Local Vets bring back scrap book photos and post cards. Warning: Graphic Photos.

[SimonSorenKam]

Hey guys. Just got this from a friend who owns a local antique store. A ww2 vet passed and he purchased the estate. He always tells me about military stuff in the shop when I come in but he felt this was special and called me the day he got it.
So the vet got through the war and stayed a year or two after and traveled around Europe doing assignments for the Army (I'm not sure what he did). He brought back pictures and a collection of post cards. Some have writing on the back but none look to have been sent postal home, just collected. Here are a few, I will take pictures of more when I get the chance and share them. Warning: there are some photo's of the April 13, 1945 Gardelegen Massacre of forced labor camp prisoners from Hannover-Stöcken and Mittelbau-Dora that are graphic and only posted for historical purposes.




French monuments


Him and part of his unit


Post cards

[SimonSorenKam]

After the U.S. crossed the Rhine, on April 3rd 1945 German headquarters ordered near by camps to be evacuated to other camps, one of which was Bergen-Belsen. These prisoners were evacuated by rail car from Hannover-Stöcken and Mittelbau-Dora. Apparently an American Lieutenant, Emerson Hunt was captured by the Germans and convinced them the 701st tank Battalion was just about to enter the city of Gardelegen. The German commander ordered the forced labor camp prisoners, who were at Isenschnibbe estate, put into the barn. It was then set on fire and shot into. Several people managed to get a corner of a door open but were shot. Several other dug the dirt floor and crawled out from the bottom, but they too were shot. All in all 1016 people were murdered, however eleven people were found alive, Poles, Russians and one Frenchman.

Here is what was in the scrap book:



Picture on a special card with pin attached to it with "Germany Over Everything" typed on it in German.


Dead german soldier with mess kit next to him


Dead German soldier (SS?) riddled with bullet holes. Note the helmet with camo cover in foreground.


German POW's (SS? see front soldiers cap)


Looks to be dead german soldiers near the creek at the estate


Memorial plaque left there

[SimonSorenKam]

Sorry I couldn't adjust the last pic of the plaque so it was right side up.

[sweersz]

Very powerful pictures. Thank you for sharing these!

[CBH]

You should consider contacting a Holocaust Museum and give them copies of the massacre photos, the Deutschland Uber Alles is very striking. Thanks for sharing.

[SimonSorenKam]

You should consider contacting a Holocaust Museum and give them copies of the massacre photos, the Deutschland Uber Alles is very striking. Thanks for sharing.

I'll look into and see what I can do. I'm very pleased these photos survived. It shows another side to war. These moments need to be preserved for future generations to study and understand.
What sets this Massacre apart from the others, is this one was done by the people of Gardelegen, not really the SS or the military at all, though the SS was aware of the towns intentions and more than likely were the ones who gave them the idea of what to do with the prisoners.

[BlackCat1982]

Gardelegen was another of the locations where allied troops were brought face to face with the worst of inhumanity. I recall seeing similar pictures taken by US medical staff who visited the site as well, sadly there being nothing they could do for the poor souls who had been so terribly put to death.

[Willmore]

This is a very interesting and sobering album.

Thank you for sharing it with us.

The camouflage helmet cover looks like the standard Splinter pattern, so this would mean the soldier was likely Heer.

[SimonSorenKam]

This is a very interesting and sobering album.

Thank you for sharing it with us.

The camouflage helmet cover looks like the standard Splinter pattern, so this would mean the soldier was likely Heer.

Good call on the helmet. I surmised SS as they were the ones overseeing the operation in the area. The area was generally under SS-Untersturmführer Erhard Brauny which is why I left it to question. The picture could have been taken elsewhere but it looks like the same area as the other pics of the deceased soldiers.

[stonemint]

Simon, thanks for posting this--it needs to be seen as a reminder of man's inhumanity to man, and that even common folk are capable of extreme evil.
Sobering, but they need to be seen.