From the Getty Images site. Original caption says the Artilleryman was showing what he thought of Goebbels !
Presumably some way before ww2, & I appreciate it's a piece of headgear with a long military heritage... but for some reason I can't look at this without sniggering: What's he doing? and why does it require rummaging afterwards?: Cheers, Adam.
He's not rummaging, he's reloading. These "Human Petards" were developed during the last desperate days of the Third Reich for defence of the Fatherland !
And unusually, we have an American entry for this 1945 Grand Prix too, very well equipped the American team but as can be seen by the dungarees, the driver is something of a novice...
I just had to share these Luftwaffe chaps that Erich posted on Otto's other forum, full credit to him:
From the Gallery. SS bottom spankers. http://www.ww2talk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3185 Here's a query, which SS unit are they? D(?)on shoulder, SS1 (?)on collar.