AFPU Photo Oosterbeek 1944

With regard to the photo taken by Sgt Lewis between 23 and 25 September 1944 photograph 7 film 4...the posed patrol photo. I'm glad that the actual location has been identified, I'd always wondered about the iron bars on the floor plus all the other pipe and metal work lying about. An often ovrlooked detail is the (?) armoured piercing shell hole in the wall behind 'the patrol', does anyone who's seen the December 2004 Society of Friends newsletter have a view as to which direction that shell came from.
Looking at the 1945 aerial photograph I guess it must be either MDS crossroads or d'Oude Herberg side??

I doubt as to whether after all this time anyone from the patrol will be positively identifed, regretfully it's one of those photos that many relatives think their father/grandfather/uncle is in.

 

I was very interested to see the discussion of the location of this very famous photograph which has been reproduced countless times.

Complete speculation, but the hole is certainly high-velocity with most likely a fairly flat trajectory. I'd hazard a guess at one of the 75mm StuGs - or could also be a StuH but that wouldn't fit so well with the trajectory.

So - possibly a StuG III from the crossroads. I'm too lazy to look it up - how soon did they get there ?

( Later : I looked it up in Marcel Zwarts' book. Sturmgeschutz Brigade 280 went into action on September 19th. Does that tally with Lewis' photographic activities ? )

[ 24. January 2005, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]