Father in Law in the '40s

[Dralowid]

Well here goes, the first of a pile of photographs from the post D Day period. Trucks, ships, planes and people...but where did get get that Leica I wonder?

(Sorry folks, link didn't work. I have removed it.)

Michael

[BobYIL]

The link: Error 403.

[Dralowid]

I will summon a child and find out what I am doing wrong...

[tom.w.bn]

It's a google plus link. The link is not public for everyone. In the album folder there is an option "publish via link" (don't know the exact term because I only see the german text here). This action adds some kind of password into the link. copy this link here.

[Keith Fleming]

My computer's anti-malware program did not like that liink. After I clicked on the link, the program put a message on my screen that it had successfully blocked that site from sending a message from my computer. I'm only now posting this because I immediately started a scan of my machine. recommend not clicking on that link--and doing an anti-malware scan if you have clicked on the link.

[L David Tomei]

Link worked fine at first but then my keyboard star199%$££897-<ìì*=!11? Viru"!90$445?g2g...

[Dralowid]

Sorry folks, not at all sure what I have done. Forget the link, I will try and post pictures a different way

Michael

[BobYIL]

Sorry folks, not at all sure what I have done. Forget the link, I will try and post pictures a different way

Michael


Firefox allows simple copy&paste.

[tom.w.bn]

Firefox allows simple copy&paste.

It's not that easy. You can post a link but if the album is not in "publish mode" then google+ brings an "access denied" page.

[BobYIL]

It's not that easy. You can post a link but if the album is not in "publish mode" then google+ brings an "access denied" page.

From my flickr site it does.. (I'm sure the OP is aware of flickr or alike..)

[Dralowid]

Well, trying again...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090799/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6891995300/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090929/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091019/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091075/

If this works and anyone finds them interesting let me know and I will do more.
I think we are in Northern Germany right towards the end of the war. He was a Gunner. Ships possibly in Kiel. None of these has any caption on the back. maybe the re-enactors can identify the equipment.

Question about uploading...how does one get the image to appear in a post rather than the link?

Michael

[Penny Lane]

From flickr: hit the 'share' button above the picture, choose option 'grab the HTML/BBcode', set the desired size, then copy the BBcode & paste in a post here.

Your father-in-law will then look like this:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/7038090799_5ac0069eb8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090799/)
img002 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090799/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

©Dralowid, obviously.

That should be a nice set there, Dralowid, so if you'd care to give us some more... Maybe then we'll be able to clear up where these were taken!

Derk

[Dralowid]

Hi Derk,

Many thanks for the tip, now I know what to do I'll warm up the V500 and get scanning. And yes, any information would be much appreciated!

Best

Michael

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/6891995300_bdd330868c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6891995300/)
img003 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6891995300/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7038090929_d099ed1dbd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090929/)
img004 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038090929/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/7038091019_1cafd5efa1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091019/)
img005 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091019/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7038091075_1410ee5326.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091075/)
img006 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7038091075/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

[Mr_Flibble]

Interesting shot of the Dispatch Rider

I could link these to some of my re-enactor friends if you like, to see what they can dig up for you.


btw, looks more like a Leica III in the mirror shot

[oftheherd]

Interesting photos! Thanks for sharing. Those are hard to come by these days. I enjoy seeing them so please post more.

[Dralowid]

Hi Mr Fibble,

Yes it was a black Leica III, using 'I' after Leica confused my sentence!

Please link these to your re-enactor friends. at some point he was a Major in the Royal Artillery, searchlights and later guns. Went over D Day +7 I think. We know he spent many long, boring and hungry months around the Baltic, 'a different soup every day' was about all he ever to told us.

I will post more this evening

Many thanks

Michael

[Dralowid]

Three of these in the woods are marked as 'Waiting to Cross the Elbe'. Anyone know when the Elbe was crossed?

At least one of the other two looks like it was taken on parade somewhere. It would be great to know what type of gun this is.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/6893064990_601f0a48d9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893064990/)
img007 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893064990/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/7039161167_ba81b5c2ce.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7039161167/)
img008 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7039161167/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7039161367_425f0f5da1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7039161367/)
img009 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7039161367/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6893065468_bb9c819224.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893065468/)
img011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893065468/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/6893065624_7be141622b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893065624/)
img012 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893065624/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

More tomorrow...if you are still up for it!

Michael

[Blackbody]

Fascinating shots.

How large are those prints? I never see any early prints from 135...just slides.

[Mr_Flibble]

The Elbe Crossing

The only exception to the ban on crossing the Elbe in Germany was in the very extreme North were the British were allowed to advance to Lübeck on the Baltic. Montgomery ordered the assault crossing of the Elbe to be made on the night of 28/29 April and it was crossed on the 29th, just below Lauenburg.

The Americans had crossed the Elbe just before the 25th of April, but were ordered back to prevent clashes with the rapidly advancing Russian Army.

[Peter Wijninga]

Interesting. I've visited Lauenburg as a child and will return one day. Wonderful city.

[bigeye]

The mess of destroyers is a great shot. British destroyers were very distinctive; very low silhouette and windage - Americans put a ton of crap high, which doesn't help in a seaway.

The dispatch rider shot may be earlier. The large circled star insignia on the front of vehicles made excellent bulls-eyes for the German gunners in Italy and a for a short while after D-Day... Mr. Fibble may know the exact date they switched to the simple star.

[Muggins]

The gun in img012 is a Bofors 40mm - the shells in clips of four are the giveaway (tangent - in the early '90s I lived on the Kent coast, and we often heard weird bangs, always eight in a row, when the wind was from the North. Apparently it was Bofors ammunition being disposed of at Shoeburynesss on the other side of the estuary - 4 shells being fired, each self-destructing after X seconds).

I ought to recognise the vehicle, but can't put a name to it. Possibly a Bedford of some sort?

Adrian

[Mr_Flibble]

Encircled stars are referred to as 'Invasion Stars' these days, vehicles that came ashore as part of the Normandy invasion forces (and Operation Torch in Africa) were marked thusly. In this case I think they left them on the hoods and roofs for aerial recognition by the 8th Luftwaffe...euh...Airforce ;) .

The truck in the photo with the Dispatch rider is a Bedford MWD 15cwt GS
The ones with the Bofors gun on them are a military version of the Morris C8; the C9/B

[Dralowid]

This is something a little different. I think it is some later variant of the Blohm und Voss BV138. Bearing in mind the Elbe connection, were the Blohm und Voss works on the river? Or is Travemunde in the area?
Presumably it had been stripped for spares...any flying boat afficionados out there?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7041308271_07cf539b8a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7041308271/)
img014 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7041308271/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

Most of the prints are 3 3/4" x 2 1/2" which I remember being called enprints??? paper was hard to come by.

Mr Fibble, when you mention a ban on crossing the Elbe, was this an agreement with the USSR? My history of this time is very weak.

Thanks for all the information so far.

Michael

[Mr_Flibble]

It appears to be a BV138 C-1 Seedrache ("sea dragon") reconnaisance sea plane, with the nose turret removed. they were nicknamed Der Fliegende Holzschuh "Flying Clog".
Plenty of photos on www.luftarchive.de and other sources as well.

Not sure about the location, they were stationed all over the coast lines of the Reich, in Norway and Denmark as well. The "C" might give an indication of which squadron it belongs to. Have no idea myself.


The River Elbe was the agreed boundary between the Allies and the Soviets. It was chosen specifically because it is easily distinguishable both on the ground and from the air. At Torgau the Americans of the 1st US Army "officially" met Russians of the 5th Guard on 25 April 1945.

[buzzardkid]

Oh I love these history threads!

Only goes to show that you simply need to shoot everything slightly interesting you come across, slip it in a shoebox under the bed and sleep on it for fifty years+ to give somebody a good time in the future ;)

[Mr_Flibble]

The vehicle appears to be marked with Bellerophon riding the Pagasus; The Insignia of the 6th Airborne Division. They crossed the Elbe on the 30th of April

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6893065624/

The inverted flowerpots on the fenders are used to stabilize the vehicle when it is in use as a stationary AA-gun.

[bigeye]

This is something a little different. I think it is some later variant of the Blohm und Voss BV138. Bearing in mind the Elbe connection, were the Blohm und Voss works on the river? Or is Travemunde in the area?
Presumably it had been stripped for spares...any flying boat afficionados out there?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7041308271_07cf539b8a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7041308271/)
img014 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7041308271/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

Most of the prints are 3 3/4" x 2 1/2" which I remember being called enprints??? paper was hard to come by.

Mr Fibble, when you mention a ban on crossing the Elbe, was this an agreement with the USSR? My history of this time is very weak.

Thanks for all the information so far.

Michael

Wow! That's a very rare aircraft! B&V aircraft building is odd story - they were (and still are) a shipbuilding company when someone had the great idea, "we make ships, so let's make flying boats, too." A ambitious stretch in engineering strategy, by any measure.

- Charlie

[Steve M.]

Amazingly different from how wars are fought these days.

[Dralowid]

Major or not one wonders whether he was allowed to take these photographs... but by this stage of the war did anyone care?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/6895957626_1653001653.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895957626/)
img015 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895957626/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr
Captioned: HQ N.O.I.C.S (what does that stand for? I guess this is on the Elbe


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/6895957768_fe3313cc46.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895957768/)
img016 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895957768/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr
Captioned: Our landing craft


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7042055165_cc3826c8d7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7042055165/)
img017 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7042055165/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr
Captioned: Landing craft with prisoners on board


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/7042055261_965ee53d55.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7042055261/)
img018 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7042055261/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr
Captioned: First British Destroyer arriving under High Level Bridge on Kiel Canal



http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/6895958110_32bbe994d6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895958110/)
img019 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/6895958110/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr
Captioned: Stork's nest just outside Lubeck, not sure I can see the stork...so at least we know where he got to!

[bigeye]

HMS Zodiac (R54) Transferred to Kiel with HMS ZEALOUS, May 13th, 1945.

The NOICS might relate to the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) occupation force. Perhaps, the Naval HQ component?

[Mr_Flibble]

I was wrong...It wasn't Bellerophon+Pegasus but a Charging Knight as someone over at the WWIIreenacting.co.uk forum pointed out:


The Marking on the Moris C9Bs is for VIII Corps. as the pegusas faces the right on vehicle and the VIII Corps horse faces the left as seen in the picture.

VIII Corps LAA RA Regiment was the 121st (Leicestershire Regiment) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA

They were formed in jan 42 from the 44th Search light Battery and spent the years 42 to 44 on home defence before joining VIII Corps within 2nd Army in june 44.

http://www.royalartilleryunitsnetherlan ... iment.html (http://www.royalartilleryunitsnetherlands1944-1945.com/121-laa-regiment.html)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIII_Corps_(United_Kingdom) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIII_Corps_%28United_Kingdom%29)
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30071533

Seems to match with your Father-in-law's story.

[Mr_Flibble]

Reading the RA history of this Unit in the Netherlands, they were deployed pretty close to where I work at some point. And it looks like they managed to shoot down a couple of German Aircraft on January 1st 1945 during Operation Bodenplatte.

[Penny Lane]

Oh I love these history threads!

Only goes to show that you simply need to shoot everything slightly interesting you come across, slip it in a shoebox under the bed and sleep on it for fifty years+ to give somebody a good time in the future ;)

Exactly why I've made a point of never tossing my negatives. The shots may be mundane at best when taken, but you'll never know what's in them that will be lost & forgotten, sometimes even in a few short years...

I also love how a thread like this proves that lots of knowledge can still be attached to lots of unknown images & vice versa :cool:

Derk

[Dralowid]

Hi Mr Fibble,

Many thanks for all the info, it is starting to come together. We now think he never made Major, only just made Captain, allegedly with some help, a bit of a 'free thinker'. We think D Day +2 not +7. In the earlier part of the war he specialised in ack ack particularly with regard to range finding using searchlights where we believe he made some significant developments. Spent some time in the defence of the Cuckmere Valley in Kent where the planes would come in below the batteries and later at a range at Watchett or Willerton in Somerset, primarily for training...presumably before going to France. Somewhere I think I can find pictures of a march past of Russian soldiers, not sure where...I will dig further into the box!

Michael
(If only the WWII service records were available!)

[Mr_Flibble]

Actually:
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Or perhaps even:
http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/records.asp?SE=go&KW=war_records_british&AdGp=N4&gclid=CL3F47TKma8CFYSGDgodWA7LKw

[Dralowid]

Top Brass judging by the uniforms and the size of the print!
L to R looks like Navy/Army Air Force
I wonder where? Lubeck?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/7047793443_927f7161ee.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7047793443/)
img021 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7047793443/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr

[Muggins]

Top Brass judging by the uniforms and the size of the print!
L to R looks like Navy/Army Air Force
I wonder where? Lubeck?


Agree with your assessment of the uniforms - I wonder whether the chap in the middle is Monty? It's not his usual headgear, but the cheekbones are similar. His "fruit salad" on his chest suggests considerable service, whoever he is.

Adrian

[NeeZee]

Seems to be Kiel, not Lübeck. Not that I'm too familiar with both cities but a google search revealed a crossing of Carl-Loewe-Weg and Hindenburgufer, which seems to be what the signs are saying:

http://web2.cylex.de/stadtplan/kiel-24/kiel-strasse-carl-loewe-weg.html

[Dralowid]

I reckon I have jumped a couple of years...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/7060113519_210970b3e7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7060113519/)
img024 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53668708@N06/7060113519/) by dralowid (http://www.flickr.com/people/53668708@N06/), on Flickr