Kuznechik, a camel, followed the Red Army’s 308th Rifle Division from Stalingrad (1942/3) to Berlin (1945), according to A Writer at War, Vasily Grossman, by Antony Beevor.
The Red Army Camel
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Category Archives: World War Two Photos
German Posters in English
You Talking to Me?
On April 1, 1933—only two months after Hitler became German Chancellor, and five years before Kristallnacht—the Nazis organized a nationwide boycott of Jewish businesses. And they made sure that shoppers got the message.
Continue reading
Hitler’s Bomb-Damaged Trousers
A solid wood table probably saved Hitler’s life on 20 June 1944 when Count Stauffenberg attempted to kill the Fuhrer with a bomb hidden in a briefcase.
Hitler’s trousers give some indication of the force of the blast.
Photographers and World War II
Shot by a Jew
By Robert Liebman
A gaggle of American GI’s (Government Issue = soldier) raise the Stars and Stripes on a bomb-damaged hilltop.
A sailor and a nurse enjoy a passionate kiss in Times Square.
General Douglas MacArthur returns, knee-deep, to the Philippines.
The truly iconic photographs from the Second World War are instantly familiar. We can picture them from a brief description alone; we do not actually need to see them. Continue reading
Crown Jewels
If you had one job, and that job was to safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, where (and how) would you hide the priceless gems?
Hands Up!
This haunting image of a boy too young to be a menace to anyone is familiar as a stand-alone portrait. However, it is actually part of a group shot portraying SS men as well as their Jewish prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto. Israeli President Menachem Begin (1913-92) had a copy on his desk.
About a dozen individuals are potentially identifiable from the original photograph, and there are several candidates for the boy with his hands up. Only one person has been definitely identified in the larger group.
The Bleeding Infant on Bloody Saturday
An infant—traumatized, possibly injured and abandoned—was one of many victims when Japanese bombers blasted Shanghai South train station to smithereens in August 1937. “Bloody Saturday.”
We know the photographer: H. S. Wong (a.k.a Wong Hai-Sheng, Wang Xiaoting and by his nickname “Newsreel”). The baby’s identity, and fate, is clouded by various competing narratives. Continue reading
Patton’s Pesky Pistol
Before he reached the Rhine River in Germany, Patton bestrode the Seine in France and marked his territory: “Patton, after a flying visit, proudly announced to Bradley that he had ‘pissed in the river that morning.'” Antony Beevor, D-Day, quoting Martin Blumenson, ed., Patton Papers. See Patton Pis for more information.
Patton Pis – Photos from Matt
Patton Pis pix from a personal collection. For more information, see the comments at the bottom of Patton Pis.
Zamzam and a Photographer’s Revenge
Abandon ship! Carrying civilians in 1941, the Zamzam was attacked and disabled by Atlantis, a German raider. A cunning photographer led to eventual revenge.
London’s Temple: Restored
Direct Hit The Temple—one of four Inns of Court in London—is located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, bordering London’s financial district and the heavily Jewish East End: ideal targets for Luftwaffe bombers.
Gas Masks: Not Just for People
One Size Does Not Fit All During—and before—the war, gas masks were fitted to pets as well as to working animals.
Memories of the gassing horrors from the First World War were still fresh. Continue reading
Buna Beach’s “Dead” Rattlesnakes
Dead Snakes Can Bite Life magazine photographer George Strock came perilously close to losing his life. He was saved in a manner that has become a Hollywood staple.
And after his lucky escape, he took the first published photo of dead American soldiers. Continue reading
Buna Beach Censorship Battle
A Picture Too Far: Buna Beach and Censorship
When American military censors received the first photographs of dead Americans at Buna Beach, they worried that publication would be too upsetting for the general public. The photos were censored.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt finally approved publication—several months later. Continue reading
Pam: Wartime Fiancee and Operation Mincemeat
Phony War
When British Major William Martin’s body washed up near Spain in 1943, the Germans obtained a photo of his fiancée Pam – and Allied invasion plans. The Germans were delighted. So were the Allies. Continue reading
Hitler’s Jig
Dancing for Joy?
Belgium. Nazi HQ, June 17, 1940. Germany overwhelmed France, and Hitler did a celebratory Chaplinesque two-step. Except that the apparent two-step did not happen.
Continue reading
Stalin’s Jewish Ears?
Stalin’s Jewish Ears – A Smoking Gun?
Was Stalin Jewish? Hitler had suspicions – and theories, one of which was that Jews had, well, Jewish ears. To see for himself, the German leader ordered a headshot of his Soviet counterpart. Continue reading
Hitler’s Little Ex-Friend
Bernhardine Nienau, Chosen by Hitler
For several years before the war, Hitler entertained little Bernile at the Berghof. When her Jewish ancestry was uncovered, he unfriended her. Reluctantly. Continue reading
Paulus Surrender? Hitler Unconvinced
Real or 1943 ‘Photoshop’?
Was this photograph genuine? Hitler had his doubts. Friedrich Paulus, head of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad, was actually a Field Marshal—and German Field Marshals preferred suicide to surrender. At least, they were supposed to.
Patton Pis
Patton Pissing in the Rhine?
George S. Patton crossed the Rhine in March 1945 at Oppenheim, south of Frankfurt. While still on the pontoon bridge, the irrepressible American general heard the call of nature – and answered it.
And he was supposedly photographed doing so. Continue reading
Churchill Pis
Winnie’s Tinkle
In early March 1945, with the Germans in retreat, it was the snappers who had to hold it in when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill approached the Siegfried Line and relieved himself. Photographers had to exercise self-control. Continue reading
Bengal Famine
Bengal Famine
In India as in Leningrad and Auschwitz and many other locations during the war, starvation claimed millions of victims, turning people into living skeletons before they died. Continue reading
Holocaust Wax Museum
Concentration Camps Cost Extra
A London wax museum mounted this extraordinary exhibition several months before Germany surrendered—and before Auschwitz was liberated. Continue reading
FDR’s Wheelchair
FDR’s Wheelchair
Seated. At his White House desk, or in a car, or in an armchair. Or standing, his arm linked for support by his son or another aide.
In his wheelchair? Almost never. Continue reading
The Minister Vanishes
The Minister Vanishes
The gap is intriguing: in this small intimate gathering, someone should be on Hitler’s left. Someone was. Continue reading