Germany

Panzer III tank with troops in winter camouflage, Demyansk Pocket

panzer III tank

Panzer III tank followed by German troops in winter camouflage. Russia, Demyansk Pocket, March 21st, 1942. The Demyansk Pocket was a place South of Leningrad where German troops were encircled by Soviet forces between February 8th and April 21st in 1942. Fighting near Demyansk continued until February 28th, 1943, when …

Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop in Moscow

ribbentrop molotov pact

Vyacheslav Molotov (left) shaking hands with Joachim von Ribbentrop after the two foreign ministers signed the famous Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in Moscow on August 23rd, 1939. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was a non-aggression agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union, which also defined the spheres of influence in Europe between the two …

V1 flying bomb dropping on London, 1944

v1 flying bomb london

V1 flying bomb seen dropping on central London, with the Royal Courts of Justice in the foreground, sometime in the second part of 1944. This particular German bomb is said to have caused significant damage, including the blasting of the Daily Herald office. The V1 was a cruise missile deployed …

Leni Riefenstahl receiving flowers from Adolf Hitler, 1935

adolf hitler leni riefenstahl

Adolf Hitler offering flowers to Leni Riefenstahl at the premiere of the famous propaganda film “Triumph of the Will” (Triumph des Willens). March 28th, 1935, at the Ufa Palace Theater, Berlin. The film was a massive success and is still considered arguably the best propaganda movie ever made, a technological …

Battle of Castle Itter, 1945, one of the strangest WW2 battles

battle of castle itter

The Battle of Castle Itter is one of those “hidden gem” stories from World War Two. Quite remarkable, but not very well known. It is the only known battle from WWII in which Germans and Americans fought on the same side. In the image we can see damage to the …

German soldier with a 7.5cm GebG 36 in the Caucasus mountains

German soldier Caucasus ww2

German soldier with a 7.5 cm Gebirgsgeschütz 36 in the Caucasus mountains, at an altitude of around 3000 meters, on January 21st, 1943. The GebG 36 was the standard light mountain gun used by the Gebirgstruppe (German mountain divisions) during World War II. At least 1193 such guns were built …

Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft crashing during Kanalkampf

messerschmitt crash

Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft crashing in the Sea during Kanalkampf. The Kanalkampf was a Luftwaffe operation in July – August 1940, at the start of the Battle of Britain, in which Germany aimed to claim superiority over the English Channel and to draw out the Royal Air Force before …

Synagogue in Hanover burning during Kristallnacht, November 1938

kristallnacht hanover synagogue

During Kristallnacht, Jewish goods, properties and synagogues were attacked and destroyed, while tens of thousands of Jewish people were arrested and / or deported. Kristallnacht (9-10th November 1938) emerged as a response to the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Polish Jewish teenager Herschel Grynszpan. The pogrom was …

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels at the UFA film studios, 1935

adolf hitler joseph goebbels

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels being shown a production while taking a tour of the UFA film studios in Babelsberg, January 1935. Production manager Gunter Stapenhorst is on the left. He emigrated to the UK in 1935, before returning to Germany (via Switzerland) in 1941 and trying a comeback at …

Adolf Hitler with Marshal Ion Antonescu at Wolfsschanze, 1942

adolf hitler ion antonescu

Adolf Hitler with Romanian Prime Minister, Marshal Ion Antonescu (center, saluting), at the Wolf’s Lair (Wolfsschanze) in February 1942. On the left of the image is Dr. Paul Schmidt, chief interpreter of the German Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, Adolf Hitler assured Marshal Antonescu that he personally guarantees Hungary and …