World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
15 Sep 2011 06:58:42 PM

VICTOR & VANQUISHED: FOR YOU, THE WAR IS OVER

The young German soldier could very well be a member of the Hitler Youth, and again the trooper could be Waffen-SS, looking at the eagle worn on his upper left sleeve.
The uniform could be the 1943 camouflage jacket and pants. This is my own personal observation only.

His uniform, is of late pattern camouflage.
The uniform looks like the "pea and dot" type
pattern. This pattern came in both summer and autumn, the colors were yellow, ochre, pink, dark green dark brown and light green.
His jacket is not to be confused with the
M-38 or M-42 camouflage smock.

DID YOU KNOW:

The "pea pattern" variation is used today by the Swiss Army. The US Army studied captured
German camouflage uniforms, and found that the camouflage patterns were very effective in hiding personnel and vehicles.

Suggested Reading:

Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS
By Michael Beaver
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (1995)
ISBN-10: 0887408036

2.  Bill says:
8 Dec 2014 01:46:28 PM

DAZED AND CONFUSED: BUT THE FUHRER SAID...

Captured SS Trooper Normandy, France 1944 assigned
to 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend average as of Hitlerjugend 18-21, of the original troops in that division of about 21,000 men by 1945 less than 500 survived the war.

Canadian trooper has been issued the P-1944 turtle Mk. III style helmet, utility battle dress
blouse and battle trousers, field glasses and carries the Lee-Enfield .303 bolt action rifle.

3.  Bill says:
30 Dec 2014 07:27:24 PM

FIGHT TO THE DEATH: FUHRER,VOLK UND VATERLAND

The 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend the age of its troops were between seventeen to eighteen, but it wasn't uncommon to find younger boys in the division. The Hitlerjugend also faced an shortage of experienced troops this was made up by sending men from other formations to the 12th SS.

FOR DER VATERLAND:

During and after the Normandy landings, the division fought hard and gave little ground to the enemy. Within a month of the Allied invasion, the Hitlerjugend lost much of its fighting strength in manpower, dead, wounded and missing, equipment along losses in tanks and other armored fighting vehicles. Fighting in the Falaise pocket it managed to make a break out with only a small number of its original strength.

After Normandy the Hitlerjugend was sent back to Germany to build up its strength However, with most of the Wehrmacht's manpower reserves down, it was scraping the bottom of the barrel for its replacements, so it could fight in the upcoming Ardennes offensive.

Did you know there were over 5,000 Hitler Youth
willing to fight to the death defending Berlin and to protect Adolf Hitler, about 500 survived
to see the end of the war...

SUGGESTED READING:

The Hitler Youth (1996)
H.W. Koch
Published by Barnes & Noble
ISBN: 0-88029-236-9

Jungvolk (2008)
Wilhelm Gehlen & Don Gregory
Published by Casemate
ISBN: 978-1-932033-87-8

4. Anonymous says:
9 Aug 2016 06:06:26 PM

Looks remarkably like the Waffen SS troop in the movie "Fury" who was ushered past American tanker troops and roughed up by Brad Pitt. I wonder if that character was inspired by this picture.

5. jesse says:
10 Aug 2016 05:17:22 AM

All the earlier comments are about the uniforms.

I see this and wonder more about the story of how and where was he captured. Who he became after the war. What happened th his left eye, dis colored his uniform. Not to mention his left hand looks strange.