Any info on these Nazi photographs?

Just pulled out the original photo. It's incredibly blurry, even in the original. I pulled out the magnifying glass. On the curved arch there are actually two rows of words. Both are almost illegible. The first word on the top row is completely blurred out. The second looks like four letters, "?MCF" (can't read the first letter). The first word on the bottom row looks like "bureau" to me. The initials after appear to be "SNCF".

Maybe this helps?

Update:
Quick search of SNCF and it turns out that it's "Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français" or in english, France's National railway system. Could this be a train station?

Double checked it against the original and yes, it reads "CAP D'AIL"

 

I did mean to write, "the first word on the bottom", of course.

Good job on making out that sign, Lou. I thought it was only a partial name and moved on.

 

Well done, Erin! It's odd that there are no rail lines in any of the photos, though. Maybe it's an office building rather than a train station.

 

Still say Vietnam... : )

 

Haha CAC!

Ok, doubt there is much left to discover from the last group... on to the next?

Two burning questions on this one for me... are these Luftwaffe? Why in the world is the woman the one in uniform in the second picture. It's got me thoroughly confused.

 

Amazing pics, No authority but I'd go with Vietnam too...The French influence obviously...last one looks like someone taking off zat great French Zinger...n tank evans for liytle girls....Skip is needed in this thread..someone wake him up.

 

The first picture looks like Luftwaffe to me

 

The woman is not in the services...shes wearing his Tunic and hat...Women do that...apparently...

 

That was also my first thought, CAC. After all, Germans like to have a good time, too.

 

As for the southern France vs. Vietnam discussion, I'm solidly undecided. It seems to me the main reason for suspecting Vietnam is the last photo with the two fellows digging who seem to be SE Asian. The reason for suspecting southern France is the sign which Lou pointed out.

On the other hand, both could be correct as we don't know if the photos were actually taken in the same area.

 

Good point here

 

Picture one : the felow on the left is Luftwaffe (possibly Obergefreiter rank , but hard to say, he also has the 2nd clas iron Cross).
The one on the right is a Heer soldier (wehrmacht or possibly Polizei) . The picture was taken in a private garden so they are probably relatives on a leave (brothers? ).


The other picture with two Germans (smoking) was taken in southern France in front of a railroad station . You can clearly read the symbol SNCF (Societé Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français).

There is another picture from the French Riviera which says CAP d'Ail which is near Nice . So the station could be near that place too . Note that the region wa soccupied by Germany after November 11th 1942 only , so you picture is possibly from 1943 when the Germans arrived and discovered their new temporary homes while playing the tourists. I think these guys are probably guarding a billeted officer mansion.

 

I knew he'd turn up eventually. Think Skip probably has it.....One question though...Skip may know this...Did the Sncf have any railway input in Vietnam at all?

And how the heck to I gey my signature you tube to just appear as a link instead of embedded....I'm pulling hair out...

 

Show them a palm tree and they are back in the jungle . It would be Indochina for a start, not Vietnam. ,besides there were no Germans in Indochina.
It's all the French riviera and yes, they have Palm trees too. I have been doing some research and found the place.

What about the villa Thalassa at Cap d'Ail ?

The Cap d'Ail area was par tof the Südwall and was one of the most mine darea of southern France (10 infantry casualties and 8 more killed in a truck when it hit a mine in 1944)

http://sudwall.superforum.fr/t748-champs-de-mines-dans-les-am-06

 

Oi you...we have palm trees in Torqyay I'll have you know...Cheers Skip I knew you'd know.

 

Wow, you guys continue to absolutely amaze me. I couldn't do this without you all, there just aren't enough visual clues to go by them alone. The knowledge you guys have, to know what location is a possibility and even a time frame. Plain and simple, you are all amazing.

And Skip, you really broke the code on the last few. If we turned the pic you posted into black & white, it could very well be one of mine! If it isn't the exact location, it's sure damn close.

As far as the ranks go.. I'll admit my ignorance, I know about Luftwaffe and that's it! Time for me to start googling and doing my homework with all the information you're giving me.

At least when I pass this album down to my son in 20 years he'll have a little info on each picture to understand what they are.


After I post these next two pictures, I'd like you guys to give me some input. I have about 10 more German pictures remaining but they are mainly snapshots of daily life of German soldiers. Do you guys want to see them? Should I post them? I don't mind posting them at all. But if you guys aren't interested in them than all I'm doing is spamming the forum and I don't want to annoy anyone. Please let me know.

Ok, here are the last two for now.

Picture #1 front side


Picture #1 back side-- Can anyone read this German scrawl?


Picture #2 Unrelated from the above picture, except for content which is why I posted them together. They are not from the same roll of film.

 

Your kidding....post them all...Social history is as important to many of us here as a sinking battleship is...

 

My two cents, a day late and a dollar short. In the photo with the body of water, the water is too flat to be the open Mediterranean. However, in the C. S. Forester books I read as a boy, he describes Hornblower ravaging the French near the Spanish border by sending in raiding parties to burn coasters in the series of lagoons the French used to move freight along the coast. A quick check of google maps show those lagoons extending all the way from Marseille to the Spanish border. The small cities along that coast are on the mainland rather than offshore on the barrier islands, and I'm pretty sure it would be one of those towns.

 

I'm so glad that you guys want me to continue posting the pictures. This is really the first time I've had input on them from anyone with significant knowledge about the war.
About 8 years I had a friend who had contacts at the University of Chicago. He put me in contact with a professor (apparently an expert in the field) on German culture and war. The professor and I traded a few emails before he invited me down to the university so that he could see the photos in person. I was so excited that I called in sick to work the next day, drove in a snow storm from Great Lakes Naval Base down to downtown Chicago. Took me hours to get there in the snow and traffic. After having to park and walk several city blocks in the snow I finally arrived at his office and patiently waited outside his door for our appointment time. About 30 minutes after our scheduled appointment time he came back from lunch and invited me in. I started off showing him the pictures I had the most questions about and then showing them the rest. Guys, he took a look at the first few and became totally disinterested. In a few minutes he had shuffled through all of the pictures, told me, "well, they are German" and there wasn't anything of interest and thanked me for coming. The entire meeting lasted less than 10 minutes and I knew nothing more than I did going in. Until now, that was the last time I tried to learn anything about these pics, it was so discouraging.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make that is after getting shot down so badly all those years ago, it feels great to have people who can tell me about them and people who appreciate them. I'm so excited to share these pictures with you.
My little guy just went down for his nap so I can concentrate on getting the next batch scanned in. I'll probably upload them sometime this evening or tomorrow morning.