The German Soldier smell

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by sapper, Feb 22, 2008.

  1. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I am 84 friends,That smell I recall as if it is now. It was so distinctive never to be forgotten Specially when on patrol out on the River mass area amongst the deserted little villages.

    I Agree totally with Ron Tom and vets, about the smell of death. The area North of Caen had a permanent stench of death.. ALWAYS you could not escape it Animals and men. For many of the men did not get buried,
    Only when we went to the Vire area did we escape that smell of death rotting flesh.YUK
    Sapper
     
  2. WotNoChad?

    WotNoChad? Senior Member

    Regarding the smell of the Germans, I'd like to ask the veterans if they've smelt anything baguely similar since?
     
  3. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Wotnochad
    Regarding the smell of the Germans, I'd like to ask the veterans if they've smelt anything baguely similar since?


    Fortunately not !

    Ron
     
  4. macrusk

    macrusk Proud Daughter

    My Dad rarely spoke of his wartime experiences, but amongst the few comments were those related to smell. I don't recall if he spoke about a German smell - and it would have been interesting to see if he smelled similar when posted to Germany in the 1950s. He did talk about the horrible smell at the Falaise Gap and that the smell of death permeated his nostrils and was not easily shaken, and never forgotten.
     
  5. union

    union Junior Member

    I mentioned this German smell issue to someone when I was in Normandy. He immediately said it was to do with horses. The German forces used alot of horses and they (and associated leather stuff) yielded a partiuclar smell. Not sure if thats the answer of course, but its a theory.
     
  6. Bernhart

    Bernhart Member

    My pilot friend told me you could smell while flying over Falaise,
     
  7. KeithA

    KeithA Junior Member

    I'm sure that this would have had something to do with it. The Germans were very keen pipe smokers at the time. Add this smell to sweat, leather, clothing processing and their diet at the time and you'd have something pretty unique but also potentially pretty common across the whole army.

    Orig. German WW2 Bremaria Cigarette/ Pipe Tobacco - Tobacco and Related Items

    On the diet front, I've read a veteran comment (possibly in one of Mark Bando's books) that German bodies seemed to decompose much faster than Allied (particularly US) ones. This was put down to a lower level of preservatives in their food and a lower quality diet in general. I wonder if this could also manifest itself in sweat etc. while someone was alive?
     
  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hi Keith and welcome to the forum.....Interesting first post there.

    Andy
     
  9. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Keith,
    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    As Andy has stated, an interesting point that you make.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  10. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Liar

    My father recalled in Korea you could smell the chinese due to the strong garlic smell due to the food they ate.
     
  11. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    My best wishes to the remaining Vets here.
    That smell? I repeat it was pungently scented.

    Even today I c an still recall it as sharp as ever.

    Falaise? Oh the stench of death was everywhere, The pilots overflying complained that they could smell it, even at height.

    Those sights, of what can only be described as massive deaths... I will never forget... The saving grace, is that the "Das Reich SS Div" was caught in the death trap.

    Those responsible for Orador and Tulle. Fry you bstrds FRY.....
    The German smell I can smell it now... Seriously.
    Sapper
     
  12. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    I heard mention that the smell was from the amount of leather used in their kit as well as too much sausage.
     
  13. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Sapper -
    couldn't agree more - now and again that smell comes back - especially in a crowd of mixed races - it gets me looking around for someone with a panzerfaust....
    Cheers
     
  14. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Hi Tom. I think it fair to say, that the German smell is as welll remembered as the sound of the "Moaning Minies"
    Cheers mate
     
  15. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

  16. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    What about the other side?

    Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
    His word was still,--Fie, foh, and fum,
    I smell the blood of a British man.
    King Lear, Act III, Scene IV :)
     
  17. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Liar

    I remeber the smell of dead hadjis. (SORRY FOR MY NON PC TERM FOR THE SOBS) And burnt ones, its like a sweet nauseating smell for the dead and for the crispy critters like a burnt hotdog with singed hair... I dunno everything to me in iraq stunk, same for afghanistan..sanitation over theyre aint like it is in the western world
     
  18. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I dunno everything to me in iraq stunk, same for afghanistan..sanitation over theyre aint like it is in the western world

    Reminds me of a two vehicle move through Basrah one day after things had cooled down somewhat..We were hoofing it as usual through the city enroute to a Det with the Black Watch Battle Group and we had our webbing hanging off the wing mirrors as we did as driving with it on was a near impossibility. Pushing 70mph down one of the recommended routes through the city we splashed through rather a lot of raw sewage......My webbing never smelt the same after that !

    Anyway I digress...Back to the Germans BO :)
     
  19. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Before this veers too far onto modern ordure and corpses.

    From Eric Williams's novel 'The Wooden Horse' :
    As they stood there, Peter could could smell the German Soldier smell. The smell of ersatz soap and German Tobacco. The smell of German sausage and sauerkraut.

    Williams was a PoW, and wrote the book pretty immediately postwar, so presumably his memory is reasonably authentic.
    Makes me wonder if there's a German veteran somewhere trying to pin down a vague memory of the smell of Bully Beef and Tea from when he encountered British positions...
     
  20. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Something just occured to me.
    'Eau de Cologne' is French for 'water from Cologne' and I recall references to German troops using 'Eau de Cologne' in both WW1 and 2 to mask body odour. Could this be the lingering odour referred to combined with damp leather and uniform material as well as sweat and body odour from their diet?

    Mike
     

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