Geography of the USSR. Smolensk under the german occupation

[wpheaton]

My good friends of 25 years in Brovary, Ukraine, have been protected from the evil of this war so far. I continue to pray for their deliverance. Check out "bake4ukraine" for more information.

Thanks,

William

[TabsTabs1964]

Excellent news Will. Let's trust they are safe. Our thoughts continue with those good people....

Regards
Santi

[TabsTabs1964]

Since Easter Sunday is already tomorrow, I think I can upload the following images today....

Hello friends, I have found a set of photographs of a railway repair unit with its gigantic crane to clear the train tracks of wagons and locomotives derailed or destroyed by partisan bombs.

I have waited a few weeks to upload them to the thread, because you will see that some of them were made on Easter Sunday of 1942, which was April 20, 1942


In 1942 "Ostern Sonntag" was April, 20

[TabsTabs1964]

All photos are enlarged by clicking on them. They are incredible

[wpheaton]

Most women and children I know are in Poland, Germany, or the Netherlands. Many thanks to those gracious people for their kindness.

[toot]

WOW! that steam crane sure has big testes! yes the photos are just the best! glad you saved them till EASTER! even the RAILROAD workers had to work on the HOLY DAY, to keep the war supplies moving, for the war effort. thank you for the posting, toot.

[toot]

by chance do you have any pictures of the RAILROAD REPAIR SHOPS that the steam engines & rolling stock went to for repair? just courious?

[toot]

do you know if the engineers & firemen, were RUSSIAN and keep on for the task of running them or replaced with personal that were GERMAN ? because they seem to have strange clothing that look's like shinney leather clothing? I like the older person at the left wearing an EISENBAHN CAP. he seems to be older to have been posted to the OST? Toot.

[TabsTabs1964]

Unfortunately I don't have any more photos of that railway unit. From what I have read on the subject, especially after the supply catastrophe of the winter of 1941/42, thousands of German railwaymen, locomotive drivers, engineers and technicians of all kinds (many of them senior workers) were transferred to Russia to operate the railway network of the occupied USSR territory (by the way, they did it very efficiently).

It is true that the work clothes, many made of quilted fabric and others made of leather, that we see in the photo are strange, but they are typical of railway workers at that time. I would say that they are mostly German, but it is also true that thousands of other Russians were employed as auxiliary workers (charcoal workers, etc). I'd say there's probably some Russian in the footage.



I think you are talking about the guy on the left in this image that I have enlarged

Regards
Santi

[toot]

Santi, yes that is him with the peaked cap, and his advanced age is explained by youe reply. yes the attire does seem to be of the leather great coat & RUSSIAN style of quilted material, common to that witch that they ware?.