from bedsheet "snowshirts" to looted civilian clothing.  However the majority are in military issue greatcoats.

I have tried to trace the village but have had no success with either the German spelling or when replacing the "w"s with "v"s.  Perhaps this was a now defunct Collective Farm (Kolkhoz)?  The architecture suggests Southern Russia or Ukraine but the name sounds rather Polish to me.

If anyone can help I would be interested to hear from you.

Note: Thank you Paul's Bods (see comments below) for the spelling correction and link to a thread in which the settlement is mentioned.  Perhaps the soldiers in my photographs are from 76.Infanterie Division! - Very interesting stuff!