Images of POWs, 1940

Discussion in '1940' started by dbf, Jan 15, 2011.

  1. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    See what you make of this one. Seller’s description as follows...

    “Original WWII German snapshot photo of British prisoner captured by the 2nd Panzer Division during the Invasion of Belgium and France, 1940. He is next to a German sign that I think indicates a Coast Commander.

    Photo came from from a group of original photos of Auflklarungs Abteilung 5 (Recon Battalion 5), 2nd Panzer Division that I am listing”
    2FBC0C31-A6C9-4355-85ED-FD86C213AC1B.jpeg
     
  2. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    looks german to me
     
  3. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    Without trying to stereotype he does indeed look a bit “Germanic”. It’s the uniform I’m struggling with - looks very light.
     
  4. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It's one of theirs, Craig. I'm not too hot on Axis stuff but that large central filler cap and speedo located in the headlamp says 'BMW' to me...Not sure how many cylinders though.
     
  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    The recent one ? He's carrying a British mess-tin. Is it the then-new denim battledress ? Most phoney-war photos show the earlier denims but '37 pattern should have been around. They had detachable buttons for laundry.
     
  6. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    Not that one Rich. He’s definitely British. Keith and I were talking about the one I posted today further up this page.
     
  7. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

  8. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    F17BDBDA-DAE3-460A-9AAF-52F9CF186325.jpeg More today. “Wounded Tommy’s” according to the writing on the back.
     
    JERICHO likes this.
  9. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    A49E7790-F94D-42F2-B5D7-991231CABD7E.jpeg Belgian POW surrounded by grinning Germans.
     
  10. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    BEBA262B-52B3-410C-B2B9-A70644CB91D5.jpeg You get a sense of the sheer number of prisoners in this photo.
     
    Guy Hudson, JERICHO, morrisc8 and 2 others like this.
  11. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Very interesting picture, thanks for sharing!!!
     
    Incredibledisc likes this.
  12. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    French POWs location unknown EAB22DA4-E474-44FB-81EC-F44AAD500C99.jpeg
     
  13. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

  14. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    0D20959B-4AD0-4B8B-ADCB-B76AE46894CA.jpeg British POWs Godewaersvelde France 1940.
     
    morrisc8 and Guy Hudson like this.
  15. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    04C71519-E9B2-4987-B4E6-1AD164FE5254.jpeg British prisoners taken near Kemmel in Belgium. War graves info from nearby cemetery shows a lot of Royal Artillery killed in the area along with a few from other units.
     
  16. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    5BB84036-16F8-4F96-AAE9-DD5F277CB719.jpeg 82BA439F-3BBF-4790-AFFB-36493530D87C.jpeg French colonial troops. From Mozambique judging by what I can make out from caption on back.
     
  17. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    Found this on the old BBC People’s War website. Extract from the recollections of Douglas Gough, 1st Medium Regiment Royal Artillery.

    “Eventually we arrived at Kemmel Woods, our rendezvous for the next 48 hours. We were in the grounds of a large chateau. Our vehicles and guns were parked under trees as camouflage from the air, and we were ordered to dig slit trenches by every vehicle. The trench was to be 6ft deep and able to accommodate each detachment. Just as
    half-hearted efforts were being made the whistles sounded for an air raid warning. Nobody took them too seriously until the drone of aircraft could be heard. We were about to have a very nasty shock – they were Stuka dive-bombers.

    They came out of the clouds like an express train and before they reached the ground they straightened out, dropped their bombs and began machine-gunning us. It was terrible, the first time any of us had come under fire. The raid lasted about fifteen minutes, it seemed longer, and then they disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. Our Bren gunners sounded the all clear with long blasts on a whistle. We began to examine the damage and casualties. Then an order came to prepare to search the woods for paratroopers. None were found but we were all badly shaken up. The digging of slit trenches was much more enthusiastic from then on.

    Shortly after, the cookhouse wagon appeared with an issue of stew. We took out mess tins and they were filled by a cook from the back of a three-tonner. Just as I was about to set about my ration the air raid warning sounded again. I quickly dived into a nearby ditch and lost half of my stew ration in the process.

    We were detailed to be up and ready to move by first light the next day. We all knew this was it, action at last. All out training was to be put to the test. We were all confident we had been well trained. As we approached our gun position the next morning, about 6am, to our great surprise we saw a German plane quite low approaching us. Twenty 303 rifles and several Bren guns were immediately trained on him and simultaneously fired. He dropped like a stone. I never knew what happened to the crew because we kept moving towards our chosen position. It was not long before our guns were engaged on a target. It was our first action. Some of the ammunition numbers were scrawling obscene messages for Adolf and the lanyard to fire the gun. Some one drew our attention to a balloon high up in the sky. We thought it was one of ours. It wasn’t, as we soon found out, when shells began to rain down on us. This was it, men and equipment were hit and the queue to pull the lanyard quickly disappeared. We put up a terrific barrage and so did the enemy. It was sheer hell. One of the worst effects is on morale and some men are more affected than others. We soon knew the meaning of ‘shell shock’, (more fancy names these days). Whatever it’s called it’s the same thing. Life under fire is like nothing else – you do what you are trained to do. Rest and sleep when you can. Toilet facilities are practically non-existent, wash and shave when you get the chance.

    Between moving gun positions the endless streams of pathetic refugees fleeing their homes with whatever possessions they could carry continually hampered us. Some had a horse and cart (they were the lucky ones). Others had prams, dog-carts, anything that would help to ease their load. There were old folks and children sitting on top of bedding, etc.

    Some gun positions we occupied still had farms which the occupants had refused to leave. Other farmers had gone, leaving their cattle to fend for themselves, and so the cows needed milking. Some of our lads were able to milk them and get the benefit of fresh milk. Eggs and chickens were also sometimes available. These were sent to the cooks to deal with to augment our rations. Field kitchens were in use of course.

    My job was OP signaller (Observation Post). The OP party consisted of one officer, a signaller and a driver. Our mode of transport at the time was a Bren gun carrier (a small tracked vehicle). I sat in the back with the wireless set No.1, which could be operated on the move or in a static position, transmitting and receiving. We used Morse code or speech. The wireless set was used as a first means of communication, but as soon as an OP was established and alternative means of communication had to be provided. This was usually Field Telephone and sometimes visual (lamp or flag).

    I had several hairy experiences at and en-route to OPs. On one occasion we were at an OP near the Albert Canal observing German troop movements. The OP officer, Captain Jackson, (later drowned at Dunkirk) had sited the OP in a farm building on a ridge where he could get a good look at the enemy. I thought we were a bit exposed and said so, to which I received short shrift from Captain Jackson, who continued with his observing and passing orders for me to transmit, which I did. This went on for some time. Captain Jackson was up on the first floor of a farm building calling the fire orders down to me. It started to rain, so I put my groundsheet over the set, message pad and myself and carried on. Suddenly it felt as though a house had fallen on me, the German trench mortars had hit the building we were by and bricks and rubble fell on me, completely covering me. It wasn’t long, however, before I felt some of the weight being taken off me. Captain Jackson and the driver, Bloomfield, had begun shifting the rubble off me. I remember the first thing Captain Jackson saying was, “Is the set still working?” It wasn’t, and I told him so. He decided without hesitation to return to the gun position for a replacement. I thought that I would also be relieved. We travelled the six miles back to the guns, where on arrival some gunners were detailed to get me out of the carrier and change the set. It was while they were changing the batteries from the platform immediately behind me they pointed out two bullet holes right through them. I had two lucky escapes that day, someone was smiling on me. I had a mess tin full of tea, was detailed to remount the carrier and test the new set, then we set off for a new OP with the same team.

    With communication re-established our guns re-commenced firing and put up a terrific barrage, until I received the message “Cease firing”. I wondered what was happening, and then I had a message to return at once to the gun position again. On our return we could see much activity, we had also passed units of the Belgian Army coming back from the front line. On our position everybody was putting guns and vehicles out of action, blowing up ammunition and putting pick axes through petrol tanks. In fact, destroying everything that might be of use to the enemy.

    Then our battery commander, Captain Terry, called us all together and all he said was for us all to make our way back to the coast to a place called Dunkirk. He was the only one with a map so we were to keep with him.”
     
  18. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    Well I can't click on 'Like', ID, too horrific. But the sheer numbers :blank:
    No wonder many died from starvation.
     
    Incredibledisc likes this.
  19. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    Victors and vanquished - Le Mans 1940 1978E12C-E9CC-4896-A1AA-6907AFD8E64E.jpeg
     
  20. Incredibledisc

    Incredibledisc Well-Known Member

    French prisoners. Looks like some kind of temporary holding camp. 49146FF8-01B0-4567-8855-F87B937CFD18.jpeg
     

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