SD in Polenfeldzug (feldgrauer Montur)

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 01:11 AM

I add here two photos from today of the SD in action for friends of Uniformkunde and one image showing a victim of same. I imagine the chap first lost his beard and later his life. The latter image is intended to keep things in perspective as to the eventual purpose of these operations.

However, the Bundesarchiv images of which two are here, are remarkable.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 12-15-2008 01:11 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**vady** · 12-15-2008, 04:37 AM

seems like scans from original images after they'd been printed, then "spotted" for lint and other dross by the photo lab. amazing detail; so often we must grapple with 3rd or 4th generation press fotos that're quite muddy-looking.

with all the smiles I'd say these were for someone's "Privat" album since the SD was not known by most documentary evidence for kidding around.

speaking of smiles, that's one brave Hasid having his beard cut.... thanks FB

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 04:46 AM

by vady

seems like scans from original images after they'd been printed, then "spotted" for lint and other dross by the photo lab. amazing detail; so often we must grapple with 3rd or 4th generation press fotos that're quite muddy-looking.

with all the smiles I'd say these were for someone's "Privat" album since the SD was not known by most documentary evidence for kidding around.

speaking of smiles, that's one brave Hasid having his beard cut.... thanks FB

The Bundesarchiv site has a lot of incipient Holocaust imagery, actually. Photographs were a weapon in Nazi oppression of ethnic groups, in fact. That is, to use the modern phrase, one used human terrain teams from the SS/SD/Polizei to document exisiting prejudices about the inferior civilization of the Slavic and non Aryan world. The Polish campaign images in their number have a lot of this kind of thing, but all of it derives from a much old mode of seeing Poland and Russia in German eyes going back to the 18th century.

Some of the reportage of how the SD was in conflict with rebellious and suspect elements in the conquered areas of Poland was given wide circulation in the press of the time. There are also the image of the executions in the wake of the so called Bromberger Blutsonntag, where the mass killing in Poland got going as a putative reprisal for Polish franc tireurs in the German rear area.

In the other images along with the SD men in the Kubelwagen are scenes of other press photographers making anti-semitic images of Polish Jews.

I am also sure that the man enduring the ethnic harassment is not fully aware of what the next eighteen months has in store for him, which adds to the tragedy of the whole thing.

Do look at the Bundesarchiv Bildarchiv site, it is a real treasure.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 06:40 AM

Images of the SS and racial oppression had become the norm well before these images were made in Poland.

Here is the raid by Eichmann (not in the picture....)and his colleagues in the Jewish community center of Vienna in March 1938. By a miracle, this building and the synagogue next to it were not put the torch in November 1938.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 06:43 AM

Here a scene of a Munich street from March 1933 of someone of non Aryan origin being singled out for public humiliation.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 06:46 AM

On the theme of Munich, this scene of inmates in Dachau with an SS member together with an NSDAP functionary. Ca. 1938 This image is by the personal photographer of Heini H.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 06:48 AM

an earlier scene of Eicke bidding farewell to those released at Christmas time in 1933. Eicke favored capes, as is seen in many images. Aside from the depressing theme and its early date, the variety of SS headwear here is far from uniform, as befitting the guard outfit at Dachau in the early period.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 12-15-2008, 06:02 PM

Thanks for a thoughtful and informative post.

I over did it yesterday looking at the archive for many hours and then could not sleep!

The year 1939 has many unhappy images taken in Poland.

Cheers, Ade.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 12-15-2008, 11:04 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

Thanks for a thoughtful and informative post.

I over did it yesterday looking at the archive for many hours and then could not sleep!

The year 1939 has many unhappy images taken in Poland.

Cheers, Ade.

I can well imagine that many of the images of 1939 caused you to lose sleep, as is inevitable. There is an odd juxtaposition of the images taken from the SS expedition to Tibet to find "Aryans" and the subject peoples of non Aryan ethnicity in Poland in the years 1938-1939 in these files. Those who digitalized these pictures obviously were at odds to depict all facets of the regime, versus just the propaganda images of handsome men with glittering decorations perched atop extraordinary machines with adoring Maedchen at their arms.

But this picture resource is truly exceptional and opens up many interesting perspectives, not the least of which is to see images in their context as well as many images that reveal the ideological intent of national socialism in its unvarnished aspect.

**big ned** · 05-13-2009, 08:57 PM

An extremely thought provoking thread of a part of national socialism that is frequently forgotten or worse, ignored. I notice in the picture of the chap having his beard cut off that there is a large hole in his coat where the star of david would have been.
My question is:- Have the SD cut it off, and if so why? Or has the man himself cut it off, and for doing so is being punished? I hope you can shed some light on this F-B.

Kind Regards, Ned.