3 days after VE Day

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Privates W.R. Hill and M.A. Gammon of 1st Canadian Corps on guard duty with a German soldier, also on guard duty, at the German garrison, Ijmuiden, Netherlands, 11 May 1945.
 
Two other pics but of slightly different views are PA134396 and PA151185 in 134396 it shows the German soldier has a FG42 rifle. One great picture I have seen in the past shows a large formation of disarmed Germans marching in to surrender but each and every soldat has a pair of stick grenades slung together with a string hanging back of the neck.
 
Because hostilities ended May 8th but arrangements to disarm followed later.


Unidentified German soldier turning in his rifle to a Canadian soldier, IJmuiden, Netherlands, 11 May 1945.

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One of those probably belonged to my dad.;) That's where he was when the war ended.

Grizz
 
How is it that a German soldier is also on guard duty?

Prisoners of war are bound to obey lawful orders of the capturing power. When hostilities have ended, you can arm them and put them to security duties like this. The Allies used Japanese troops to maintain control of Vietnam after WWII until the French could re-establish their possession, contrary to the wishes of the Vietnamese resistance who had been fighting those same Japanese troops.
 
My Dad told me how when he was on guard duty in Germany in early 1946, two German military police brought in a drunken Canadian soldier who was accused of rape. He was turned into the commanding officer and subsequently released.
 
Prisoners of war are bound to obey lawful orders of the capturing power. When hostilities have ended, you can arm them and put them to security duties like this. The Allies used Japanese troops to maintain control of Vietnam after WWII until the French could re-establish their possession, contrary to the wishes of the Vietnamese resistance who had been fighting those same Japanese troops.

Unfortunately the days of our enemies conforming to military discipline and international law are long gone. Could you imagine this happening now a days in our trouble spots?
 
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