Germany

Then and Now: Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen

remagen bridge then and now

The Ludendorff Bridge pictured in 1945, compared to modern times. The Bridge was built in World War One at Remagen, Germany, to help German movements over the Rhine river. In early March 1945, it was a critical bridge still left standing, as the Allies achieved a surprisingly quick advance towards …

Panzer IV tanks traversing a bridge on the Eastern Front, 1943

panzer iv eastern front

Panzer IV tanks traversing an improvised bridge on the Eastern Front. Russia, September or August 1943. The Panzer IV was the most popular German tank in WW2, with around 8500 units built, and the only German tank to be produced during the entirety of the war. It was produced between …

German Wehrmacht soldier sharing his meal with a kitten

wehrmacht soldiers animals ww2

A German Wehrmacht soldier is photographed while sharing his meal with a kitten sometime during World War Two. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 Animals In War: Valiant Horses, Courageous Dogs, and Other Unsung Animal Heroes (Jilly Cooper, 1983)

U-Boat U-550 crew abandon ship and await rescue, April 16th, 1944

u-boat u-550 world war two

Crew of German U-550 U-Boat abandon ship and await rescue on the deck. April 16th, 1944. The German submarine torpedoed and sunk the massive Pan Pennsylvania tanker, which was trailing behind its convoy south of Nantucket Island. Expecting a counterattack from the US convoy CU 21, captain Klaus Hanert decided, …

Wehrmacht soldiers surrender to Soviet Troops, Tula, 1941

wehrmacht soldiers surrender

Wehrmacht soldiers surrender to Soviet troops in the district of Tula, late 1941. The Soviet soldier is carrying a SVT-40 semi automatic rifle. The SVT-40 was used intensively at the start of the war and was supposed to be the new standard rifle of the Red Army, but the German …

British sentry guarding injured German officer, Egypt, 1942

british sentry german officer ww2

A British sentry guarding an injured German officer, while waiting for backup, during the first two days of a British offensive in the Egyptian desert. North African campaign, November 13th, 1942. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 Desert War: The North African Campaign 1940-43 (Alan Moorehead, 1965)

Periscope view from a German U-Boat, 1942

periscope view u-boat

Periscope view from a German U-Boat as it hit and sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo, 1942. Other details are unknown. Book suggestions ⤵️ 📖 Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-boat Battles of World War II (Herbert A. Werner, 1968) . 📖 U-Boat War (Lothar Gunther …

German policemen smoking with a French prisoner, 1940

nazi black world war two

German policemen (Ordnungspolizei) sharing a smoke with a French colonial prisoner. Vichy, 1940. The Ordnungspolizei were the uniformed police force of Germany between 1936 and 1945. Book suggestion⤵️ 📖 The Volksdeutschen in the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Ordnungspolizei in World War II (Rolf Michaelis, 2012)

Heinz Guderian, tank warfare pioneer and leading commander in WW2

heinz guderian world war two

Generaloberst Heinz Guderian, a World War I veteran, was one of the pioneers of tank warfare in Germany. Guderian studied this concept between 1922 and 1928, becoming a leading expert on tanks despite not setting foot into one before 1929 (due to the Versailles treaty restrictions). Because of the same …