Do you recognize this city?

Discussion in 'Axis Units' started by E.r.i.c., May 2, 2011.

  1. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

    Sorry, I read Krakov as Kharkov, so the rest is wrong. Although the collar patch is hazy it does look more like runes than deaths head. The original pic. shows the typical anklets issued from mid 1943ish, but the second I have not seen before. So, timewise should be Spring 1944. Only Das Reich remnants of battlegroup went through Krakov.

    Please look up illustrations of cuffbands, there's plenty on the Net. Adolf Hitler in Suterlin script, Das Reich, 3 letters, gap, 5 letters, only Totenkopf, 9 letters could fit the cuffbands in the photograph. Otherwise the SS unit is something different.

    PS I think you should consider 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. The cufftitle and the length of the name. They with 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg in II SS Panzer Corps were lent to the Eastern front March 1944 until beginning of June '44. Tarnopol. Krakov is not a million miles away to the west.

    Well if my premise of the sleeve band being in italics is wrong, then it could be pretty much anything but the 1st SS. However, having no better quality version of the photograph it is hard to tell, and I still tend to italics; the length of the word would also fit.

    The photographs were probably taken on leave anyway, as the situation in the first photograph (civilians strolling along the river) would hint to a relatively peaceful time. That would make it quite difficult to conclusively tie them to a specific unit.
     
  2. Dragoon

    Dragoon Junior Member

    Well if my premise of the sleeve band being in italics is wrong, then it could be pretty much anything but the 1st SS. However, having no better quality version of the photograph it is hard to tell, and I still tend to italics; the length of the word would also fit.

    The photographs were probably taken on leave anyway, as the situation in the first photograph (civilians strolling along the river) would hint to a relatively peaceful time. That would make it quite difficult to conclusively tie them to a specific unit.

    Hopefully, others will see this Thread and can add to it. It's usually co-operation that solves the problem. 1st SS and 2nd SS battlegroup remnants would have just passed through by rail transport and only the latter through Krakov. 3rd SS was still to the south east on the Rumanian border. These troops have not been through the mill.
     
  3. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

    Hopefully, others will see this Thread and can add to it. It's usually co-operation that solves the problem. 1st SS and 2nd SS battlegroup remnants would have just passed through by rail transport and only the latter through Krakov. 3rd SS was still to the south east on the Rumanian border. These troops have not been through the mill.

    Which is why I suspect they visited the city on leave rather than on their way to the front - in which case Krakow will tell us nothing about the unit. At least your info on the gaiters is a clue though I know nothing about when these were issued.
    A highres scan would probably help solving the problem. However, given than E.r.i.c. last visited in 2011, that is unlikely.
     
  4. Bob Turner

    Bob Turner Senior Member

    I had a go at bringing up the arm in photoshop, although the image has been scanned at about 300dpi the image itself is low on information. I can't make heads nor tails of it but someone might.
     

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