Picture of the day

[Dark Alley Dan]

That's an interesting picture. I imagine the wee biting flies and mosquitoes are as bad in Finland as they are in the Taiga everywhere else. And that German's coat is so well pressed it looks like the lapels are made of cardboard.

 

[RRCo.]

Meanwhile, in a ditch in Crete...

FG42. The "42" stands for 1942. Battle of Crete: May 1941

 

[grelmar]

FG42. The "42" stands for 1942. Battle of Crete: May 1941

Good catch...

Wikipedia cites the photo as having been made in 1944. Wondering if it was a part of the same series of shots as the one below, cited as being taken in France in the summer of 1944:

 

[Desert_Fox]

FG42. The "42" stands for 1942. Battle of Crete: May 1941

Yup. The FG42 was almost a direct development from the lessons learned on Crete and earlier campaigns by the Fallshirmjaeger.

Here is another photo with an FG42 in Berlin 1945, and it's possible previous owner....

What is interesting is that the deceased in the photo appears to be wearing an SS Tunic (Either M44 or Panzer Tunic) and also has an M38 Stahlhelm above his head....? Perhaps a member of the 500th SS Fallschirmjaeger Battalion?

 

[Desert_Fox]

Good catch...

Wikipedia cites the photo as having been made in 1944. Wondering if it was a part of the same series of shots as the one below, cited as being taken in France in the summer of 1944:

Gotta love how staged that photo is.... Doesn't even have the Iron Sights flipped up!

 

[fraserdw]

Yup. The FG42 was almost a direct development from the lessons learned on Crete and earlier campaigns by the Fallshirmjaeger.

Here is another photo with an FG42 in Berlin 1945, and it's possible previous owner....

What is interesting is that the deceased in the photo appears to be wearing an SS Tunic (Either M44 or Panzer Tunic) and also has an M38 Stahlhelm above his head....? Perhaps a member of the 500th SS Fallschirmjaeger Battalion?

600 fought n the Oder Front and was wiped out there. Likely one of their stragglers. 500 had surrendered in tact to the U.S.

 

[MarkCNP]

Hallo Mutter , kann ich jetzt nach Hause kommen ?

 

[The Wizard]

Good catch...

Wikipedia cites the photo as having been made in 1944. Wondering if it was a part of the same series of shots as the one below, cited as being taken in France in the summer of 1944:

Staged photo. Front and rear sights are folded down.

 

[grelmar]

Staged photo. Front and rear sights are folded down.

Sorry, yes... Knew it was a staged photo (the caption below the pic in Wikipedia says as much), which is what made me think it might be part of the same series as the other pic.

"Hey, Fritz! Stand and pretend to shoot at zee enemy!! Good good. Now go hide behind zat bush - not too much, I want to get a good pic."

 

[matthunt101]

 

[Rule 303]

Iconic picture taken just hours after Major John Howard's three gliders landed, the lead one ~75 yards away from the bridge.

This bridge has been replaced and the original is placed nearby at the Pegasus Memorial.

 

[purple]

Mosquitos were a nuisance for the troops in Normandy in the summer of 1944 as were hordes of flies and wasps. My late uncle talked about having a tough time eating on account of the wasps gathering on one's food.

 

[MarkCNP]

http://2.bp.########.com/-sEAF6pBRco4/UKUSwUy_NiI/AAAAAAAA32U/tUDtpF7BCnA/s1600/Captain+Killick+of+the+89th+Field+Security+Section,+edging+westwards+from+the+bridge+in+an+attempt+to+locate+the+1st+Para+Brigade+moving+into+Arnhem.jpg

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Poor bloody Paras at Arnhem. Raw deal.

If you haven't had a chance to see Clarkson's documentary about it, here you go:

[youtube]Tpg6h16k8eU[/youtube]

 

[fingers284]

I have a friend ( 92 now) who was supposed to jump on Arnhem but his plane broke down on the runway. His brother was in another stick, went over, but never came back.

 

[MarkCNP]

Poor bloody Paras at Arnhem. Raw deal.

If you haven't had a chance to see Clarkson's documentary about it, here you go:

[youtube]Tpg6h16k8eU[/youtube]

That's a long one, will have to check it out later . . .

 

[Cdn303]

It still amazes me just how close they got. I wonder how many puckered rear ends there were in there.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Gleaned from Reddit:

Sergeant Bohumil Furst of No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron is greeted by the squadron mascot on returning to RAF Duxford after a sortie in his Hawker Hurricane Mk I.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

 

[Sharps '63]

Looks like some future applicants for hearing loss post-service ..... I just qualified through DVA.