Some nice new additions. Note that the Luftwaffe officer in the third picture is incorrectly wearing his EK2 ribbon/clasp in the second buttonhole of the tunic (it should be in the top one).
You know, what makes that funny is that he looks like the kind of guy that would religiously stick to protocol. Which is part of why I like that photo. It kind of looks like a glimpse into the aristocratic class of officers, fine china and high quality serving vessels. Note the doily or perhaps even a crystal plate sitting on the Luft officers plate. This seems like a wealthier group of people than the typical German of the day.
The photo has writing on the back as well, which I have yet to decipher (I struggle reading the hand written script often):
The handwriting says:
"Nordhausen
August 1940
Dr. Carl, Trudl."
("Trudl" is short for "Gertrud".)
The Luftwaffe officer is almost certainly a reservist. Note that his only decorations are the WW1 EK2 with 1939 clasp and the 1914/18 Ehrenkreuz, but that he has no long service awards (whose lowest class was for 4 years).
Nice selection of photographs. I have quite a few
myself, and like you, I buy whatever
interests me.
As I go over them, I often wonder about their
lives at that time - what sort of people they
were, what their thoughts may have been,
and if any made it though their war
to more peaceful times.........
Regards,
Steve.
Thanks Steve! I feel exactly the same way about them. I post them here to share them with the world. I actually encourage people to use my photos for any non-commercial need, hence I have not watermarked very many of them. For many of these people, these images may be the only proof left that they were here that's not typed in some database somewhere or on a tombstone. Some of the most powerful images I have are those showing people enjoying friends and family, doing what they may have been doing in peacetime.
70 years later, I believe this collection of photos is part of our human heritage in its best and worst light, and the foundation of why we're all here on this forum. Some folks might wonder why I bother posting all these photos, to which I would have to respond that it would feel wrong not to. I own the piece of paper, not the moment captured on it. The story must be told.
Similar Threads
Bookmarks