Amphetamines were issued to the British in ‘survival / escape’ kits. An interesting article here:
Amphetamines and the Second World War: Stimulating Interest in Drugs and Warfare – Defence-In-Depth
Great thread
Marty
Fortune favors the brave 644th td
Looks more like the horrors of combat etched on his face. The "thousand yard stare" as it has been put.
I have a few combat soldier estates consisting of both pre-war and war time photos - even a few studio portraits taken years apart. Sometimes there is a noticeable change. You can see the experiences from the Front etched on their faces compared to the pre-war photos.
Todd
Former U.S. Army Tanker.
"Best job I ever had."
I agree with Todd.
There is a stare that reflects the absolute concentration in combat, the total alertness of the mind to the direct danger of death.
Perhaps there is another stare a little different, the one of who remembers or fears the horror of combat.
And indeed then there is the stare of the thousand yards and also the stare of the totally fatigued man.
I have looked for some portraits that possibly reflect well the difference between the different types of look.
Concentration in combat: Hauptmann Friedrich Konrad Winkler (wearing his broken Infantry Assault Badge, during the battles at Barrikady Gun Factory in Stalingrad)
A soldier who remembers or fears the horror of combat. A soldier cleans his Mauser 98K in a comat pause
An exhausted landser
Another one in Stalingrad
Another stalingrad combatant: the thousand yards stare
The horrors of the eastern front put in thousands of faces with that peculiar stare.
I guess the most typical example is that of this American soldier in Vietnam during Hue horror...
Regards.
Santi
Similar Threads
Bookmarks