germany

WWII Original Combat Snapshot – 99th Division Soldiers Fight in Neustadt, Germany

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Snapshots taken during combat situations are the Holy Grail for WWII photo collectors.  In this case, a soldier in the 395th Infantry Regiment of the 99th Division snapped a photo during a firefight with Germans near a dike in Neustadt, Germany.  A great action shot! To make this shot even more amazing, I found an original film shot shortly after the same episode in the exact same postion.  This time the dike has been fortified with sandbags and pontoon boats.  Look for the 0:39 second mark.

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675049536_United-States-99th-Infantry-Division_crossing-Danube_soldiers-rest_behind-dikes

 

Source: CriticalPast.com

WWII 1st Division “Big Red One” 16th Infantry Regiment Wartime Photo Grouping – German Escapee Shot in Leg

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Snapped by a member of the 16th Infantry Regiment towards the tail end of the war near Falkenau, Czechoslovakia, the following pair of photos gives a brief glimpse of some of the encounters made by US infantry troops during the closing period of the war.  In this instance, a German soldier dressed in civilian garb was shot in the leg with an M1 while attempting to run away from the concentration camp near Falkenau.  Luckily for him, a medic is standing in the left center of the image.

 

 

WWI Stars and Stripes Editor John T. Winterich Original Wartime Autographed Postcard

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John Winterich was one of the first writers for the Stars and Stripes, managing editor, and eventually one of the most influential bibliophiles of the early twentieth century.  He is credited with having penned over 275 articles in over nearly 150 publications as well as having written the introduction to the American classic Of Mice and Men.  In a rare acquisition, I was able to pick up an original wartime signed postcard by Mr. Winterich in which he describes his present location and state of health to his mother back home in Rhode Island.  The best part?  I only paid $3.00!

 

 

"Censor & Press Co. No. 1. Staff of Stars & Stripes. Brest, France. July '19." Photograph. From Harry L. Katz, A Brief History of The Stars and Stripes, Official Newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces in France (Washington, D.C.: Columbia Publishing Co., 1921), p. 41.

Post WWII Rebuilding of Germany – The Marshall Plan and Kassel, Germany in Vibrant Color in the 1950s

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PortraitsofWar recently acquired a collection of over 200 color slides taken in the mid to late 1950s depicting the rebuilding of Postwar Germany in the Kassel area.  The images follow a group of American volunteers who helped rebuild churches in and around the city.  They also were charged with feeding and taking care of refugees who were waiting for new homes to be built.  Although there is no linear progression to the photos, they nonetheless show a side of European history that has been glossed over.  The Marshall Plan brought industry and revitalization to Europe, and also brought American tourists who snapped countless photos of the rebuild process.


“The Children of War” – German War Orphans in Regensburg Germany

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As I sift through a recent WWII negative acquisition of 600+ images taken by a Catholic chaplain of the 9th Armored Division, I couldn’t help but post the following series of shots taken somewhere near Regensburg Germany.  They show a group of German orphans standing in the rubble of a demolished building.  The happy smiles belie the true sadness these children must have felt as they lost their families.