WW2 in Colour

Flakvierling 38 of Panzer-Grenadier Division Großdeutschland

2011-11-12T13:03:00.000Z

Today's colourised image is a Flakvierling crew of the Großdeutschland Division in training, taken on 5th November 1943.

The Flakvierling 38 was a quad mount version of the 2cm FlaK 38 and was introduced in 1940. The single 2cm FlaK guns were planned to be phased out early in the war in favour of 3.7cm cannon, as the latter was able to engage targets at much greater range and with several times the explosive force. In order to keep the 2cm gun viable, the Flakvierling 38 (literally ‘quadruple anti-aircraft cannon model 38’) was introduced to increase firepower whilst utilising weapons and ammunition that were already in production.

The 2 cm Flakvierling 38 was used in several different roles, but was intended primarily for defense against Jagdbomber (fighter-bombers) as it had a maximum vertical range of only 2,200 meters, far lower than the flight ceiling of heavy bomber formations. It saw use in self-propelled mountings, on the Sd.Kfz 7 halftrack as the Sd.Kfz 7/1 and the Panzer IV as the Flakpanzer IV 'Wirbelwind'. These self-propelled vehicles commonly made up the Fliegerabwehrzug (anti-aircraft platoon) attached to Panzer Battalions. The weapon was also used by the Kriegsmarine on both U-Boats and other vessels, and heavily used by the Luftwaffe in fixed emplacements around high-value targets. There were 8 such guns mounted on each of the three huge Flakturm (flak towers) in Berlin.

As well as being used against aircraft, the weapon was commonly employed against ground targets, including infantry, emplacements and light vehicles. It was therefore equipped with a variety of ammunition types to facilitate its use in multiple roles.

Click the images to view them full-size.

Before

After

Panzer-Grenadier Division Großdeutschland was formed as an infantry regiment in 1939 from Wach Regiment Berlin. Over the course of the war it saw great successes and was increased in size until it was re-designated a full Panzergrenadier Division in the Summer of 1943. The division was the best-equipped in the entire Heer,with it's own organic Tiger I and Panther battalions and earned a reputation as a 'fire brigade' in the latter half of 1943 as it was used as a mobile reserve to reinforce the front wherever it was in danger of collapse.

This Flakvierling remains in the early-mid war Dunkelgrau base coat (RAL 7021), indicating that it was manufactured prior to 18th February 1943. This was the date that Heeresmitteilung (HM) number 181 went into effect, the order that all newly-made equipment was to be painted in a base coat of RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb. The weapon itself is missing the folding gun shields that provided some measure of protection to the crew.

Note the low boots and gaiters worn by the crew, with trousers folded behind the gaiters in the regulation fashion, a detail many reenactors miss!

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.
Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-298-1759-25 / Scheck / CC-BY-SA

Previously Unknown US Gun Cam Footage, Germany 1945

2011-10-22T13:29:00.000+01:00

In the last week some previously unknown colour Gun Camera footage has emerged from the Romano Archives. The footage was taken over Germany in 1945 from USAF P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers and features the strafing of a pair of locomotives and what appear to be industrial buildings next to them. The exact location of the attack is unknown, though appears to be one of the numerous industrial targets that were engaged by the USAF in March and April 1945. The last few seconds show what looks to be a grounded Luftwaffe jet aircraft or fuel dump exploding when hit from the air.

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A lot of fantastic footage has come out of the Romano Archives in the last few years. Below is another set of US gun cam footage they uploaded a couple of years ago. It is a compilation of 6 rolls of film that starts with a dogfight and progresses into ground attack maneuvers against a variety of vehicles and locomotives. This footage was all taken over Germany in March-April 1945.

Another set of previously unknown footage was uploaded by the Romano Archives last month, which can be viewed here. The above footage as well as thousands of other reels are available from the Romano Archives.

The Blitz in Colour

2011-10-11T21:07:00.000+01:00

Between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941 the Luftwaffe launched a strategic bombing campaign against London and other key industrial cities in the United Kingdom, commonly know as The Blitz.

Throughout the UK over a million houses were damaged or destroyed and 40,000 civilians killed. Despite the intensity of the bombings, the stoicism of the British public and their 'Blitz Spirit' ensured that morale did not fall, and despite precautionary measures enacted throughout the affected cities, civilians endeavoured to continue with 'business as usual'.

Over 600 aircraft losses were sustained by the Germans over the course of the campaign, and their aims of forcing the British public into submission prior to invasion and the disruption of war production ultimately failed. With the launch of Unternehmen Barbarossa (Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia) in June 1941 and the cancellation of Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion - the invasion of mainland Britain) the Luftwaffe's resources were required in the East and the bombing campaign over the UK was called off.

Time Life recently published a set of colour photos of London during the Blitz, reproduced below. The whole set with their original captions can be viewed here. Many thanks to Harb of the Tripwire Interactive Forums for the excellent find!

As always, click the photos to view them full-size.

Thanks to Marsch of Military Photos for pointing out the oddity regarding the number houses damaged in London, I shall be sure to verify stats found on Wikipedia in the future!

These photographs are © Time & Life/Getty Images

StuG IV for Sale(!)

2011-10-07T21:56:00.000+01:00

Some quite unusual news today, there is an original StuG IV for sale from a private collection in Latvia! It is very rare for original German fully-tracked vehicles to come onto the market, especially something as scarce as a StuG IV.

Click here for the advert on milweb.

Description from the advert:
From 912. Stug. Abt. ( Kurland 1944 -1945 ). Very rare. Year of manufacture 1944. Year of reconstruction 2009 - 2010. There is no transmission (motor + gear box ). Demilitarized. 7,5 cm -Kanone. Original paint and drawing on " Saukopf - Blende ".490 000 Euro.

According to the Surviving Panzer IV Variants list there are two StuG IV that still survive, both of which are in Poland. There is one complete running example at Armoured Weapons Museum in Poznań, and a second partial restoration at Museum im. Orła Białego, Skarżysko-Kamiennausing, made from a variety of StuG III and Panzer IV parts.

This StuG IV may be a previously unknown example, as it has three return rollers, unlike the partial restoration that has 4, and appears to have been built on a late Ausf. J chassis.

Update: 09/10/2011 02:14

A video of the vehicle being unloaded from a truck has been uploaded to Youtube:

Colour Video of the D-Day Landings

2011-09-29T21:04:00.000+01:00

On 6th June 1944 the Western Allies launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of occupied France. The assault was launched against 5 beaches in Normandy in North-West France by British, Canadian and American forces. The invasion by sea was spearheaded by British and American paratroopers that were dropped behind German lines to secure vital lines of communication in the early hours of the morning of the 6th June.

The airborne assault involved 12,000 aircraft, while the amphibious assault included over 6,000 vessels. It was the largest amphibious landing in history, with almost 160,000 troops deployed within the first 24 hours.

For your viewing pleasure today I have a 3-part compilation of colour footage of the D-Day landings that formed the first stage of Operation Overlord. Enjoy!

The Normandy landings were a great success, and while the Western Allies initially suffered severe casualties while establishing the bridgehead, their implacable advance through France ensured that the German forces in the West were steadily ground down.

Almost three weeks after Overlord was launched in the West, the Soviet Union launched Operation Bagration in the East. Despite involving nearly double the number of and resulting in the complete destruction of an entire Army Group and capture of half of Poland, Bagration is almost unheard of in the West. That, however is a tale for a different day!

Panzer IV Zug in Frankreich, 1944

2011-09-25T14:00:00.000+01:00

Today’s colourised image depicts a Panzer IV Ausf. H Zug of 8./Pz-Rgt. 3 (8th Company, Panzer Regiment 3) of the 2.Pz-Div. on manoeuvres near Amiens in early 1944.

The division had been sent to Amiens in late 1943 to refit and rearm after suffering heavy losses during a fighting retreat following the failure of Unternehmen Zitadelle (Operation Citadel, more commonly known as the Battle of Kursk).

When the invasion of Normandy began, the Division was held in reserve in the Somme on the mistaken belief that the Allies main offensive against the Pas de Calais was soon to begin. When this second offensive turned out to be a ruse they were transported to the front in Normandy, though the Division did not arrive until mid July.

Click the images to view them full-size.

Before

After

Number 825 shows some interesting features. Of note are the white painted labels on the hull Schürzen that indicate their position on the vehicle. This enabled the crew to ensure they were put back in the correct places when they were removed for track maintenance. The panzers themselves were manufactured between November 1943 and January 1944.

Also note that the gunner of '825' is wearing his greatcoat over his black panzer uniform.

This photograph was taken by PK Scheck, and is part of a series of the same Panzer Kompanie.

Update: Many thanks to Tom Cockle from the missing-lynx.com forum for the correction regarding the Nahverteidigungswaffe and the information regarding production dates.

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-298-1759-25 / Scheck / CC-BY-SA

V-1 Flying Bomb Testing at Peenemünde, 1943

2011-09-07T21:40:00.000+01:00

Today's footage shows V-1 flying bombs being launched into the Baltic Sea from the V1 Catapult at Peenemünde Airfield, adjacent to Peenemünde Army Research Center (Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemünde) where the V-2 and Wasserfall rockets were designed and tested. Peenemünde Airfield itself was where the Luftwaffe tested several experimental aircraft, including the Heinkel He 176 and the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-propelled fighters.

The V-1, or to give it it's full name Vergeltungswaffe 1 (retaliation weapon 1) was an early predecessor of the cruise missile powered by a pulse-jet engine. It flew at 640 km/h (400 mph) and carried 180 kg of high-explosives to a range of 250km (160 miles).

Testing of the V-1 at Peenemünde continued until the night of the 17th/18th August 1943, when the RAF launched Operation Hydra, a raid against Peenemünde Army Research Center by 596 heavy bombers. The raid caused surprisingly little damage, though it set development at the facilities back by 6-8 weeks and resulted in the testing of the V-1 being moved to Brüsterort.

The V-1 was first launched against London on 17th June 1944, and launches continued against London and the south-east of England until the last launch sites in range were overrun in October 1944. Following this, they were launched against Antwerp and other Belgian targets. 9,521 were launched in total and they caused 22,892 casualties, almost entirely to civilians.

The successor to the V-1, the V-2 was the world's first true ballistic missile, and the grandfather to all modern rockets. The V-2 was the first man-made object in space, and when it's designers Wernher von Braun and Dr. Walter Dornberger fell into American hands after the war they were put to work developing their technology further. Von Braun later worked for NASA, and designed the Saturn V launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.

The above video comes from the Romano Archives, and high-quality copies of the video along with thousands of other rare and interesting films are available from them.

US Gun Cam Footage over Germany, 1945

2011-09-03T21:34:00.000+01:00

Today's video is US gun cam footage taken over Germany in 1945. Unfortunately it is rather low resolution, but you can make out various horse-drawn wagons and at least one truck being strafed. The caption states these are farm vehicles under attack, but as the Heer used many forms of horse-drawn tranportation this claim cannot be verified.

The video does not have it's original audio, just a noise track so you may wish to mute it.

This video was uploaded by the Romano Archives.

Trophies of Great Battles - Colour Video of the Gorky Park Exhibition, Moscow 1943

2011-08-13T19:40:00.002+01:00

On 22nd June 1943, exactly two years after the launch of Unternehmen Barbarossa
(Operation Barbarossa), an outdoor exhibition of captured war material was opened in
Gorky Park in Moscow. The exhibition consisted of large numbers of tanks, artillery,
aircraft and weapons captured by the Red Army. The below video shows many of these pieces in glorious colour, being visited by civilians and soldiers of the Red Army.

There are many rare and unique vehicles on display here, some of the armour ended up on display in Kubinka tank museum, others at Victory Park in Moscow. The fate of most of the exhibits is unknown, though sadly it is likely they were scrapped.

The following lists the exhibits shown (where identifiable) and timestamps of when they can be seen in the video. Unless specifically noted, assume the exhibit is German, and they are listed in order of appearance.

Bf 109 - 01:38, 01:59, 03:30
Hs 129 - 01:40, 02:23
Fw 200 - 01:42, 02:34
He 111 - 01:47, 02:31
Bf 110 - 01:49
Do 17 - 01:50
Ju 52 - 01:53
Ju 88 - 02:15
Fw 189 02:50
Fw 190 - 03:14

Pz IV Ausf. F2 - 03:53, 06:28
15cm Nebelwerfer 41 - 04:09
15cm Kanone 39 - 04:20
12.8cm FlaK 40 - 05:10
Ringtrichterrichtungshörer (RRH) - 05:11
2cm Flakvierling 38 - 05:16
21cm Mörser 18 - 05:24
24cm or 30.5cm Mörser - 05:51

Italian Fiat L6/40 - 06:10, 06:34
Pz III Ausf. E or F - 06:10, 06:52
Pz 38(t) - 06:10, 06:30, 06:52
Marder III Ausf. H - 06:18
Hungarian 38M Toldi - 06:22, 06:43
SdKfz 164 Nashorn - 06:22
Munitionspanzer I - 06:37
Pz 35-S 739(f) - 06:47
12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette auf VK3001(H) "Sturer Emil" - 06:52, 07:00
Panzerjäger Tiger (P) "Ferdinand" - 07:05
Pz VI Tiger - 07:14, 07:44
Sturmboot - 08:33
Sdk.Fz 9 - 10:00
5cm leGrW 36 - 10:14
8 cm GrW 34 - 10:14
K98k - 10:24
MP40 - 10:24
MP41 - 10:24
MG34 mit Laffette - 10:24

The pile of Eiserne Kreuz and various awards at 10:43 was rather jaw-dropping!

3.7cm Flakzwilling 43, France 1944

2011-07-31T20:52:00.000+01:00

The 3.7cm Flugabwehrkanone 43 was introduced in early 1944 as a heavier-calibre replacement for the 2cm Flakvierling 38. It could engage aircraft flying at an altitude of up to 4200 meters, and was frequently used to engage ground targets at a range of up to 6585 metres. In service, it proved to be very successful, but due to it's late introduction there were only 928 (and 185 Flakzwilling) units produced before the war ended.

The double-barreled Flakzwilling 43 was introduced to increase effectiveness against low-flying aircraft travelling at high speeds. It was found that a single hit from the 3.7cm ammunition was not always sufficient to bring a fighter down. This gun was mounted on a heavier Sonderhanger 106 trailer, but as the gun was rather top-heavy, it proved to be rather cumbersome to mount and dismount.

Click the images to view them full-size.

Before

After

This Flakzwilling 43 belonged to a Heer flak unit stationed in Northern France in the summer of 1944. The photograph is part of a set depicting the FlaK gun and crew that were taken by Kriegsberichter Kurth.

The crew are wearing the Heer-issue assault-gun wrap, identical in form to the panzer wrap but in field grey rather than black. The Panzer Lehr Division had several units equipped solely with this uniform in Normandy, but I can't make out any of their typical 'L' cyphers on the Flakzwilling crew's shoulder straps. If anyone knows which unit this weapon belonged to then please let me know.

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-301-1957-35 / Kurth / CC-BY-SA

Panzer IV of the Hitlerjugend Division, Belgium 1943

2011-07-25T22:24:00.000+01:00

The 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was formed in mid 1943 from members of the Hitler Youth born in 1926. The leaders of this Division of 17 year old boys were sourced from senior NCOs and Officers of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). Many of the soldiers in the unit were so young that they received sweets instead of the standard ration of tobacco and alcohol.

Regardless, their high morale, experienced leadership and excellent equipment made them a force to be reckoned with. The Division gave a good account of itself in battle, sometimes fighting fanatically against overwhelming odds. The record of the Division is far from spotless, however. During the fighting around Caen after D-Day members of SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 were responsible for the execution of some 156 Canadian soldiers. SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer (then leader of SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25) was convicted of war crimes in December 1945 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Division lost around 8000 men killed, wounded or missing during the campaign in Normandy, and went on to participate in Unternehmen Wacht am Rhine (better know as the Battle of the Bulge) and Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen (Operation Spring Awakening), the operation to recapture the Hungarian oil fields in March 1945. The Division ended its days by surrendering to US forces near the city of Enns in Austria.

The subject of today's image is Panzer IV Ausf. H number 615 of 6./SS-PzRgt. 12 (6th Company, SS-Panzer Regiment 12). The photograph was taken during exercises in Belgium at the end of 1943. As always, click the image to view it full-size.

Before

After

Several vehicles from 6./SS-PzRgt. 12 feature the names of the crew's sweethearts painted on the tanks, here we have 'Wilma' painted on the commander's Cupola and 'Paula' painted on the driver's visor (along with a heart?!).

The commander and loader are wearing Kriegsmarine U-Boat leather jackets, which were an item particular to the Hitlerjugend and LSSAH Divisions. These uniforms were initially given to the Italian Navy, but were reclaimed by the LSSAH when they went to Italy to disarm part of the Italian Army in 1943. Alongside these leather uniforms were found large stocks of Italian camouflage material, which were soon made into clothing for the two divisions.

Note, the radio operator appears to be wearing a feldgrau M40 side cap rather than the standard black Panzer cap (as worn by the loader). The commander wears an M43 camouflage field cap affixed with a non-regulation metal totenkopf.

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-297-1722-27 / Kurth / CC-BY-SA

Know Your Enemy - 1943 Training Video on Captured German Firearms

2011-07-20T23:31:00.000+01:00

The video below was produced by the US Office of Strategic Services in 1943, and was designed to instruct American troops on the proper use of captured German firearms. It covers the most common weapons that were encountered in the field:

K98 rifle
MP40 submachine gun
Luger P08 pistol
Stielhandgranate 24 or 39 grenade
MG34 and MG42 machine guns
8cm Granatwerfer 34 mortar

Unfortunately the video is rather low resolution, but I think it provides an excellent, if basic instruction in the operation of the weapons, and is a must-see for reenactors!

Wilhelm 'Willi' Hübner - One of the Youngest Recipients of the Iron Cross

2011-07-18T22:07:00.001+01:00

As casualties mounted during the Second World War, Germany was forced to call up ever younger conscripts to fill the ranks of the Wehrmacht. So dire was the situation at the end of 1944, that boys born in 1928 were called up to serve the Führer. They were 15 or 16 years old and had grown up in the shadow of Nazism. Each would have spent their teenage years in the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) preparing them for military service.

The net result of this was a cadre of youths that grew up surrounded by Nazi propaganda and were called up to serve the Vaterland they had been raised and trained to defend. In many cases they fought bravely against overwhelming odds, but the lives of thousands of these youths were wasted by throwing them senselessly into battle with the Allies when the war was already lost.

Today's subject is Willi Hübner, a 16 year old messenger with the Führer Grenadier Division. At the beginning of March 1945 the Führer Grenadier Division was part of a counterattack to retake the Silesian town of Lauban. After 8 days of fierce fighting the town was secured, and cameras from Die Deutche Wochenschau were there to capitalise on this success for propaganda purposes.

Willi Hübner was awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd Class) for his service as a messenger during the battle for Lauban. At 16, he was one of the youngest recipients of the award.

The picture below shows Hübner being awarded the EKII, if anyone can ID the General in the photo then please let me know.

Click the images to view them full-size.

Before

After

Dr. Goebbels, Reichsminister für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda (Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda) visited Lauban shortly after the liberation with the camera crews of the Wochenschau in tow. Below is an extract from the 16th March 1945 edition of the Wochenschau, where Willi Hubner can clearly be seen being congratulated by Dr. Goebbels.

On 20th March 1945 there was an award ceremony in the gardens of the Reichskanzlei in Berlin for members of the Hitlerjugend who had distinguished themselves in combat. The footage from this event is very famous, as is the last known footage of Hitler to be recorded. Willie Hubner was present at this ceremony and can be seen in the below Wochenschau video.

Hübner survived the war and was interviewed for several documentaries including 'V Was for Victory' and 'The World at War'. The following video is from 'The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler', where Hübner talks about his experiences.

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

2011-06-28T12:25:00.002+01:00

Several years ago I bought a book that changed the way I looked at the Second World War, the book in questions was Germany at War by George Forty. It contains nothing but colour photographs, and in my mind they made the war come to life. It it difficult to relate to the subjects of black and white photographs, but when you see the same thing in colour it seems all the more real. This purchase kick-started an interest in the Second World War that continues to this day.

Earlier this year, I discovered the French series Apocalypse: The Second World War, which consists of 6 episodes of black and white footage that has been professionally colourised. What truly blew me away about it was the level of detail then went into, the uniforms are the correct colour, the vehicles are the correct colour, and it all looks so alive! I've seen examples of colourised WW2 footage in the past, and to be honest, it was very disappointing. I'm something of a stickler for things being 'correct' (I was a reeenactor for several years - authenticity is key!), and if the colourisation of individual elements is blatantly incorrect, then it destroys any suspension of disbelief.

Watching the series has reignited my interest in seeing the war as it truly was, and to this end I have decided to try my hand at colourising some photographs. I looked up some turorials on Google, installed a copy of GIMP and had at it!

Below is the first example of what I hope to be many (click the images to view them full-size).

Before

After

The photo depicts a German Soldier armed with a Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 in a Schützenloch (foxhole) during a training exercise.

I had a lot of trouble trying to get the face to look right, and the helmet is a little light but overall I'm quite happy with it as a first attempt. The colour of the 'jacket' proved rather difficult to determine, the material appears shiny and it looks a lot like a gas cape (as worn when firing the earlier version of the Panzerschreck that didn't have the shield) so I went with a gas cape-esque brown. If anyone can shed any light on what the garment might actually be, please let me know.

The original photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-671-7483-29 / Lysiak / CC-BY-SA