The soldiers, vehicles and field equipment of the Second World War, as the wartime photographers recorded them.
German grenadiers march along a rain-soaked, muddy road, an Elefant tank destroyer in the ditch. Near Nettuno, Italy, March 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-311-0940-35 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
The Frontline Archive brings together photographs taken during the Second World War, arranged by front and campaign. They show the soldiers, vehicles and equipment of the German and Allied forces as wartime photographers recorded them, and give historical context to the uniforms, helmets and field gear that collectors study today. Each plate carries its caption and archive credit. Plates are numbered within each campaign.
Period photographs are shown for historical context only and do not depict items for sale. Archive photographs are shown unaltered apart from resizing; where a print has been trimmed to remove damage or a mount border, the credits say so. Photo credits and licences.
Campaigns in the order they took place, closing with the Surrender section.
From the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944 and the airborne battle at Arnhem that September to the fighting on the Westwall and the German offensive in the Ardennes that winter.
In the hedgerows and sunken lanes of the Normandy bocage, June to August 1944, German troops covered helmets, guns and vehicles with foliage and camouflage to hide them from Allied aircraft and observers.
Photo credits & licences →A grenadier of the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” with a foliage-camouflaged steel helmet. Normandy invasion front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1977-143-25 / Zschäckel, Friedrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An infantryman with a camouflaged steel helmet, stick grenades and a bicycle, his water bottle on the handlebars. Normandy front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-721-0384-36A / Jesse / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Fallschirmjäger with a camouflaged steel helmet aiming an FG 42 rifle from his position. Normandy front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-720-0344-11 / Vennemann, Wolfgang / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Tank crewmen in front of a heavily camouflaged Tiger I of the SS-Leibstandarte “Adolf Hitler”. Near Villers-Bocage, Normandy, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-738-0275-10 / Grimm, Arthur / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A StuG III assault gun camouflaged with branches during a halt. Normandy front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-721-0386-07 / Jesse / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An armoured personnel carrier with a trailer, camouflaged with brushwood. Normandy, after the invasion, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-731-0388-10 / Theobald / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers on a heavily camouflaged “Maultier” half-track (SdKfz 3) with a 2 cm Flak gun, in front of a building. Normandy front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-299-1813-08 / Scheck / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A car completely camouflaged with branches driving through a village. Normandy front, summer 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-721-0351-05 / Jesse / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Operation Market Garden began on 17 September 1944, when Allied airborne divisions landed to seize the river bridges between Eindhoven and Arnhem while British armour advanced up a single corridor road. Most of these photographs were taken by German war reporters around Arnhem and Oosterbeek; Dutch and American photographers recorded the corridor and Nijmegen. A few archive captions give only "Netherlands, 1944", and the plates say so.
Photo credits & licences →Police and SS Panzergrenadiers take up positions among trees against the airborne landings. Arnhem area, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73818 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Grenadiers in camouflage work forward along a ditch. Near Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73819 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A line of grenadiers with helmet covers moves along a field ditch. Near Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73822 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A bicycle squadron on its way to the British landing zones. Near Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73823 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German troops from different services march against the landed British, past lorries and an ambulance. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1991-0912-502 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Army, police, Fallschirmjäger and SS men in camouflage smocks, foliage on helmets and caps. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1991-0912-503 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
British airborne prisoners with their hands on their heads. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S73820 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Sturmhaubitze 42 assault howitzer in action in an Arnhem street, smoke and fire behind. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J27757 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A camouflaged assault gun at a street corner, a British supply parachute in the foreground. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J27759 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Wrecks of British gliders, two frames on one print. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J27727 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A British glider burning on a landing zone. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J27850 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A long column of British paratroopers marching into captivity. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0077 / Wenzel, Erich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers cross a stream on a makeshift wooden footbridge. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2332-07A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Three Fallschirmjäger in cover aiming a rifle and a captured machine gun. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2332-16A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers marching along a village road. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2333-03 / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers in a half-track covered with branches. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2333-23A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers running crouched between house fronts. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2333-30 / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers in a foxhole and trench, with an MG 42 on a post for anti-aircraft fire. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2335-03 / Zimmermann / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two Fallschirmjäger in a trench with an MG 42 on a post for anti-aircraft fire. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2335-05 / Zimmermann / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
British prisoners sitting and standing, some eating. Arnhem–Oosterbeek, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-590-2333-20A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A mortar in a firing position under trees. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-771-13 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A captured American Jeep towing a German anti-tank gun. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-771-26 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A soldier fires an MG 42 from an SdKfz 250/1 light half-track. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-771-28 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An SdKfz 250 half-track in action on a woodland road. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-771-31 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two camouflaged Flakpanzer IV "Möbelwagen" on a narrow lane. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-771-34 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German infantry under the cover of trees along a road. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-772-05 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Luftwaffe soldier with foliage on his helmet and a scarf. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-772-27 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A 2 cm Flak crew in action in a park against the airborne drop. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-772-28 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
British supply containers on parachutes caught in tall pines behind German lines. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-772-04 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Transport aircraft over the treetops, seen from German positions. Arnhem, September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-M2KBK-772-16 / Höppner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A young soldier with a helmet cover in a foxhole with his rifle. Arnhem–Nijmegen area, 23 September 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-497-3503-06 / Röder / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A group of Fallschirmjäger with open shirts, binoculars and stick grenades. Netherlands, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-588-2291-27A / Zscheile / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Four Fallschirmjäger in a village, damaged buildings behind. Netherlands, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-588-2292-37 / Zscheile / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
View from a car carrying Fallschirmjäger onto a half-track driving through a town. Netherlands, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-588-2295-39 / Zscheile / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers taken prisoner walk along a road with their hands raised. Aalst, North Brabant, September 1944.
Nationaal Archief / Collectie Van de Poll, photo Willem van de Poll, Bestanddeelnr 255-9191 (CC0) · CC0 1.0
A destroyed German gun, probably an 8.8 cm Flak, in woodland. Aalst, North Brabant, 18 September 1944.
Nationaal Archief / Collectie Van de Poll, photo Willem van de Poll, Bestanddeelnr 255-9041 (CC0) · CC0 1.0
Close view of a destroyed 8.8 cm Flak, the letter "E" on its shield. Aalst, North Brabant, 18 September 1944.
Nationaal Archief / Collectie Van de Poll, photo Willem van de Poll, Bestanddeelnr 255-9044 (CC0) · CC0 1.0
Irish Guards tanks advance along the corridor road towards Arnhem. Aalst, North Brabant, 18 September 1944.
Nationaal Archief / Collectie Van de Poll, photo Willem van de Poll, Bestanddeelnr 255-9039 (CC0) · CC0 1.0
War-damaged Nijmegen, with the road bridge over the Waal behind. Nijmegen, 28 September 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-194568 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division artillery headquarters look over a wrecked glider. Netherlands, September 1944.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo (courtesy U.S. Army / army.mil), public domain
From September 1944 US forces attacked the Westwall, the German border fortifications the Allies called the Siegfried Line, from Aachen and the Hürtgen Forest south to the Saar; fighting in the forest went on into February 1945. Two plates show Westwall positions as photographed in 1939–40, and some come from the neighbouring Lorraine, Saar and Pfalz sectors, as their captions state.
Photo credits & licences →A heavy infantry gun (15 cm sIG 33) firing among the trees. Hürtgen Forest near Düren, 22 November 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28303 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Grenadiers with rifles advance across a woodland clearing to clear an enemy penetration of the main line. Aachen sector; archive release date 12 December 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28344 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Volkssturm men arrive at a camouflaged bunker they are to defend. Moselle region (“Moselland”), December 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28489 / Herbert Ahrens / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panther tank on its way to the front from its assembly area at Weissenburg/Bergzabern crosses a line of Westwall anti-tank obstacles. Pfalz, 6 January 1945 (Operation Nordwind sector).
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-P0213-501 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Civilians and older men in uniform caps dig defensive positions. Dutch–German border; archive release date 28 October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1987-059-06 / Scheerer (e) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An Obergefreiter with a Panzerschreck; according to the archive he wears the Iron Cross 1st Class, the Infantry Assault Badge and the Wound Badge for the defensive fighting in Lorraine. Maizières-lès-Metz (Machern), Moselle front, 27 October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28180 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A camouflaged Westwall blockhouse in the Bienwald, photographed in the 1939–40 construction period, years before the fighting of 1944–45. Near Schweighofen, Pfalz, 2 March 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1990-103-12 / Lohmeyer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A camouflaged light field howitzer in a Westwall firing position, photographed in the 1939–40 construction period, years before the fighting of 1944–45. Barbelroth near Pirmasens, Pfalz, 25 September 1939.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1979-051-17 / Schwarz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A US bazooka man and two riflemen advance past road signs towards Siegfried Line positions. Belgian–German border area, 12 September 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-411766 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A knocked-out German anti-tank gun camouflaged with fir branches, emplaced between two Siegfried Line pillboxes, is examined by a US soldier. Siegfried Line, 15 September 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-195706 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A US soldier examines shell damage at the entrance to a Siegfried Line pillbox. Dutch–German border, 4 October 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-336769 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
Two US infantrymen with carbines ready enter an earth-covered, camouflaged pillbox near a factory. Aachen, 13 October 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-195648 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
Two US soldiers look down on a long row of dragon’s teeth anti-tank obstacles. Siegfried Line, 15 September 1944; place not recorded.
U.S. National Archives, ARC 292569 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
Infantrymen of the US 94th Division race for cover across the dragon’s teeth of the Siegfried Line. Near Tettingen (“Tittingen” in the archive caption), Saar–Moselle triangle, 19 January 1945.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-336775 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
An armoured car of the US 10th Armored Division drives through a gap blasted in the dragon’s teeth. Near Portz, on the drive to Saarburg, 21 February 1945.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-336780 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A US soldier takes aim from behind a knocked-out, foliage-camouflaged German anti-tank gun, ruined buildings behind. Aachen, 19 October 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-195600 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A long column of German prisoners marches through the ruined streets after the fall of Aachen. Aachen, October 1944.
U.S. National Archives, NAID 541597 (US Army), public domain
German prisoners are led along a street to confinement. Aachen, 24 October 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-195749 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
US M10 tank destroyers move up a forest track. Hürtgen Forest, 18 November 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-196618 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
US infantrymen move through the ruined village on their way to the front. Hürtgen, 6 December 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-197740 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A large group of German prisoners in field caps and helmets, guarded by US troops, after the breakthrough of the Siegfried Line. North of Aachen, 3 October 1944; exact place not recorded.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-195746 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A German soldier climbs out of a dugout towards waiting Ninth Army infantrymen; according to the archive he was one of a group of 20 who surrendered from it. Ninth Army front, 18 November 1944; place not recorded.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-196441-S (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
German prisoners of war pass a burning building as they are brought in for interrogation. Irsch near Saarburg, 27 February 1945.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-201551-S (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A captured Tiger II, repaired by the US 129th Ordnance Battalion, on the move. Gereonsweiler, 15 December 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-197752 / NAID 148727184 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A US M26 recovery tractor drags a trackless Panther, knocked out near Gereonsweiler, through the streets. Geilenkirchen, 4 December 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-197442 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
Five knocked-out Panthers and two US M4A3 Shermans on open ground. Lorraine front: near Guébling, Moselle, France, 25 November 1944.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-197160 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
A destroyed Jagdpanzer 38(t) “Hetzer”, heavy with branch camouflage, pushed off a road in an area attacked by US fighter-bombers. Near Hosingen, Luxembourg, close to the Siegfried Line, February 1945.
U.S. National Archives, 342-FH-3A19948-B56218AC / NAID 204900619 (US Army Air Forces), public domain
A US soldier examines a wrecked German 15 cm gun, abandoned in the retreat, a bicycle beside it. Near the Prüm River, Eifel, 25 February 1945.
U.S. National Archives, 111-SC-201379 (US Army Signal Corps), public domain
The German offensive in the Ardennes, December 1944 to January 1945, in period photographs from the U.S. National Archives and the German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv).
Photo credits & licences →German soldiers with an SdKfz 251 half-track and a captured US M3 half-track. Belgium, December 1944.
U.S. National Archives (63-623), captured German photograph - public domain
German soldiers study a map during a battle-group briefing. Luxembourg, c. January 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28477 / Göttert / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers in camouflage smocks aboard an SdKfz 251 half-track. Belgian–Luxembourg border area, late December 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28519 / Göttert / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A German Tiger II (King Tiger) tank stuck in the rubble of a house. Stavelot, Belgium, December 1944.
Attributed to U.S. Army (captured German film) - public domain
American soldiers inspect an abandoned German Panther tank. Grandménil, Belgium, 4 January 1945.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 111-SC-198588 - public domain
Soldiers of the US 30th Infantry Division inspect an abandoned German StuG III. Géromont, Belgium, January 1945.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 111-SC-198715, T/3 Jack C. Kitzerow - public domain
The long campaign up the Italian peninsula, from Sicily in July 1943 to the Gothic Line in the northern Apennines.
The Allied invasion of Sicily, July to August 1943.
Photo credits & licences →A Tiger tank awaits orders in a Sicilian town. Sicily, August 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J14953 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
The Allied landings in the Gulf of Salerno began on 9 September 1943. Only some of these photographs are documented at Salerno itself; the others are captioned as the archive records them.
Photo credits & licences →A German Panzer IV tank knocked out by a bazooka at the old Paestum railway station. Paestum, Italy, c. 9 September 1943.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-54088, U.S. National Archives (public domain)
A German anti-tank gun (Pak) in position, its crew loading. Salerno area, Italy, end of September 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J15460 / Lüthge / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Fallschirmjäger at a twin MG 34 machine gun, sunglasses on his helmet. Italy, September 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-570-1612-32 / Haas / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Crew of a Panzer IV with turret skirts (tank number 303) of the 16th Panzer Division, halted at the roadside. Italy, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-305-0652-13 / Funke / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
The Allied landing at Anzio and Nettuno on 22 January 1944 and the months of fighting around the beachhead.
Photo credits & licences →German grenadiers march along a rain-soaked, muddy road, an Elefant tank destroyer in the ditch. Near Nettuno, Italy, March 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-311-0940-35 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A column of armoured personnel carriers camouflaged with brushwood on a muddy road. Near Nettuno, Italy, March 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-311-0940-07 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Tank crewmen repairing a camouflaged Tiger I under trees, 8.8 cm rounds in the foreground. Near Nettuno, Italy, March 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-311-0904-29 / Vack / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two Fallschirmjäger in a pause in the fighting after an assault on a hill. Nettuno beachhead, Italy, February 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J16739 / Toni Schneiders / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
The battles for Monte Cassino, January to May 1944, where German paratroopers held the ruins of the monastery.
Photo credits & licences →A Fallschirmjäger with a stick grenade in the ruined monastery. Monte Cassino, Italy, March 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J24084 / Czirnich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
The German defensive line across the northern Apennines, and the fighting withdrawal towards it along the Adriatic coast, 1944–45. Several archive captions give only the area and the year, so places are given as recorded.
Photo credits & licences →A German self-propelled gun (a Hummel or Nashorn, according to the archive) heavily camouflaged with branches on a country road. Senigallia, Italy, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-316-1161-21A / Vack / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Building a fortified position: the turret of a Panther tank on a fixed base under camouflage netting. Senigallia, Italy, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-316-1173-02 / Vack / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers, possibly mountain troops, with a camouflaged anti-tank gun in position at the edge of a road. Rimini–Ancona area, Italy, 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-315-1127-03 / Lüthge / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
American soldiers walk past a knocked-out German tank on a mountain road. North of Ponzalla, Gothic Line, Italy, 19 September 1944.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 195653 (Rusbar, 196th Signal Photo Co.), U.S. National Archives (public domain)
A German gun emplacement under camouflage netting on a principal road to the Futa Pass, inspected by two soldiers of the US 34th Infantry Division. Gothic Line, Apennines, Italy; date not recorded. Wartime colour photograph.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo C-1121, U.S. National Archives (public domain)
Fallschirm-Panzerjäger manhandle their anti-tank gun into position. Italian front, 23 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28807 / Zscheile / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
From the arrival of German troops in Libya in early 1941 to the end of the fighting in Tunisia in May 1943, and the German airborne invasion of Crete in May 1941.
German troops landed in Libya in February 1941 to support their Italian allies. The fighting moved back and forth across Cyrenaica, through Gazala and Tobruk in 1942 to El Alamein in Egypt, and ended in Tunisia in May 1943. Many archive captions give only "North Africa" and a date, so places are given as recorded.
Photo credits & licences →A German motorised column drives through a Libyan town. Libya, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0004-27 / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer III column passes an Italian road sign for "Tilimun" and "Soluch". Cyrenaica, near Soluch, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0015-03A / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Panzer crewmen on a Panzer III watch a column of motorised troops pass. North Africa, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0016-32A / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Three Afrikakorps soldiers on a vehicle, one with a megaphone. North Africa, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0023-09A / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzerjäger I tank destroyer in the desert. North Africa, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0041-31 / Borchert, Erich (Eric) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Luftwaffe despatch riders asleep on a BMW motorcycle combination. North Africa, spring 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-782-0041-32 / Borchert, Erich (Eric) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer II commander in the turret of tank "8", more vehicles behind. North Africa, April 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-783-0110-12 / Dörner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A captured British Valentine infantry tank in German hands. North Africa, April 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-783-0127-13 / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Gefreiter carrying an anti-tank rifle across the desert. North Africa, April 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-783-0142-22 / Schönberg / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An Afrikakorps infantryman with sand goggles and a dust scarf over his face. North Africa, April 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0285-14A / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Ground crew check the desert survival kit of a Ju 87 Stuka. North Africa, 16 September 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-433-0859-12 / Billhardt / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer III crew in the turret, a burning Allied lorry behind. North Africa, early 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1976-091-06 / Valtingojer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A captured British AEC armoured command vehicle in German use, with its escort. North Africa, February 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1980-024-27A / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A captured British Matilda II tank in German service, flying a German flag. Tobruk area, summer 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1971-044-66 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An SdKfz 251 half-track with radio antenna on the heights of Sidi Muftah after the battle. Southwest of Tobruk, 1 June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-443-1575-19A / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An 8.8 cm Flak 18 with its crew in a firing position. Before Bir Hacheim, Libya, 4 June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-443-1574-26 / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An 8.8 cm Flak firing at British armoured cars, a command half-track in the background. Near Bir Hacheim, Libya, June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-443-1599-20 / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A barrel change on an 8.8 cm Flak with a crane truck. Near Bir Hacheim, Libya, June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-443-1587-09A / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A battery of 10.5 cm leFH 18 light field howitzers in a firing position. North Africa, 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0275-39 / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers in a VW Kübelwagen in the desert, a smoke column on the horizon. North Africa, 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-784-0228-29A / Moosmüller / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers with a radio set and a machine gun in a position on an old ruin. North Africa, 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0289-36 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Motorised German troops enter Tobruk: an SdKfz 251 half-track with a Panzer III alongside. Tobruk, c. June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0293-13 / Tannenberg / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An SdKfz 7 tractor towing an 8.8 cm Flak, its crew aboard. Near El Alamein, July 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-444-1672-04 / Zwilling, Ernst A. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A damaged SdKfz 6/3 "Diana" self-propelled gun. Near El Alamein, Egypt, 1 August 1942.
Australian War Memorial, 024683 (public domain)
A Panzer III Ausf. L knocked out by Australian anti-tank gunners. El Alamein, August 1942.
Australian War Memorial, 024856 (public domain)
An SdKfz 250/3 light half-track radio vehicle on the move. North Africa, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0350-15A / Valtingojer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Motorised troops in front of a former British signals building marked "GAMBUT" and "No Parking within 500 yds". Gambut, Libya, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0302-21 / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A VW Kübelwagen beside a British road sign to Acroma, Gazala, Derna and Tobruk. Near Tobruk, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0303-03A / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers in a VW Kübelwagen by a "No entry" sign, black smoke over the harbour. Tobruk, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0305-19 / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Three soldiers with two dogs in front of an Italian Caproni Ca.309 aircraft. North Africa, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-786-0344-17A / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Captured German SdKfz 135/1 15 cm self-propelled howitzers of 21st Panzer Division in a row. Near El Alamein, Egypt, c. October 1942.
Australian War Memorial, P00150.005 (public domain)
Fallschirmjäger on motorcycle combinations pass a string of camels. Tunis, November 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-549-0742-22 / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A 12-ton half-track and a Praga tractor towing a Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant transport aircraft. Tunisia, December 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-552-0822-36 / Pirath, Helmuth / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer crew resting on a Tiger I by cactus hedges, local people behind. Tunisia, January 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-562-1164-26A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Tiger I with its crew and local civilians. Tunisia, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-420-2033-20A / Linke / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers with a 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun in position. Tunisia, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-549-0743-13A / Appe [Arppe] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers give themselves up to American infantry after hiding in a farmhouse. Tunisia, 3 March 1943.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 171614 (public domain)
A Panzer IV and a motorcycle driving through shallow water. Tunisia, Algerian border area, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-788-0017-19 / Dullin / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Four German soldiers with rifles and a machine gun on a mountain road. Tunisia, Algerian border area, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-788-0018-35A / Dullin / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Fallschirmjäger with rifle, pistol, stick grenade and machine-gun ammunition belt. Tunisia, 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-788-0009-13A / Wörner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A crew loading a 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42. West of Tunis, April 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-787-0505-08A / Hurtmanns / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A knocked-out Tiger I, US troops passing in a half-track. Béja, Tunisia, 23 April 1943.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 171649 (public domain)
A column of Panzer III Ausf. L tanks on a desert track. Tunisia, 1942.
National Archives and Records Administration, 242-GAV-I-12 (NAID 352357711) · Copyright status undetermined
Operation Merkur, the German airborne invasion of Crete, began on 20 May 1941 with parachute and glider landings across the north of the island.
Photo credits & licences →German paratroopers descending under their canopies. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L22010 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Parachute landing: a Fallschirmjäger on the ground as more paratroopers descend behind him. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-0864 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A 3.7 cm Pak anti-tank gun dropped under parachutes. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-0853 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
After the landing: a paratrooper at a weapons container in the high grass. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-L19105 / Grunewald / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Fallschirmjäger leaving a landed DFS 230 glider. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-0816 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German paratroopers advance: two men running in cover behind a wall. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-166-0508-32 / Weixler, Franz Peter / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German paratroopers take British soldiers prisoner. Crete, May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-166-0509-14 / Weixler, Franz Peter / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
From the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 to the fighting on the borders of East Prussia in October 1944, the Oder front and the defence of Berlin in 1945.
Operation Zitadelle, the German offensive against the Kursk salient, opened on 5 July 1943 and was called off within two weeks; Soviet counter-offensives at Orel and Belgorod followed. Most of these photographs were taken by army and Waffen-SS war reporters during the offensive. A few come from the run-up in May and June or from the August fighting, and two are recorded only as "central-southern sector, summer 1943"; their captions say so.
Photo credits & licences →A Tiger I tank camouflaged with branches while a soldier sweeps away its track marks. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2935-18A / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer crew with an NCO in front of a Tiger I hidden under foliage. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2935-27A / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers on and beside a Tiger I with turret number "323". Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2935-10A / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Crewmen on a Tiger I with turret number "123", one scanning with binoculars. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2949-05 / Mittelstaedt, Heinz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two soldiers examine a hit on the armour of a Tiger I. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2935-24 / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Tiger I with turret number "114" towed by 18-ton SdKfz 9 half-tracks across the steppe. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2926-11A / Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
View along a tank gun barrel towards tanks advancing across the open steppe. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2950-15A / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers on a Panzer III with turret number "102", fitted with turret and hull skirts. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2922-14 / Kipper / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A kneeling infantryman in a camouflage jacket and helmet. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2924-33 / Kipper / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Infantry pass through a destroyed village. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2924-36 / Kipper / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Flak soldiers camouflage a half-track with branches. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2926-28 / Wolff/Altvater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Marder III tank destroyer with its crew. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2944-23 / Horster / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Nebelwerfer rocket launcher being moved into position. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-022-2943-13 / Harschneck / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A despatch rider on a motorcycle beside a signpost to "Prochorowka" and "Pokrowka". Near Pokrovka, Belgorod–Oboyan road, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0553A-35 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A battery of Wespe self-propelled howitzers under foliage camouflage. Near Pokrovka, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0553A-15 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Infantry on the march beside a column of motorcycle combinations and cars. Near Pokrovka, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0553A-30 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Tired soldiers during a pause in the fighting, one holding a camera. Near Pokrovka, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0553A-07 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A soldier inspects a knocked-out Soviet T-34 tank, still smoking. Near Pokrovka, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0553A-36 / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panzer III with turret number "121", side skirts and painted camouflage, crew in the turret. Central-southern sector of the Eastern Front, summer 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0595-23 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Hummel self-propelled howitzer carrying soldiers up a slope. Central-southern sector of the Eastern Front, summer 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-219-0583A-07 / Harschneck / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
StuG, Panzer III and Panzer IV vehicles assemble on the steppe at the start of the offensive. Belgorod, early July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Merz-014-12A / Merz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Tiger I with Waffen-SS soldiers in camouflage smocks and helmet covers. Kursk, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Groenert-019-21 / Grönert / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soldiers of the "Das Reich" division in front of a Tiger I. Kursk, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Zschaeckel-206-35 / Zschäckel, Friedrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A "Das Reich" NCO in the turret hatch of a Tiger I, wearing headphones and a throat microphone. Kursk, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Zschaeckel-206-34 / Zschäckel, Friedrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A "Das Reich" Panzer III crew rest during a halt, smoke on the horizon. Belgorod–Orel area, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Zschaeckel-208-25 / Zschäckel, Friedrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Waffen-SS soldiers in camouflage smocks gather at a Tiger I during a counter-attack. Eastern Front, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Merz-025-18 / Merz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Waffen-SS soldier in camouflage smock and helmet cover gives a hand signal. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Cantzler-077-33 / Cantzler / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Waffen-SS soldiers with helmet covers in a gully position. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Cantzler-077-39 / Cantzler / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Waffen-SS soldiers ride on armour beside a Tiger I on the open steppe. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Cantzler-077-24 / Cantzler / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Waffen-SS Panzergrenadiers attack through smoke in an SdKfz 251 half-track. Kursk salient, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-King-055-28 / King / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Waffen-SS Tiger crew take on 8.8 cm ammunition before a new action. Near Belgorod, late July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J14931 / Rottensteiner / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Waffen-SS Panzer III with side skirts and its crew. Eastern Front, July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Adendorf-097-20 / Adendorf, Peter / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A "Großdeutschland" rifleman with a rifle grenade launcher, foliage on his helmet. Akhtyrka–Poltava area, June 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-732-0123-15 / Pfeiffer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A "Großdeutschland" MG 42 team with riflemen in cover, an observer using binoculars. Akhtyrka–Poltava area, June 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-732-0123-26 / Pfeiffer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
"Großdeutschland" grenadiers ride on a StuG III assault gun covered with foliage. Kursk salient, early July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J14778 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Tiger I tanks counter-attack past burning houses. South of Orel, mid-July 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J14813 / Henisch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Tiger I with foliage camouflage, local villagers on the tank with the crew. Near Bryansk, May 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-199-1444-33 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A StuG III with light-coloured side skirts and wooden beams on its roof. Central sector of the Eastern Front, August 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-154-1986-05 / Knobloch, Ludwig / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Panther tank with turret number "221" towed by two 18-ton SdKfz 9 half-tracks. Southern sector of the Eastern Front, August 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-240-2145-15 / Casper / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Tiger I climbing a hill, its commander in the cupola with headphones. Belgorod area, August 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1975-080-22 / Lohse, Bernd / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soviet forces reached the borders of East Prussia in October 1944. These photographs follow the fighting from the Memel bridgehead and Goldap to Königsberg and the harbour of Pillau, until Königsberg surrendered on 9 April 1945.
Photo credits & licences →Panzerfüsiliere of the Division “Großdeutschland” move up for an attack, an SdKfz 251 half-track behind them. Memel bridgehead, October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1995-081-31A / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A battalion commander of the Division “Großdeutschland” gives the order to fire from his armoured personnel carrier. Memel bridgehead, October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1995-081-16A / Becke, Heinrich von der / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
War volunteers of the Panzergrenadier Division “Großdeutschland” advance with Panzerfausts in a counter-attack on a village. Memel bridgehead; archive caption dated 30 October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1995-081-15A / Otto / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Soviet T-34/85 tank that fell from a demolished bridge over the Angerapp, German soldiers looking on. Near Nemmersdorf, East Prussia, October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28092 / Brütting / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Russian-language slogan sign on a butcher’s shop after the town was retaken by German troops. Goldap, East Prussia, November 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1987-062-17A / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An Oberfeldwebel of the Division “Großdeutschland”, holder of the German Cross in Gold, trains Volkssturm men on the MG 42; according to the archive, the No. 1 gunner is a First World War veteran and the No. 2 a 16-year-old. East Prussia, c. November 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J30792 / Schwahn / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
East Prussian Volkssturm men in training with an instructor of the Division “Großdeutschland”, an MG 42 in the foreground. East Prussia, October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J30793 / Schwahn / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A 16-year-old member of the Hitler Youth in the East Prussian Volkssturm, with an MP 40 and a Volkssturm armband. East Prussia, October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28021 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
German soldiers at an Advent table with candles in a log bunker. East of Goldap, East Prussia, 10 December 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-2004-0123-501 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Volkssturm men with Panzerfausts and rifles in a snow-covered position. Outside Königsberg, East Prussia, 20 January 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R98401 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A sentry in a white snow suit on a bridge as refugees’ carts enter the city. Königsberg, East Prussia, 1 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H26401 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Kriegsmarine sailors on the bow of an ice-bound ship, refugees on the quay of the frozen harbour. Pillau, East Prussia, 26 January 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1989-033-35 / Budahn, H. / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two older Volkssturm men with a machine gun in a snow-covered foxhole. Königsberg, East Prussia, 6 March 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28805 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Captured officers of the Wehrmacht in a street of the city. Königsberg, East Prussia, 12 April 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R94432 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soviet forces reached Silesia in the winter offensive of January 1945. These photographs show army units and Volkssturm men in Upper and Lower Silesia, February to April 1945.
Photo credits & licences →German grenadiers and a tank in defensive fighting in a village street. Cunzendorf, between Kesselsdorf and Hohenfriedeberg, Silesia, 25 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H26395 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Silesian Volkssturm man at an MG 34, a second man feeding the ammunition belt. Silesia, February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28718 / Schmitz/Sieg / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Volkssturm men from Gleiwitz with Panzerfausts and rifles behind a parapet. Ratibor, Upper Silesia, 2 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H29033 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two Volkssturm men in Czech steel helmets with a machine gun in a position among rubble. Silesia, early April 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28898 / Tritschler / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Alfred Zech, a twelve-year-old Jungvolk platoon leader from Goldenau (Upper Silesia), wearing the Iron Cross 2nd Class. Silesia, March 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28836A / Koch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Declared a fortress city, Breslau was encircled in mid-February 1945 and held out until 6 May 1945. Both photographs date from early February; for one of them the archive records differ on the place.
Photo credits & licences →German troops on an SdKfz 10 half-track towing a gun, described in the archive caption as units arriving at Breslau to defend the city; the archive title gives Upper Silesia. 2 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H26408 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A poster with a hold-out slogan (“Durchhalteparole”, as the archive describes it) on a wall. Breslau, early February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H29355 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
In February and March 1945 Soviet forces advanced through Pomerania to the Baltic coast; Gotenhafen and Danzig fell at the end of March.
Photo credits & licences →Two German soldiers duck behind timber barricades as they cross a street watched by Soviet snipers. Wollin, Pomerania, 17 March 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H26409 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Hitler Youth company of the Volkssturm, boys in steel helmets with rifles, talking with a Hitler Youth leader. Pyritz, Pomerania, February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28536 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A German light cruiser fires from its berth in the harbour at Soviet positions. Gotenhafen (Gdynia), mid-March 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28907 / Steinmetz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A woman reads official notices posted in a shop window. Danzig, February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1996-030-12A / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Soviet armies stood on the Oder from early February 1945. Küstrin, a fortress town at the confluence of the Oder and the Warthe, was besieged and fell on 29 March 1945. Its place in the US reconnaissance photograph is identified from the coordinates the archive records.
Photo credits & licences →US aerial reconnaissance photograph of Küstrin, 18 March 1945.
National Archives and Records Administration, RG 373, NAID 231872580 (public domain)
In spring 1945 Berlin was prepared for its defence by the Volkssturm, the Hitler Youth and the remnants of army units. Most of these photographs show the city and the Oder front in the weeks before the battle.
Photo credits & licences →A Volkssturm man with a “Panzerschreck” anti-tank rocket launcher in a foxhole in open country. Near Berlin, end of April 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1985-092-29 / Woscidlo, Wilfried / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Three Volkssturm men with Panzerfausts on guard while a road block is built at a railway underpass. Berlin, 10 March 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J31320 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An older Volkssturm man practises aiming a Panzerfaust during training. Berlin, early April 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J31390 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Members of a battle group (Kampfgruppe) armed with Panzerfausts. Front on the eastern German border, February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H28150 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A tank barrier at Potsdamer Platz. Berlin, early April 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R71639 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Volkssturm machine-gun post on the bank of the Oder. Near Frankfurt (Oder), 15 February 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28732 / Pincornelly / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Barricades of tram cars and debris built for the defence of the square “Am Knie” (today Ernst-Reuter-Platz). Berlin, spring 1945.
Werner Laudon / Familienarchiv Laudon/Kibelka / CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Two Red Army soldiers in the New Reich Chancellery on Voßstraße, the fallen eagle-and-swastika emblem at their feet. Berlin, May 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R77793 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Photographs from the eastern front in the last winter of the war for which the archive records no place. They are captioned with the dates the archive gives.
Photo credits & licences →German soldiers crossing an open field at dusk. German–Soviet front in eastern Germany, early March 1945; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J28759 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Young men of a Reich Labour Service (RAD) flak battery dig a trench, an SdKfz 251 half-track behind. Eastern front, spring 1945; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H28335 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Volkssturm men practise close-range anti-tank attack on a Panther tank driving across a training ground. Place not recorded; archive caption dated 11 January 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1971-033-09 / Feder / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A Volkssturm man aims a Panzerschreck anti-tank rocket launcher at a captured tank during training. Place not recorded; archive caption dated 23 October 1944.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1979-107-13 / Stier / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Germany’s navy, the Kriegsmarine, from its battleships and S-Boats to the U-Boat crews of the Atlantic war and the concrete bunkers built to shelter their boats in France, Germany and Norway.
From 1941 Organisation Todt built massive concrete bunkers to shelter U-Boats in the French Atlantic ports, on the German coast and in Norway, using a workforce that included conscripted and forced labour. Plates run from France to the German coast and Norway, including views after capture or bombing in 1944–45.
Photo credits & licences →U-Boats moored side by side inside a U-Boat bunker on the Atlantic coast, back from patrol for repair and re-equipping. Port not named by the archive, 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1975-014-33 / Adrian / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A U-Boat moored in a bunker pen beneath the concrete roof. France, 1942; port not named by the archive.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3704-13A / Schlemmer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A completed U-Boat bunker seen across the harbour basin, its pen openings at water level. St-Nazaire (archive marks the place as uncertain), 1943.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-027-1495-18 / Dinstühler / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
U-Boat bunkers under construction, with cranes and scaffolding over the pens. Brest, September 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-2849-03 / Haring / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A row of pen openings on the water at the U-Boat bunker under construction. St-Nazaire, April 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3747-30 / Kramer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Roof slab and pen walls of the U-Boat bunker under construction, with rails and small figures of workers on the roof. Lorient, April 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3936-06A / Dietrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Pen walls, scaffolding and reinforcing steel at the U-Boat bunker under construction. La Pallice (La Rochelle), October 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B22966 / Tölle (Tröller) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Two American soldiers look into a shelter at the entrance to the U-Boat bunker after the capture of the port; a US jeep stands in front, and the German slogan “Durch Kampf zum Sieg” is painted on the wall. Brest, 27 September 1944.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-257470, National Archives / Naval History and Heritage Command (public domain)
An empty wet dock under the concrete roof of a U-Boat pen after the capture of the port. Brest, October 1944.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-257415, National Archives / Naval History and Heritage Command (public domain)
RAF reconnaissance photograph of Bordeaux-Bacalan, with the U-Boat pens in the centre and the SNCASO aircraft factory to the right. Bordeaux, 4 June 1944.
National Archives and Records Administration, NAID 291977255 (public domain)
Two U-Boats wrecked inside the U-Boat pens by an RAF bomb that went through the 12 ft (3.7 m) concrete roof. Hamburg, 1945; the archive does not name the bunker.
U.S. Air Force photo 58036AC, National Archives (342-FH-3A21483), public domain · cropped
Aerial view of the Fink II U-Boat bunker after the attack of 9 April 1945 with “Grand Slam” and “Tallboy” bombs; large craters mark the near misses. Hamburg-Finkenwerder, April 1945.
U.S. Air Force photo 342-FH-3A21472-57623AC, National Archives (public domain)
A gantry crane lifts a steel roof arch into place on the U-Boat bunker “Valentin”. Bremen-Farge, 1944. Organisation Todt built Valentin with forced labour, including concentration-camp prisoners.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 185-05-12 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Tower cranes over the building site of the U-Boat bunker “Valentin”. Bremen-Farge, 1944. Organisation Todt built Valentin with forced labour, including concentration-camp prisoners.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 185-10-05A / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Prisoners at work on the building site of the U-Boat bunker “Valentin” (Bundesarchiv title: “Häftlinge bei der Arbeit”, prisoners at work). Bremen-Farge, 1944. Organisation Todt built Valentin with forced labour, including concentration-camp prisoners from the Neuengamme camp system; many of them died.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 185-09-25 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Aerial view of the U-Boat bunkers Dora I and Dora II at Nyhavna in the first days after the liberation. Trondheim, May 1945.
Trondheim byarkiv (Municipal Archives of Trondheim), A1.S4.P1.BP0029, CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0
Machinery and concrete works on the building site of the U-Boat bunker Dora at Nyhavna. Trondheim, 11 March 1942.
Trondheim byarkiv (Municipal Archives of Trondheim), photo: Fritz Petter Digre, CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0
U-Boat bunker Dora 1 shortly before completion. Trondheim (Nyhavna), 25 June 1943.
Trondheim byarkiv (Municipal Archives of Trondheim), photo: Fritz Petter Digre, CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0
U-Boats leaving and returning to port, their crews on deck, on watch and inside the boats, 1940–42, and a Type XXI boat photographed after the surrender in 1945.
Photo credits & licences →U-96 comes into port with the crew lined up on deck in leather and foul-weather clothing. St-Nazaire, 23 March 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3712-04A / Schlemmer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A naval band plays on the quay to welcome U-751 and U-455 home. St-Nazaire, 16 June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-6434-09 / Vater / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Crew of U-455 welcomed on board as the boat comes in. St-Nazaire, 16 June 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-6435-37A / Kramer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
U-123 and U-201 leave port, their crews waving from the decks. Lorient, 8 June 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-4260-37 / Kramer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
U-37 in dock. Lorient, 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-1032-11A / Mannewitz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
U-37 comes into port, crew on the conning tower. Wilhelmshaven, 18 April 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-5613-03A / Tews / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Bridge watch on U-373, a Type VIIC boat, in sou’westers and with binoculars. Bay of Biscay off La Pallice, April 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-4781-20A / Sämisch / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Crew at the forward deck gun of U-123 at sea. Atlantic, January–February 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-4006-31 / Tölle / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Emblem painted on a U-Boat conning tower: a cartoon figure in a circle. 1940; boat and place not named by the archive.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-0235-05A / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Crew members of U-132 paint tonnage pennants, recording claimed sinkings, inside the boat. La Pallice, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-6813-08 / Tiemer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A radio operator of U-124 at an Enigma cipher machine; according to the archive it is still the three-rotor M3 (lower left). Lorient, 7–9 March 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-4222-02A / Dietrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A crew member washes among the torpedo tubes in the bow room of U-103. Lorient, May 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3926-02 / Weiß / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Type XXI U-Boat U-3008 after the surrender, with the Type IX boats U-806 and U-155 and the light cruiser Nürnberg in the background. Wilhelmshaven, June 1945.
U.S. Navy photo NH 96270, Naval History and Heritage Command (public domain)
Battleships, S-Boats and patrol craft of the Kriegsmarine and a coastal battery in Norway, 1939–42, with Prinz Eugen photographed under the US flag in 1946, after the war.
Photo credits & licences →Battleship Bismarck alongside the quay, seen from the bow. Kiel, autumn 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MN-1396-04 / Augst / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Battleship Bismarck on the Elbe off Blankenese, with the tugs Seefalke and Seebär at her stern. Hamburg, 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 193-04-1-26 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Battleship Bismarck firing during the engagement with HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales (Operation Rheinübung). Denmark Strait, 24 May 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1984-055-13 / Lagemann / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Battleship Tirpitz in Norwegian waters, two destroyers in the foreground. Ofotfjord, Norway, August 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 121-1429 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Battleship Tirpitz at anchor in Fættenfjorden. Åsen, Norway, 1942.
Åsen Museum og Historielag, photo ID 001-0993, CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0
Battleship Scharnhorst at sea. 1939; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, DVM 10 Bild-23-63-12 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Battleship Gneisenau at sea. 1939; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, DVM 10 Bild-23-63-01 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Former German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, taken over by the US Navy as USS Prinz Eugen (IX-300), passes through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal after the war. Panama Canal, 15 March 1946.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-365075, National Archives (public domain)
An S-Boat (Schnellboot) at sea, a sailor on watch at the bow gun. 1942; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-6304-13A / Berndt / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat of the S 38 type takes on torpedoes. Date and place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-1913-31 / Vorländer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat of the S-26/S-38 class, with the armoured “Kalotte” bridge, inside a concrete shelter. Second World War; date and place not recorded.
Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 92352 · Public domain
Heavy gun of a coastal battery firing. Lapland, Norway, 1941.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-095-0464-13 / Schröder / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
A sailor of a patrol boat (Vorpostenboot) with a flare pistol. English Channel, 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-1879-17 / Vorländer / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Schnellboote, or S-Boats (“E-boats” to the Allies), were the Kriegsmarine’s fast motor torpedo boats. These plates show them at sea from France to the Arctic, loaded with mines, carrying the last troops out of Libau in May 1945, and surrendering to the Royal Navy at Felixstowe and Gosport. Three further S-Boat plates appear under Surface fleet.
Photo credits & licences →S-Boats at sea, one photographed from the bow of another. France, 1940.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-1776-09 / Bürger / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat iced up in Arctic waters, a crewman in heavy foul-weather clothing on the foredeck. Arctic Sea; archive release dated 16 March 1942.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2006-0028 / Böltz / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat at speed escorting a minelayer off the Norwegian coast. Norway, c. 1941.
U.S. Navy photo NH 71371, Naval History and Heritage Command · Public domain
S-Boats leaving the harbour of Kirkenes on the Norwegian Arctic coast. Kirkenes, Norway, Second World War; exact date not recorded.
U.S. Navy photo NH 71373, Naval History and Heritage Command · Public domain
S-Boats loaded with sea mines inside a bunker. 1942; place not recorded.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-6307-32 / Berndt / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat crowded with soldiers during the transport of the last troops out of Libau. Libau (Liepāja), Latvia, 8 May 1945.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1972-093-39 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
An S-Boat flying a white flag at the Coastal Forces base HMS Beehive, Felixstowe. Two S-Boats, the first German surface craft to surrender, were escorted in by ten British motor torpedo boats; Konteradmiral Erich Breuning, who had been in charge of S-Boat operations and signed the instrument of surrender, was on board one of them. Felixstowe, 13 May 1945.
Imperial War Museum, A 28558, Crown copyright expired (public domain)
A surrendered S-Boat ties up alongside a jetty while another is about to moor next to her, German crews on deck, at HMS Hornet, the Coastal Forces base at Gosport, where they were to be taken over by the Royal Navy. Gosport, 22 June 1945.
Imperial War Museum, A 29322, Crown copyright expired (public domain)
German forces laying down their arms across Europe, from the fortress of Brest in September 1944 to the end of the war in the West and South in May 1945, when the German armies in Italy and in the Netherlands surrendered.
Envoys under white flags, surrendering commanders, prisoners and abandoned equipment, as recorded by American and Dutch photographers in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Photo credits & licences →Captured German officers, three of them of the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division in camouflage combat dress. Attributed by the Brest municipal archive to the surrender of Brest, September 1944; another archive copy is captioned “Normandy, summer 1944”.
U.S. Army photo (Archives municipales de Brest 2Fi05181 / U.S. National Archives) · Public domain
A blindfolded German officer under a white flag is brought to the headquarters of the US 8th Infantry Division to negotiate surrender terms. Siege of Brest, 1944; exact date not recorded.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo (Archives municipales de Brest 12Fi699) · Public domain
Generalleutnant Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke (right), commander of the fortress of Brest, at his surrender, with Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton (centre). Pointe des Espagnols, near Brest, 19 September 1944.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo (Archives municipales de Brest 2Fi05191) · Public domain
A wounded German prisoner in a hooded camouflage smock has his record filled in by a member of the US 4th Cavalry Group after treatment. Near Esch, Germany, 27 February 1945.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 201479 (U.S. National Archives) · Public domain
Abandoned German Tiger I tanks on railway flatcars. Reims, France, September 1944.
U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A19113-B53859AC (U.S. National Archives, NAID 204897450) · Public domain
An abandoned German Panther tank at the edge of a snowy forest, an American soldier beside it. Germany, c. February 1945.
U.S. Army Air Forces photo 342-FH-3A19947-A56218AC (U.S. National Archives, NAID 204899609) · Public domain
A knocked-out German Panzer IV in a village street; two US tank crewmen of the 2nd Armored Division point out where the shell hit. Saint-Denis-le-Gast, Normandy, 31 July 1944.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photo SC 192128 (U.S. National Archives) · Public domain
A Kübelwagen with German negotiators and a white flag, partly covered with camouflage netting and foliage, during the preparations for the capitulation talks. Wageningen, Netherlands, May 1945.
Nationaal Archief / Anefo, Sem Presser, 120-0931 (CC0) · CC0 1.0 · cropped
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