Germany

Adolf Hitler and the Compiegne Wagon, 1940

adolf hitler compiegne wagon 1940

Adolf Hitler and high ranking German officials photographed in front of the Compiegne Wagon on June 21st, 1940. In the picture we can see Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler, Erich Raeder (mostly obscured) and Walther von Brauchitsch. The famous carriage hosted Germany’s virtual surrender …

Stuka squadron flying over Poland

stuka squadron flying over poland

Ju-87 “Stuka” squadron flying a mission over Poland sometime in September 1939 during the German invasion. The famous “Stuka” dive bomber, officially known as Junkers Ju 87, was one of the most successful aircrafts of World War II – although it became vulnerable by the time Germany lost air superiority, …

24th Panzer division advancing towards Stalingrad

24th panzer division stalingrad

The 24th German Panzer Division advancing towards Stalingrad sometime during August 1942. After initially serving in Northern France, the division moved to the Eastern Front in June 1942, where it was part of the Fourth Panzer Army in Army Group South. The 24th division was encircled and destroyed outside Stalingrad …

German tanks in Kasserine, Tunisia, 1943

german tanks kasserine ww2

German tanks advance in Kasserine, Tunisia, February 1943. This was the first major battle between US and Axis forces in World War II in Africa. The Germans initially ran over the inexperienced American battalions, but, eventually, with reinforcements and British help, the Americans were able to recapture their positions and …

Germans set up pontoon bridge near Kiev, 1941

germans kiev

German forces photographed while building a bridge over the Dnieper river near Kiev in September 1941. The crossing was set up in just 24 hours and acted as a replacement for the main bridge, which had been destroyed by retreating Soviet troops and can be seen in the top left …

Wehrmacht soldier with grenade launcher mounted on a Karabiner 98K

wehrmacht soldier

Wehrmacht soldier looking through the scope of his Karabiner 98K bolt-action rifle, with a Schiessbecher grenade launcher mounted on top of it, sometime during November 1943. The Karabiner 98K Mauser was introduced in 1935 as the standard service rifle of the Wehrmacht, and remained so until the end of World …

Then and Now: US tanks in Schevenhutte, 1945

us tanks schevenhutte ww2

US tanks pictured in Schevenhütte, Germany, sometime during 1945, vs. modern days. We can see that, quite remarkably, the buildings and architecture captured in the photograph have not changed at all in the 80 years since the end of the war (although the cafe on the left seems to have …

Lithuanian women giving water to German soldiers, 1941

lithuania ww2

Lithuanian women assisting Wehrmacht soldiers with buckets of water in June 1941, during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. Having been occupied by the Soviets in June 1940 following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Lithuania welcomed Germany’s launch of Operation Barbarossa on June 22nd, 1941. The …

Wehrmacht soldiers on motorcycles, Battle of France

wehrmacht motorcycles

German soldiers on motorcycles riding through a devastated French town sometime in May 1940, in the midst of the Battle of France. The Wehrmacht often used motorcycles during their advance through France, mostly produced by BMW and Zundapp, but also by DKW, NSU, Triumph or Victoria. The motorcycle divisions were …

Erich von Manstein on the Eastern Front, 1943

erich von manstein

Erich von Manstein photographed while smoking a cigar alongside a few Turkish Generals on the Eastern Front, sometime during June 1943. Although Turkey remained neutral until February 1945 (when it joined the allied cause), turkish generals traveled to the front in order to observe German military technology. Before joining the …