Snapshots from the Ostfront.

The small one almost like a child, may be a HIWI?

 

On the road again in 1941. It's interesting how heavily trucks feature in these photos ; gives you some idea of the logistical challenges of the Ostfront. And it doesn't take a lot of imagination to realize how that road surface might look after heavy rain......

 

There may not be much 'going on' in this one, but the faded writing on the rear locates it as Novgorod, September 1941 ( before it started raining )....

 

All those long roads and rail lines heading east ....... to disaster !!!

 

Note the home made stove to do the cooking. It must have smoked so bad that they had to keep it outside.

 

obviously the guys are mechanics of some kind,nice real life shot

 

More transport.....across another pontoon bridge, another river, another 'big' sky.....



A group of drivers, weather must be colder here.....




And a nice shot of a typical Russian panje wagon. the Wehrmacht would come to rely on these simple wagons more and more with the onset of the rainy season.

 

Nice ponton bridge, I'm surprised how resistant these were. I also like the wine/beer barrels on the truck .

 

And this looks a long way from home......photos of graves are very common but this one seems a more elaborate individual grave than most : I wonder who he was ?

 

Plenty going on in this one.....the K98ks and gasmask canisters on the motorcyclists, a Notek light on the car, it looks quite hot and dusty.......BTW, the camera-shake isn't mine, it's the original photographer ( was the rather annoyed-looking officer on the left with an EK1 telling him to stop snapping and get moving....? )......

 

Martin is there a way to read the name on the grave. He seems to be a Luftwaffe Flieger sluted by his comrades. (2+ the photoagrapher+ the deceased would make a Junker crew for example)

 

This one's poor quality, but on closer viewing is interesting - a typical Barbarossa photo.....




An early-morning photo of a man shaving, using the rear-view mirror of a camouflaged Opel Blitz truck ( note the Wehrmacht Heer marking ).Hanging from the door, his belt with K98 ammo pouches. In the background, typical Russian isba huts.

Written in ink on the reverse is : -

20.7.41

Obergefr. A. Bach . Waldrach ( Trier )
vor Tolotschin, Russland.

I wonder what became of Obergefreiter Bach....?

 

i've never seen one of those L-shaped pans before.

 

Another favourite.....it's very hard to read the writing on the reverse, but it says : -

Nowy Growy
13. Okt. 41
Der erste Schnee im Russland




'First Snow In Russia'..........................................................

 

Im really enjoying these pics Martin, especially the ones that show the 'day-to-day' life of the typical man, shaving, cooking etc.....keep em coming

 

One can see winter came early that year. The farmer could not save the hay stack on time, or was it because the Germans occupied his farm before he could do so?

 

A familiar scene.....the ubiquitous Opel Blitz.............in a spot of trouble......

 

russian mud, hell for the Wehrmacht. The mud would especially go inside the engines of the motorbikes.

 

I've got some pics to come which are MUCH worse....

 

Specially for AndyPants....man shaving, Russian huts, and some bits and pieces for the militaria collector, such as Zeltbahn tent, a couple of Stahlhelms, a kochgeschirr, one of those fork/spoon things......