Need help with a photo ID

Hello
Sorry to make it hard for you all But i was wondering...
The famous picture taken during the Battle of the Bulge showing a German SS Gunner with a smoke and Colt .45...does anyone know his name??????

Much obliged

 

I know the photo you mean, but I do not think he has ever been correctly identifyied. Some people say he is in the Waffen SS (I have seen no evidence of that, just by looking at his uniform) most likely he is just a grenadier. In fact, I have heard that he was in a Grenadier or Volksgrenadier Division, I don't know which one.

 

Dear Carl, there was in fact id that he was SS....

 

Gents :

The action from which the one SS soldier is found was during the Battle of the Bulge. In this case the forward elements of the 1st SS Panzer shooting up a convoy of the 14th Calvary group from the 7th Armored. Many cine-film shots of hodge-poge SS troopers combing through wreckage and along both sides of the road. The one Schütze that you are speaking of has a Belgian 9mm high power in his hands and not a colt 45.
This information comes from the massive tome from after the battle series Battle of the Bulge, then and now. Pages 209-224.

E.

 

Dear Panzerjager, thanks for the correction, what is the source for the identification? If he is proven to be Waffen SS, which unit is he serving with or where is this photo taken. I know it was taken during the Battle of the Bulge, but where? If I knew that, I can figure out which units were in that area and come up with a possible answer. Im definately not disputing you though, this is all based on no insignias and books with errors which I have read in the past. The uniform is usually the simplest way to know which service he was in-when you cannot see any identifying insignia.

I know in an old book I had on the Battle of the Bulge, this mans photo was in it, and he was listed as juat a grenadier. It has to be remembered that this book was dont in the late 1950's or early 1960's. I have seen his image many times, including in the national archives which had no text. I still see no evidence that he is in the Waffen SS by seeing no insignia. Common Grenadiers, Luftwaffe ground personnel, Fallschirmjagers and Waffen SS, did have very similar types of camo clothing at that stage of the war.

Dear Erich, thank you for your information. This reminds me of a very detailed two volume series of books that Barnes and Nobles had on the BoB, in which you get orbats and CO names and places where deployed and who the opposing forces were.

No offense meant to you Ryan, just wanted to let you know what I know about that photo.

 

Erich is correct, he has the Browning Hi-power 9 mm pistol. Ive seen it too, and years ago, maby 20 or so years ago, I had thought it was a Colt .45. Luckily, I grew some brains and corrected myself long ago..... scary, aint it?

 

Dear Carl,
No offence taken. The reason i say that the man is SS is because of a different photo that I saw of him. He is resting on an MG42 and his collar flashes are exposed showing his distinctive Sieg runes. I will give you the name of the book when I e-mail you later...Ryan

 

Dear Ryan-no problem, I like to be bested. You are 100% correct, he IS in the Waffen SS. I have some detailed info on him that I found this morning, but like a knothead, I forgot to bring it with me to post here. I have his name,rank, unit. I will post here tomorrow with the info I now have on him.

 

Ryan, The Waffen SS soldier in that photo was a Sturmann, and MG-42 Gunner in Kampfgruppe Hansen which at the time of the photo, was near the village of Poteau on Dec 18th. Battle Group Hansen, was part of the 1st SS Pz Div, LSSAH. I had forgot to write this mans name down but I will get it from that book I saw it in, which is at Barnes and Nobles Bookstore.

 

The message ends with out you naming the SS Schutze from this famous photo.If you are still on line and it's possible could you post this up.
Thanks

 

Sorry about that--I completely forgot to check into this mans name--being that this was so long ago. Im sure its on the web somewhere--I cant remember which book I saw his name listed in.

 

Someone else on the Forums knows the identity of the 'man in the photo' - I think it was Timo from Holland ??

 

Panzerjager was ME!!!!!
I couldn't sign in under that name anymore so here I am as Panzerknacker!!!

 

I went back and found Timo's posting from November last year.

According to him, the Waffen-SS man has been identified as Walter Armbrust. .

 

i will have to do a web search and see if this man is still living, also find some additional info on him if at all possible...

 

In the (mainly photo) book "NUTS", they have a series of about 12 (at least) photos taken of this group. It shows the same SS soldier reaching into the armored car in the background of the photo you're talking about to pull out a US c-ration can. The author of the book explains the reason that these were obviously "posed" in some action shots. Still, an excellent series of shots. I may be able to get more info if I can het our of the office today.

 

Alright, I found the book and here's a little more info if you'd like. It's "Nuts! The Battle of the Bulge" by Goldstein, Dillon, and Wenger. The series was taken 12-18-44. The germans were from SS PzrGdrRgt 1, 1st Battalion. As stated above, the US vehicles were abandoned by the 14th Cav. Group, 7th Amd. Div. It is on the road to Poteau.

In this book, the large series of pictures is presented in order for the first time, and tells a really great story.

 

In 'Battle of the Bulge - Through The Lens' by Philip Michael Vorwald the story is updated with 'then & now' photos of the exact location.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

err i hear i rememeber hearing that "NUTS" thing in Band of Brother when their reading that paper from the general or whatever but i didn't really get it....Why does he say "NUTS" and what does it mean?