panzerwrecks 3
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FEATURES
Schwarzbach 7 May 1945 1
The end for 11sPzJgAbt51 2 31
PzKpfwlV of 61Pz Rgt15 69
Surrender at Oldenburg 87
Many of the images in this book were taken by servicemen using basic equipment they are included for their interest and historical value not necessarily their photographic quali(y
For the use of their photos we would like to thank John Nicholson CarlF McDaniel Vladimir Kos Marek Solar and Denis Toomey US National Archives Vojensky Historicky Ustav (VHU) Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM) Military Photo Archive of Bulgaria (MPAB) Hadtorteneti Muzeum We would also like to thank the following for their help Hans Weber Martin Block Barry Crook Daniele Guglielmi Werner Geier Marek Solar John Nelson Kamen Nevenkin Matthias Radu Stefano Di Giusto Michael Kenny and Detlev Terlisten Particular thanks to Sue for her patience and encouragement
(lt)2006 Lee Archer and William Auerbach Created by Lee Archer in the UK prilill ~d in Melli) All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced III II 1I1 ~llIill( ltI ill Illy forlll or by any means electronic or mechanical including pili )1111 opV 111 01 dilll J III Illy illfonnation storage and retrieval system without Pl llllll II)1I111 wllllll 110111 1111l 1IIIIlIi s ll c r~~
Our third volume of Panzerwrecks is a bit of a personal milestone for me in that I finally get to present images I first saw thirty odd years ago Back then copying photos well with a film camera was a hit or miss proposition usually miss Copying a frame of film was even more challenging Today digital technology has advanced to the point where we can reproduce these images with the clarity and detail they deserve with a lot less screaming
Three of the features in this volume are based on 35 mm US Army Signal Corps motion picture film shot during the final stages of the war It was no easy task then or now to photograph moving tanks and we are deeply indebted to the men behind the cameras We hope the images weve selected and the pains weve taken to scan them frame by frame do justice to their talents and bring these long ago events back to life for you our reader
Lee has reliably balanced these longer features with a rich assortment of AFVs from every theater imaginable and Hans Weber Martin Block Marek Solar and Daniele Guglielmi have done an outstanding job of identifying units from the slimmest of evidence It is my pleasure to be in their company and to present to you Panzerwrecks 3 W Auerbach Monroe October 2006
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I May 1945 The war is over for these Jagdpanzer 38s The following series of 1I1 1lges were shot by a US Army cameraman attached to the US 26th Infantry I ))vision The graffiti on the side of the Jagdpanzer is interesting but more of that Ili nr US Army -
II I Ii10ught that the series was shot in Cerna v Posumavf (then known as Ilwmzbach) on the CzechAustrian border and shows the surrender of mixed 1l l Jl II( ~ nts of both 11Panzer-Division and PzJgAbt553 to the 16th SampR Platoon I (J 1 1 Rgt 26th Infantry Division This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a IVI) on the muzzle 2x US Army
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi goes some way to showing the work involved i getting to the truth about the last days of the in Europe
Thank you for sharing those nice photos Hans did excellent job in establishing the location Little if doubt that we see motor transport of the 11 PO h The armor was a tough nut to crack but I think I did it
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue You correct the 11 PzDiv was never officially issued Checked and re-checked the allocation files and reports prepared by ArbStab (PzJg ) about arrival an departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz tried to establish if any may have ended up with PZOiv instead Couldn t find anything and had al given up when I remembered the file with daily of the organisations department (AbtOrg ) of the Gen InspdPzTr Guess what I found From the Arb (PzJg) file I knew that on 1741945 an order h been issued to form several ad hoc gemischte PzJg Abteilungen from available Jagdpanzerkompanie on the Milowitz training area One of these units formed using Stab PzJgAbt553 Jagdpz Kp 115 and two so called Personaleinheiten (PE 10 d PE 48 c) The two PEs had received their 10 tanks on 161741945 those for 1159 arrived a little (exact date is not given) Initially these three units intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for three RAO divisions
Now the daily notes by AbtOrg come into According to this document the trains with PzJgA 553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig of 2412541945 westward bound On 2641945 t notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen and couldnt carry on as planned due to rail disruption Therefore Ob West had ordered a new desti
nO I Wallern northeast of Passau A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd Kfz251 s Inside the building is a collection of gas mask canisters while outside a small pile of rifles ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust Thats the last time PzJg Abt553 is mentioned in is forming US Army notes but isnt that simply too good to be true 11 11
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
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Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
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A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
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A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
FEATURES
Schwarzbach 7 May 1945 1
The end for 11sPzJgAbt51 2 31
PzKpfwlV of 61Pz Rgt15 69
Surrender at Oldenburg 87
Many of the images in this book were taken by servicemen using basic equipment they are included for their interest and historical value not necessarily their photographic quali(y
For the use of their photos we would like to thank John Nicholson CarlF McDaniel Vladimir Kos Marek Solar and Denis Toomey US National Archives Vojensky Historicky Ustav (VHU) Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (PISM) Military Photo Archive of Bulgaria (MPAB) Hadtorteneti Muzeum We would also like to thank the following for their help Hans Weber Martin Block Barry Crook Daniele Guglielmi Werner Geier Marek Solar John Nelson Kamen Nevenkin Matthias Radu Stefano Di Giusto Michael Kenny and Detlev Terlisten Particular thanks to Sue for her patience and encouragement
(lt)2006 Lee Archer and William Auerbach Created by Lee Archer in the UK prilill ~d in Melli) All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced III II 1I1 ~llIill( ltI ill Illy forlll or by any means electronic or mechanical including pili )1111 opV 111 01 dilll J III Illy illfonnation storage and retrieval system without Pl llllll II)1I111 wllllll 110111 1111l 1IIIIlIi s ll c r~~
Our third volume of Panzerwrecks is a bit of a personal milestone for me in that I finally get to present images I first saw thirty odd years ago Back then copying photos well with a film camera was a hit or miss proposition usually miss Copying a frame of film was even more challenging Today digital technology has advanced to the point where we can reproduce these images with the clarity and detail they deserve with a lot less screaming
Three of the features in this volume are based on 35 mm US Army Signal Corps motion picture film shot during the final stages of the war It was no easy task then or now to photograph moving tanks and we are deeply indebted to the men behind the cameras We hope the images weve selected and the pains weve taken to scan them frame by frame do justice to their talents and bring these long ago events back to life for you our reader
Lee has reliably balanced these longer features with a rich assortment of AFVs from every theater imaginable and Hans Weber Martin Block Marek Solar and Daniele Guglielmi have done an outstanding job of identifying units from the slimmest of evidence It is my pleasure to be in their company and to present to you Panzerwrecks 3 W Auerbach Monroe October 2006
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I May 1945 The war is over for these Jagdpanzer 38s The following series of 1I1 1lges were shot by a US Army cameraman attached to the US 26th Infantry I ))vision The graffiti on the side of the Jagdpanzer is interesting but more of that Ili nr US Army -
II I Ii10ught that the series was shot in Cerna v Posumavf (then known as Ilwmzbach) on the CzechAustrian border and shows the surrender of mixed 1l l Jl II( ~ nts of both 11Panzer-Division and PzJgAbt553 to the 16th SampR Platoon I (J 1 1 Rgt 26th Infantry Division This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a IVI) on the muzzle 2x US Army
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi goes some way to showing the work involved i getting to the truth about the last days of the in Europe
Thank you for sharing those nice photos Hans did excellent job in establishing the location Little if doubt that we see motor transport of the 11 PO h The armor was a tough nut to crack but I think I did it
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue You correct the 11 PzDiv was never officially issued Checked and re-checked the allocation files and reports prepared by ArbStab (PzJg ) about arrival an departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz tried to establish if any may have ended up with PZOiv instead Couldn t find anything and had al given up when I remembered the file with daily of the organisations department (AbtOrg ) of the Gen InspdPzTr Guess what I found From the Arb (PzJg) file I knew that on 1741945 an order h been issued to form several ad hoc gemischte PzJg Abteilungen from available Jagdpanzerkompanie on the Milowitz training area One of these units formed using Stab PzJgAbt553 Jagdpz Kp 115 and two so called Personaleinheiten (PE 10 d PE 48 c) The two PEs had received their 10 tanks on 161741945 those for 1159 arrived a little (exact date is not given) Initially these three units intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for three RAO divisions
Now the daily notes by AbtOrg come into According to this document the trains with PzJgA 553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig of 2412541945 westward bound On 2641945 t notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen and couldnt carry on as planned due to rail disruption Therefore Ob West had ordered a new desti
nO I Wallern northeast of Passau A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd Kfz251 s Inside the building is a collection of gas mask canisters while outside a small pile of rifles ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust Thats the last time PzJg Abt553 is mentioned in is forming US Army notes but isnt that simply too good to be true 11 11
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
US Army -------- --------- -------------------l
Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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I May 1945 The war is over for these Jagdpanzer 38s The following series of 1I1 1lges were shot by a US Army cameraman attached to the US 26th Infantry I ))vision The graffiti on the side of the Jagdpanzer is interesting but more of that Ili nr US Army -
II I Ii10ught that the series was shot in Cerna v Posumavf (then known as Ilwmzbach) on the CzechAustrian border and shows the surrender of mixed 1l l Jl II( ~ nts of both 11Panzer-Division and PzJgAbt553 to the 16th SampR Platoon I (J 1 1 Rgt 26th Infantry Division This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a IVI) on the muzzle 2x US Army
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi goes some way to showing the work involved i getting to the truth about the last days of the in Europe
Thank you for sharing those nice photos Hans did excellent job in establishing the location Little if doubt that we see motor transport of the 11 PO h The armor was a tough nut to crack but I think I did it
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue You correct the 11 PzDiv was never officially issued Checked and re-checked the allocation files and reports prepared by ArbStab (PzJg ) about arrival an departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz tried to establish if any may have ended up with PZOiv instead Couldn t find anything and had al given up when I remembered the file with daily of the organisations department (AbtOrg ) of the Gen InspdPzTr Guess what I found From the Arb (PzJg) file I knew that on 1741945 an order h been issued to form several ad hoc gemischte PzJg Abteilungen from available Jagdpanzerkompanie on the Milowitz training area One of these units formed using Stab PzJgAbt553 Jagdpz Kp 115 and two so called Personaleinheiten (PE 10 d PE 48 c) The two PEs had received their 10 tanks on 161741945 those for 1159 arrived a little (exact date is not given) Initially these three units intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for three RAO divisions
Now the daily notes by AbtOrg come into According to this document the trains with PzJgA 553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig of 2412541945 westward bound On 2641945 t notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen and couldnt carry on as planned due to rail disruption Therefore Ob West had ordered a new desti
nO I Wallern northeast of Passau A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd Kfz251 s Inside the building is a collection of gas mask canisters while outside a small pile of rifles ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust Thats the last time PzJg Abt553 is mentioned in is forming US Army notes but isnt that simply too good to be true 11 11
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
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Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
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A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
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A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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II I Ii10ught that the series was shot in Cerna v Posumavf (then known as Ilwmzbach) on the CzechAustrian border and shows the surrender of mixed 1l l Jl II( ~ nts of both 11Panzer-Division and PzJgAbt553 to the 16th SampR Platoon I (J 1 1 Rgt 26th Infantry Division This heavily camouflaged Jagdpanzer 38 has a IVI) on the muzzle 2x US Army
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi goes some way to showing the work involved i getting to the truth about the last days of the in Europe
Thank you for sharing those nice photos Hans did excellent job in establishing the location Little if doubt that we see motor transport of the 11 PO h The armor was a tough nut to crack but I think I did it
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue You correct the 11 PzDiv was never officially issued Checked and re-checked the allocation files and reports prepared by ArbStab (PzJg ) about arrival an departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz tried to establish if any may have ended up with PZOiv instead Couldn t find anything and had al given up when I remembered the file with daily of the organisations department (AbtOrg ) of the Gen InspdPzTr Guess what I found From the Arb (PzJg) file I knew that on 1741945 an order h been issued to form several ad hoc gemischte PzJg Abteilungen from available Jagdpanzerkompanie on the Milowitz training area One of these units formed using Stab PzJgAbt553 Jagdpz Kp 115 and two so called Personaleinheiten (PE 10 d PE 48 c) The two PEs had received their 10 tanks on 161741945 those for 1159 arrived a little (exact date is not given) Initially these three units intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for three RAO divisions
Now the daily notes by AbtOrg come into According to this document the trains with PzJgA 553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig of 2412541945 westward bound On 2641945 t notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen and couldnt carry on as planned due to rail disruption Therefore Ob West had ordered a new desti
nO I Wallern northeast of Passau A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd Kfz251 s Inside the building is a collection of gas mask canisters while outside a small pile of rifles ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust Thats the last time PzJg Abt553 is mentioned in is forming US Army notes but isnt that simply too good to be true 11 11
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
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Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
F-IW
A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
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What follows is an e-mail from Martin Block whi goes some way to showing the work involved i getting to the truth about the last days of the in Europe
Thank you for sharing those nice photos Hans did excellent job in establishing the location Little if doubt that we see motor transport of the 11 PO h The armor was a tough nut to crack but I think I did it
On the Jagdpanzers I have a very good clue You correct the 11 PzDiv was never officially issued Checked and re-checked the allocation files and reports prepared by ArbStab (PzJg ) about arrival an departure of Jagdpanzers 38 units from Milowitz tried to establish if any may have ended up with PZOiv instead Couldn t find anything and had al given up when I remembered the file with daily of the organisations department (AbtOrg ) of the Gen InspdPzTr Guess what I found From the Arb (PzJg) file I knew that on 1741945 an order h been issued to form several ad hoc gemischte PzJg Abteilungen from available Jagdpanzerkompanie on the Milowitz training area One of these units formed using Stab PzJgAbt553 Jagdpz Kp 115 and two so called Personaleinheiten (PE 10 d PE 48 c) The two PEs had received their 10 tanks on 161741945 those for 1159 arrived a little (exact date is not given) Initially these three units intended to become the Jagdpanzerkompanien for three RAO divisions
Now the daily notes by AbtOrg come into According to this document the trains with PzJgA 553 and its 3 companies left Milowitz during the nig of 2412541945 westward bound On 2641945 t notes state that the train was stuck in the Pilsen and couldnt carry on as planned due to rail disruption Therefore Ob West had ordered a new desti
nO I Wallern northeast of Passau A Panzerjager man turns in a Sternantenne as others mill about a pair of Sd Kfz251 s Inside the building is a collection of gas mask canisters while outside a small pile of rifles ammunition and the ubiquitous Panzerfaust Thats the last time PzJg Abt553 is mentioned in is forming US Army notes but isnt that simply too good to be true 11 11
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
US Army -------- --------- -------------------l
Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
I
Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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1 I lltdser catches a lift on the fender of this DKW car as it passes a line of Maultiers The car has an interesting Ihe I ( dll t()uflage pattern probably painted over the Panzergrau base coat as the unit insignia on the fender of 11Panzershy
1 lll lsion has been left untouched The Maultier on the left of the photo has two different types of roadwheels
US Army -------- --------- -------------------l
Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
I
Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Maultiers coming in to surrender again from 11Panzer-Division and suitably draped one reason or another the windscreen has been replaced by a sheet of metal wit with soldiers The battered combat weary vehicle on page 7 is a later production rectangular holes cut out for the driver and passenger The all important kettle example as it has the flat section fenders small bumper and small head lamps For been wedged behind one of the headlamps 2x US
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
I
Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
These two shots show the Jagdpanzer 38 on the far left of the photo on page 2 on i~ wearing a side arm in a holster The hatches on the Jagdpanzer 38 we It is a Befehlswagen - command vehicle outfitted with a long range Fu 8 radio small and the side arm must have made entry and exit difficult Space was tight The Sternantenne D and its armoured cover can be seen on the hull side It is the Jagdpanzer 38 and if the loaders hatch was open the Rundumfeuer MG had interesting that the crew member sitting in the loaders hatch with the headphones be turned this can be seen on all of the Jagdpanzers in this series 2x US
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
I
Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
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The Jagdpanzer on the left of page 1 Without the foliage we can see the details tow cables at the ready draped over the vehicle rather than wound up on the It has the distinctive Skoda cloud pattern camouflage paint scheme The Heil plate Note also the wooden stowage box on the engine deck behind the load Hitler and Swastika graffiti is courtesy of a GI not the crew Barely visible next hatch the Swastika is a tactical number of 23 The crews of these vehicles have their 1-
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
US Army
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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Another moving bush The crews have used foliage to good effect to break up outline of the vehicle obviously the area in front of the drivers visor has been clear This is the Jagdpanzer on page 3 The crewman standing on the e deck has his Feldmutze on page 12 but it has blown away by page 13 vehicle has a very interesting exhaust because a muffler has replaced the Flammenvernichter exhaust This could be a field modification or as a result production difficulties at the factory 2x US A
So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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So the Yanks parked up their halftrack not so This M3 Personnel Carrier had flat vertical sides were perfect for this application The Germans also added been used by 10(Pi)PzGrenRgt111 11Panzer-Division since December and driving lamps front and rear and what looks like armour plate to cover the dri was identified in their order of battle as a SPW(a) It was not just thrown straight compartment This image is not part of the motion picture sequence but taken back into action but modified with four pivoting mounts for Wurfrahmen 40 The a Signal Corps photographer T4 W Rothenberger US
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1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
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A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
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A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
1111 M3 was normally known to the Germans as gepanzerter do not appear to be any markings other than the rather tasteful hand painted 11 1 11 ~c haftstransportwagen M3(a) For a captured vehicle it is unusual not to see camouflage pattern The Jeep is in American hands though
II I It I lalkenkreuz on the vehicle to prevent possible friendly fire in fact there
40
A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
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A Panther AusfA with air conditioning courtesy of the US 3rd Army The turret side armour was cut out amp welded to M4s by ordnance units this practice starting in February 1945 But who had the outer roadwheels
1Jt CMcDaniel 1) LArcher
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A well known shot of Panther 221 of SS-PzRgt1 taken in La Gleize during the German attack in the Ardennes It was one of 15 Panthers left behind by Kampfgruppe Peiper The items bundled around the hull spare track hangers are Mittelstollen - ice sprags
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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- Captain Kubiak of 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow poses with a SdKfz2 Kleines Kettenkrad near the River Po in Northern Italy at the end of hostilities The large sheet metal bin behind the drivers seat is an unusual addition the vehicle in the
background has one too The 16th Lwowski Batalion Strzetcow was organic to 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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Idil llll( llhiak with a line up of PzKpfw11I AusfN belonging to PzAbt212 Pz fenders while the third has unusual Schurzen brackets consisting of two parallel I l liceived these Panzers from PzAbt208 when the latter returned to bars in place of the L section steel
II I I I IV III December 1944 The two nearest tanks have extra stowage bins on the PISM
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The carcass of a StuG M42 mit 7518 850(i) as photographed by a New Zealand to prevent thrown tracks The front suspension has taken a turn for the worse soldier near Aquino Italy Several units employed this type of SPG in the area the rubber has been burnt from the surrounding roadwheels and return roll although the most likely unit is PzJgAbt171 of 71lnfanterie-Division This example Perhaps it ran over a mine An internal explosion has blown away the roof of has the four large teeth on the drive sprocket introduced at the end of 1943 in order fighting compartment JNicho
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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1111 1 I IIG M42 mit 7534 851 (i) had the more effective 34 calibre gun with a higher green edged with sand yellow The tactical number was painted onto a stowage 111 1 I I velocity This example again from PzJgAbt171 71 lnfanterie-Division bin located behind the fighting compartment although here the door is hanging off
IIII IV wd l have broken down or been left for lack of fuel as it shows no signs of A plain black Balkenkreuz is on the front side of the fighting compartment Notice I 1 111 I II damage It is sporting the Italian amoeba colour scheme of red brown and again the revised drive sprocket JNicholson
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A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A US sailor takes a breather and poses with the wreck of the snappily entitled PzSf11 fUr 762cm PaK36 It probably belonged to PzJg Abt61 of 11Panzer-Division having been transferred from PzJg ResAbt10 273Reserve Panzer-Division in Southern France during May 1944 The height of the vehicle was a distinct disadvantage in combat as can be seen here 2x LArcher
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VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
VI W not often seen - deep into the bowels and showing the arrangement of the I Ii q)ed gun mounting A total of 150 PZSfI1 fOr 762cm PaK36 were assembled
I v lk0tt on the chassis of the PzKpfw11 AusfD2 during 1942 The PzKpfw11 Ausf I I I I Id torsion bar suspension as can be seen in the photo Although 10-145
mm thick armor protected the crew on the front and sides the rear of the fighting compartment was constructed of nothing more than wire mesh - this can be seen in the right of the photo This example has also lost its rear hull plate in an explosion
LArcher
111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
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Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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111 1 1111 recovery underway we can 1111 111e SturmgeschUtz has been
IIVIII I Ii into a recovery vehicle il ll I wlllch in what was the fighting IIII Jl IIIIII(nt and jib fixed to the rear
11 11 I 111I ~ was an Allied conversion 111111 Ii Iy carried out by this recovery 1111 I 1118 jib is a British design The
11 11 1 II IS either broken down or is IIll l II middot()d for practice 2x PISM
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
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Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
1111 1 I II II l l() on the opposite page shows the jib that has been welded to the covers noticed the non German driving lamp fixed to the rear of the vehicle next to the II I II ~ li q ine deck As would be expected plenty of extra roadwheels tracks and crumpled mudguard On this page the ARV acts as viewing platform for the men as
I IIVI V equipment festoon the engine deck Readers with a sharp eye will have they hone their mine detection skills 2x PISM
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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Lt WB Howard and JF Hull of the 1st Parachute Battalion with a Panzerkam Nachbildung (imitation Brelingen Germany 1945 It has white cloth draped over it one with the small lamp in the of the windscreen did so really surrender in it The has been painted in Dunke amp carries the tactical sign for Brigade 5 on the fender The rear door can be seen through chickenwire clad windscreen
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
2x US Army
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
~
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
)
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
PSmiddot
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
~-
Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
AI 111 1 1945 Beyreuth Germany T5 Anthony Hudek and T4 Mike Castellano fender for a motorised anti tank unit These vehicles were introduced in 1936 and ~ II (orps ordnance unit examine another Panzerkampfwagen-Nachbildung were built on the chassis of the Opel P4 light passenger car and carried a two man
Il illq( ~ sting that at this late stage of the War this old training vehicle is still crew Note the spare wheel carried under the tracks on the side of the car Id l ll lli l ~ Il t in its dark grey colour scheme It has a pre 1943 tactical sign on the US Army ~ I
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
shy
has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
2x US Army
)
This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
--
When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A SdKfz231 knocked out near Hornbach Germany March 1945 and photographed by Sgt T4 William Toomey of 3rd Signal Co 3rd Infantry Division An explosion has blown open the hatches and fire has burnt away one of the tyres Evergreen foliage
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has been fixed to the vehicle using chickenwire The spaced armour on the was introduced during production to provide a little extra protection to the Smm DTe
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Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
2x US Army
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
~
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Iserlohn Germany 16 April 1945 The remnants of 11sPzJgAbt512 - 3 Jagdtigers plus support vehicles - surrender to US 99th Infantry Division Here a crew member of vehicle X1 dismounts down the glacis MG34p in hand This was the mount of Hauptmann Albert Ernst commander of 11s PzJgAbt512 The inset photo shows the slight ribbed texture on the mantlet of the Jagdtiger
2x US Army
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This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
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Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
~
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
This Jagdtiger commanded by Lt Tarlach is believed to be X8 although this cannot be confirmed It is missing its side track guards and is well camouflaged
US Army
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When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
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III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
When the driver changes gear the Jagdtigers exhausts belch out smoke - here wf3 see this in action as it almost comes to a halt With the amount of foliage draped over the vehicle it is impossible to see any details of camouflage paint schemes qr tactical numbers although we know this is X1 because of the Sternantenne anCl lowered gun travel lock Interesting detail the crew members have draped their kit bags over the base of the gun barrel US Army
_11
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
~
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
)
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
PSmiddot
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Under the watchful eye of a GI a German carefully I down an armload of Panzerfausts each c3pable iron
enough of knocking out a Jagdtiger The troops in background are from the Stabskompanie Versorgskom
and Werkstattkompanie Wnile most of the Panzermeniri these photos look to be in
spirits the rapid end must have been quite a shock Very little 1 =~ - ~~ - - actually known about the 512th except that it was short lived It
~- created in January-1945 and had received vehicles for its three co ~ - piecemeal By early April it was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket Hemmed in
e I strong BritishCanadian and Americanjorces in rugged mountainous terr
-~- the 512th could do little but take part inthe final collapse of the pocketlse the largestcity in the Ruhr surrenderedat nightfallon April 15th
Although Jagdtigers are the Panzers most clbselyidentified with the 512thit worth noting that Panzer Ils and StuG IIls were alsb incorporated intO its and fought alongside the Jagdtigers in the firstweeks of April engagingAmeri armour and softskins fr6m hull down positions On April 9th US
~
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
)
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
PcJmiddot
One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
PSmiddot
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
FI_
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
~-
Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
2x US
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
III M( J 2 under each arm an Obergefreiter l IImiddotl llle Panzerfaustsseen on the previous
In I I wears a Panzerkampfzeichen - Tank IIli J I I II lqe and a second class Iron Cross I III Il l Ills black tunic Jagdtiger X1 is in the I 1111 11 1( 1 US Army
)
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
Rp
LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
PcJmiddot
One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
PSmiddot
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
FI_
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
Ef
The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
~-
Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
E[
Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
2x US
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
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The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
Rp
LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
PcJmiddot
One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
PSmiddot
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
FI_
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
Ef
The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
bull
hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The Obergefreiter walks past the other two Jagdtigers before putting the MG42s down The vehicle ori page 36 is vehicle X2 comanded by Obit Heinz Rondorf and graphically shows the superiority of the Jagdtiger in a frontal duel with its AP scrape o~ the nose The 250mm thick superstructure front was cast the texture of this can be seen on the vehicl~ on this page 3x US Army
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LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
LeH General views of the Germans surrendering their equ Above The 128cm ammunition for the Jagdtigers PaK44 two piece affair Here we have a G I posing with an example
3x US
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One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
One of the best known images of the surrender included here for its clarity The men ~~_I of 11sPzJgAbt512 line up in front of their vehicles one last time The Jagdtigers
are from the rear Hptm Ernsts X1 - with the gun travel lock drooping Obit Rondorfs X2 - with five kill rings and Lt Tarlachs vehicle which may have had the tactical number X8 although this is not confirmed (see photo at the bottom of page 32 for more of Lt Tarlachs vehicle) The surrender was taken by Lt Col Kriz
~7i~~~~ ~middotmiddot~~~~ cc~ Il~middotie~~~ ~ Ct~~-~~~ 1 CO of 394th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division US Army
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The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
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The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
FI_
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The vehicle lineup from the other side Hptm Ernsts Jagdtiger is the only vehicle with a visible tactical number - X1 The damage to the buildings in the background is from the US shelling of the city US Army
Bn-middot
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
FI_
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The crew dismount from the Bergepanther seen in the background on page 39 It carries the large tactical number 4 and is a fairly fresh looking AusfG version
The sPzJgAbt512 was issued four of these ARVs in March 1945 By employing pulleys and its spade each Bergepanther could winch up to 80 metric tons In the
--=-~---------__~___ --~___--=-_--ll background SdKfz251 s come in and park up US Army
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A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A better view of the support vehicles now that they have all parked five SdKfz251 (one shot) a SdKfz250 and a captured US M3A 1 Scout Car note the Sternantenna in the backg against the side of the building The inset image shows the nose of the SdKfz251 on page 43
~_ ___ ___--=~_ _ _ ~~~~~~~~--I German in the right of the picture bowing his head is Hptm Ernst 2x US
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The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The Sd Kfz 251 on the left has the late pattern engine deck the vehicle on the right is a SdKfz251 18 mittlerer Beobachtungspanzerwagen of the Stabskompanie Note the width indicator rods on the middle vehicle and the difference in camouflage patterns US Army
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Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
ED
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
EItI
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
bull
hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Above The Jagdtigers have drawn a crowd Right Ernst confers with some of his officers - he is dressed in aone piece denim overall Below A GI walks across the roof of a Jagdtiger as the men of sPzJgAbt512 mount their vehicles
3x US Army ~ _ bull ~ middotc
Above Hptm Ernst looks into the camera his war is over Around his neck Ritterkreuz - Knights cross awarded in February 1944 while he was with s H Jg Abt519 The scene has gathered quite a crowd of onlookers US
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I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
I~ I II I I Lt Sepp Tarlach s Jagdtiger heads off to I I I I I camp complete with crew and passengers
h il ll II I() driver s head sticking out of the hatch A r 11ltJer holds a white flag just in case there is any _flgsectgCfo
USArmy middotmiddot bullbull
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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Following is up Jagdtiger X2 flying a white flag on its radio antenna The five kill rings are somewhat blurred in this shot making them look like three ~ ~~ Two of the crew are waving to the crowd although it ~gtI___
looks like they are making a Nazi salute Notice the men from page 44 2x US Army
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Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
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11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
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A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
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18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
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When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
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Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Here is a another view of the scene With a belch of exhaust the Jagdtigers set off one mounting the kerb in doing so A Sherman stands guard over proceedings in the Schillerplatz and another watches as the vehicle lumbers down the street The planks and chickenwire on the side of the Sherman give it a ramshackle appearance while offering little in the way of protection or concealment
5x US Army
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Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
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The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
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This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
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Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Gis ride the engine decks as the Jagdtigers make their way out of Iserlohn middot1 vehicle on page 51 is missing a rear mudguard and the other has been flatter The crew have jammed the roadwheel jack behind the exhaust pipes A Bal is just visible on the rear of the fighting compartment there would have been ( either side of the rear doors A US tank or tank destroyer is lurking in the treerinllbull
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
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A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
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A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
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Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
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And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
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10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
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Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
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X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
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hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
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Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
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I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
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A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
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Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
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A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
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Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
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Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
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Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
1 ~
X 1 is the last Jagdtiger to leave followed by the halftracks As with the other varying quality We have blended their work together and we have attempted Jagdtigers a GI is present on the engine deck The surrender took place over two keep the actual sequence of events in order so that the reader may follow days and was filmed by two Signal Corps cameramen Gedicks and Fleming One more easily The images were shot on 16 and 17 April 1945 focused his camera a bit better than the other and that is why the images are of us
1-
bull
hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
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A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
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irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
bull
hil idliger X2 with X1 following The scar and scorching on the nose of the armour was capable of taking a great deal of punishment as we showed with the II llId ~ are quite apparent here The firepower and protection of the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger of 3sPzJgAbt653 featured in Panzerwrecks 1
WlI ll ()xceptional although it was heavy and mechanically overburdened The
-
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
1--
c
A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A SdKfz2S1 with the late pattern engine deck follows the Jagdtigers a spare fixed to the rear Note the spacing between vehicles old habits are hard to Inset The cameraman pans up to civilians in the windows as a SdKfz2S117 of Erkunder u Pionierzug passes 2x US A
~
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
1--
c
A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A SdKfz250 nA possibly of the Gruppe FOhrer Inset Another SdKfz251 this _ R time the men are in Panzer black 2x US Army
_001
1--
c
A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A captured US M3A 1 Scout Car in amazingly good shape is next to pass Such been overpainted A tough looking GI watches over the men while a Jeep brings vehicles were used by American Military Police All of its original markings have the rear followed by the 8ergepanther US
1
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
~___ ~_~ ---x-__ J _ P _ itT
Views of the M3A 1 captured on motion picture and still film It has received a coat of paint Balkenkreuz front back and sides and has been fitted with a German radio the aerial mount being fixed on the hull side The paint has started to wear off the top of the rear plate revealing the original olive drab paint 3x US Army
EM
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
---
-
~ bull
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
-
irevious page More views of the procession leaving Iserlohn The lower right the combat weary appearance of the Jagdtigers although the front mudguards IIi loto of the Bergepanther is particularly interesting as it has what look like extra look a bit battered The tow ropes are at the ready but at least two such vehicles 11111l) Flammenvernichter exhausts This page The Bergepanther does not have would be needed to tow a single seventy-ton Jagdtiger 6x US Army
1=
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
11 May 1945 With the war over these PzKpfw 35 R 731 (f) 11 (~ taken to an armament concentration area near Rotterdam II( ~ l herlands Like some of the other vehicles in this volume of 1 ll1zerwrecks they are painted in Panzergrau They have the llndard German modifications of hatches added to the cupola IIIU German radio with aerial The circular bracket on the rear 1gtI Ite is for a spare road wheel LAC PA-143909143910
11
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A PzKpfw1I AusfF photographed in Yugoslavia sometime during Autumn 1944 Korps or SS-Polizei Regiment14 The soldier in the background on page 63 Pinning a positive identification on this vehicle is almost impossible Likely Bulgarian Note the interesting variant of Balkenkreuz on the hull side candidates are 1 Gebirgsjager-Division 117Jager -Division XX II Gebirgsjager 2x MPA
r
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
~faW
This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
nell
Bri ll w
cenll
stooel
s PzJ1
Germ
discharu LArch
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This Tiger weighs twice as much as the r ll capacity for thismiddot made 30 ton trailer It photographed in Cologne (the cathedral Spl is visible in the backgrouif The photographer front of the railway statioll take the picture) (FKL) 301 is the most likl candidate for unit assumlf that the Tiger was recovel in the area of Cologne 11 tank went on to star in the hi They Were Not Divided til later joined other vehicles at Sennelager It a mating of an old turret alii
a new Zimmerit-coated hI The object in front of the tU1 1 viewing port is what remain of the smoke bracket
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
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Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
---~~
I hanks to the excellent work done by Karlheinz Munch on the history of sPz lgAbt653 we are able to give a complete background to this Jagdtiger Vehicle middotmiddot 115 under the command of Lt Hans Knippenberg became immobilised in a field III northern Schwetzingen Germany on 30 March 1945 while under attack from US
armour It was subsequently blown up by its crew The fighting compartment roof has been blown off and the massive mantlet has probably slid down the gun barrel - out of shot Here the photographer clicked his shutter before our MP had finished adjusting himself WAuerbach
middotw
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
UJI
A GI of the 69th Infantry Division pon atop a wrecked Sturmgeschutz III All G near Kassel Germany April 1945 Tltl SPG belonged to PzLehr-AbtBer~Jo
and was knocked out while attached I 26 Volksgrenadier-Division Bergen came from the Panzertruppenschlll II at Bergen-Fallingbostel and fielded 12 I 18 Sturmgeschutz III plus a few PzKplw III IV and V The Rundumfeuer mountill on the roof has been blown apart leavill only the base and an armour piercill round has holed the pannier It sports plain Dunkelgelb colour scheme the 0111
camouflage being rust and stains LArch
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
jltshy
fl-
Gis from the 3rd Infantry Division look over a SturmgeschOtz IV of PzJgKp1036 36 Volksgrenadier-Division in Lohr am Main Germany This town had been entered by Task Force Baum during the Hammelburg raid on 27 March 1945 After the fa ilure of the raid the town was reinforced with among other units elements of 36 Volksgrenadier-Division Not all of the interesting details are covered by the tarpaulin and foliage the MG34 can still be seen in its Rundumfeuer mounting on the fighting compartment roof perhaps indicating the crews hasty exit and spare track can be seen hanging from the driver s compartment DToomey
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Over on the Eastern front Russian soldiers pose with a knocked out SturmgeschOtz without falling off while traveling in close country It was obviously effective as most III AusfG This example is unusual in that it has pivoting SchOrzen seen only on of the sections are still attached even after the vehicle has blown up Note th(l a few St~rmgeschOtz The SchOrzen were fitted to mounting points fixed to the missing fighting compartment roof mudguard and held on with split pins This allowed them to pivot from side to side LArcher
1=8
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
18 March 1945 and Gis look over the wreck of tank number 601 from 61PzRgt15 away On page 14 of Panzerwrecks 1 we showed a photo of another PzRgt15 11 Panzer-Division somewhere west of the Rhine in the Remagen pocket It is a PzKpfwIV which had an emblem on the turret front plate Could the marking next
11te production PzKpfwIV AusfJ having the extended hull sides and lacking the to the gun sight opening be the same emblem Unfortunately the image is not direct vision port for the gunner A corner of the superstructure has been shot quite sharp enough to tell 2x US Army
_Ishy- - ------- ----_---shy
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
When the cameraman gets in close we can start to appreciate the havoc wreaked brake hatch) An inquisitive GI pushes his fist into yet another hole in the bow All upon this tank an armour piercing round has penetrated the drivers front plate the access hatches on the glacis and a slab of roof armour have been blown away while another has popped out the entire Kugelblende (the rear of the Kugelblende Note the spalling effect around the penetration on the drivers front plate and th(l with the openings for the bow MG and telescopic sight can be seen sitting in the late pattern U shaped lifting loops 2x US Army bull
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Several of the other late war features are evident in this shot Flamment6ter exhausts th ree return rollers and the swivelling commanders hatch From this view you can see that the tank had become mired which may well have been what sealed its fate On page 72 the Gis look over the bow MG and its ammunition 2x US Army I bullbull _ J
-~
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A victim of the 1 st Czech Tank Brigade Major Bursik looks into the yawning chasm demolition charge the effect of the explosion peeling back the side armour is quitl that was once the turret of a Panther AusfG The most likely candidate for the spectacular German armour plate was considered by the Allies to be brittle and owner IIPz Rgt39 17 Panzer-Division The location Rajhrad northern Moravia prone to shatter much as the driver s position has near the Polish border April 1945 Whether courtesy of the Czech tankers or a VHU
WPW
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Behind the SdKfz250 (number 211) lurks a Panther AusfG with a difference was photographed at a collection pOint in Jindrichuv Hradec after having been Formerly of Panzer-Division Feldherrnhalle 2 it is unusual in that it has very long abandoned in the village of Kunzak Czechoslovakia Mayor June 1945 straight exhaust pipes but why The commander s cupola lacks the AA MG ring VKos via MSolar mount indicating the vehicle was manufactured during or after March 1945 It
~
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
~ 1 ~
r
etf
Imiddot~i~ bull~ ~ ~ ~i
Like many veterans photos this one had no caption so making a definitive the sagging track and relation of the road wheels to the sprocket and idler reveal identification is out of the question although we can say that it was probably taken that the torsion bars have failed This vehicle has burned and the suspension ha during the Spring judging by the blossoms on the trees behind the tank This settled so fire could have caused the Zimmerit to flake Note the armoured hub 1( 11
Panther looks to be an AusfA from Daimler Benz with roughened Zimmerit but the drive sprocket and monocular gun sight with wide rain guard JNicholsoll
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
This unfortunate Sturmgeschutz III AusfG was knocked out from a operated by StuG Brigade217 or 311 The vehicle is noteworthy distance of 50 metres() by the crew of Sgt Alexander Jedlicka of for the unusual Schurzen on the fighting compartment and the non 3rd Battalion 1 st Czech Independent Tank Brigade in the village standard brackets on the trackguard of Stitina Czechoslovakia on 19 April 1945 It could have been 2x VHU bull
Rl=
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
I I
II
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Czech soldiers pass the time of day and do 11 11 crossword on a Sd Kfz251 photographed iii Koberice Czechoslovakia The reason for 11 11 red star being painted on the nose is not know I perhaps it was used by Soviet forces or IIV insurgents VHII
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Looking at the other side of the vehicle we can appreciate the colourful camouflage the other side of the vehicle shown on page 80 The two tactical numbers 322 pattern that the crew have sprayed interestingly one patch on the side of the and the overlapping larger 442 are quite confusing engine armour has been painted by hand Another hand painted patch is visible on VHU
=
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The photographs on pages 82 to 86 were taken on a tank landing craft by John the War Office numbers painted in white This Sd Kfz251 is fitted with the latl Holowach of the 165th Signal Photo Co and were not shot for the US Army but for pattern all steel tracks which meant a reduction in road speed and increase ill
his personal use No location or date are given although we know that they were noise Those with a keen eye will have seen the tactical sign for an Aufklarung eventually loaded on board a ship for transport presumably to the UK judging by Abteilung on the rear plate LArche
y
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
This seemingly innocuous Sd Kfz251 actually presents a conundrum As an SPW in a standard Panzergrenadier Battalion 424 would imply this SPW is the 4th vehicle in the 2nd platoon of the 4th (Heavy Weapons) company But it carries the tactical sign of an Aufklarungskompanie The 4th company of an Aufklarungs Battalion normally contained Ie SPW (SdKfz250) How do we explain a medium SPW in an Aufklarungskompanie The explanation comes from Hans Weber Hopefully the standard regulations can help here In the new 44 type structure this would be a heavy company whereas in the old type 43 structure the 4th Co would have only the Ie SPW If we assume this is a vehicle captured on the Western Front I would go for 116 PD I base this on the fact that the well known 2509 originally sported white national crosses and also the later digits different from the ones seen here were later additions Also because it was a latecomer it seems to have started out with numbers according to the new 44 type Gliederung That was not the case with AA 2 The same could be said regarding
AA 9 of 9th Panzer and AA 11 of 11th Pz Unfortunately photographic evidence for all three units regarding SPWs is still sparse When issued in April 44 they went to the three ResPz Div that were later used to refresh the 9 11 and in the case of 116 form the unit I have confirmation that in each case of the later PzDivisions the 4th Cos all had mSPWs The SS Pz Divsl would rule Out They had the old number system in case of 9SS 10SS and 12SS DR sported national crosses on th~per sides LAH had black ones inthe pzGrenBtls Maybe not in SS-AA 1 I LArcher
K=JcW
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Next to the SdKfz251 is this marvelous specimen of a Marder 38T again destined gun shield Unlike most other photos of this vehicle here we have one that shows 1m the War Office The welded driver s compartment means a late production all the hatches open but where did the spare track go v()hicle It carries tactical number 114 and is missing the curved armour under the LArcher
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A Signal Corps photographer taking blurred photos Whatever next From the same that wrecked and abandoned German vehicles taken to the dumps at Trun and series of photos and we assume on the same tank landing craft this Sd Kfz1 0 St Lambert in Normandy had this marking applied by Allied ordnance or recovery may give a clue as to where it originated Between the two bins on the rear is units the compressor for the air brakes on this is a painted white circle It is thought LArcher
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
The following series of photos were taken by Lt Daniel Guravich at the Eclipse dump in Oldenburg Germany on two occasions 7 and 10 May 1945 Images on pages 87 - 91 were taken on 7 May and show elements of sHPzJgAbt655 surrendering to the Fort Garry Horse Oldenburg had capitulated on 3 May and the German armies in Northern Germany Holland Denmark Heligoland and the Frisian Islands surrendered unconditionally from 800am on 5 May
LAC PA-168906141684
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Kompanie of sHPzJgAbt655 were equipped with PzIV70(V) 2 Kompanie with Jagdpanthers This is part of 1 Kompanie as the second vehicle in the line up has the tactical number 101 The sHPzJgAbt655 had-10 PzIV70(V) and 5 Jagdpanthers in its inventory on 23 April 1945 Inset The nearest vehicle has a smiling face painted onto the mantlet and a number of
0 - _ kill rings painted in black half way down the barrel LAC PA-116799
=1=
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
And here is vehicle 101 with troopers G A Anderson and W Mc Skimming investigating It is a Befehlswagen as it has an aerial mounted on the left of the engine deck regular Jagdpanzers had one aerial - on the right It is somewhat unusual in that it has a cast idler wheel rather than the usual welded type and only one steel road wheel which might be a replacement on the front bogie (you would expect to see two at this stage of the war) A grab handle is fitted to the brake access hatch in place of the armored cowling for the vent hole and a steel step has been fitted to the nose armour Trooper Anderson on the left is using both to assist himself onto the vehicle There are two Balkenkreuz one on the side of the fighting compartment the other on the skirt attached to the side of the engine deck
LAC PA-141687
=1
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
~-~
Crews German and Canadian hitch up one of the vehicles to a rather interestingly camouflaged M4 Sherman of the Fort Garry Horse None of the PzIV70(V) have Schurzen fitted and some are also missing the armour normally fitted to the sides
of the engine compartment The photo on page 91 shows the same vehicle The object sticking up from the roof of the Jagdpanzer in the foreground is a SF 14 Z scissors periscope LAC PA-141688PA-130336
E I bullbull
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
10th May 1945 Vehicles from PzEinsatz-Abt20 and sHPzJgAbt655 have been war The SP guns in the background are PzIV70(V) behind the Jagdpanther is parked in another part of the dump their fighting days over In the foreground a Sd Kfz9 recovery vehicle and a short barreled Jagdpanzer IV Jagdpanther 59 has Jagdpanther from 1IPzEinsatz-Abt20 this unit had reported 2 Jagdpanthers at loops welded to the side of the fighting compartment to hold foliage the beginning of April but only one was present in the inventory at the end of the LAC PA-115888
Er
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Lt Guravich has panned the camera to the right showing the Sd Kfz 9 the front The drive sprocket of the vehicle is unusual as it has the new drive sprockethub of the Jagdpanzer IV and another heavily camouflaged Jagdpanther (probably combination with four bolts on the face of the hUb The difference in height between from sHPzJg Abt655) which is noted as a Ferdinand in the original caption the Jagdpanther and the Jagdpanzer IV behind is quite obvious LAC PA-141685
815
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
Back with Jagdpanther 59 again With the photographer in a better position we can see the three Flakpanzer Wirbelwinds from sH PzJgAbt655 In the distance some Marder 38T from 51PzEinsatz-Abt20 and the chassis of a PzKpfwIII or SturmgeschOtz III probably used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle The rear Wirbelwind has 30mm armour on the drivers front plate and old drive sprocket the front vehicle has the later cast sprockets The middle Wirbelwind has camouflage netting draped over the turret see the inset photo On page 95 notice the hooded Flamment6ter on the PzIV70(V) and the chassis number starting with 3007 on the nearest Jagdpanther LAC PA-115779168905
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
A Hummel prepared for demolition by US Army personnel on the outskirts of Cisterna Italy 24 May 1944 A few details are notable the mark left on the gun barrel from the travel lock the German mine under the drive sprocket the suspension bump stop lying on the ground and its mounting plate on the third bogie The only unit to be equipped with the Hummel in Italy was PzArtRgt93 of 26Panzer-Division which at this time was on the Senger Line so what was it doing here US Army
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
1 IIIIdrcn play on the stripped carcass of a Hummel in Budapest May 1945 The W I (11 had been commanded by Lt Klein of IIPzArtRgtFeldherrnhalle PanzershyI llvlion Feldherrnhalle and was left or destroyed in February 1945 before the III Ikout from the city The location south of the castle on the Buda side This had
been a late production model with full width driver s front plate and boxed in air intakes but all that has long gone A disc camouflage pattern is barely discernible behind the childrens legs
Hadtorteneti Muzeum
