SS-Obersturmführer Oskar Wolkerstorfer: 1./SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 105

     In Linz, Austria, on November 2, 1919, Oskar Wolkerstorfer was born. While still attending primary school, he became an apprentice at Heinrich Korb, a bookstore in Linz (the company is still in business to this day), on September 10, 1933 at the age of 13. Prior to his apprenticeship, Wolkerstorfer joined the Austrian Hitlerjugend (HJ) in August 1933. At this time, the HJ was illegal in Austria but was given clandestine support by the German Sturmabteilung (SA). He did not remain in the HJ for very long as in July 1934, he transferred into the Austrian Sturmabteilung and found himself almost immediately incarcerated for fourteen days after the failed July Putsch that took place in Vienna, Austria on July 30, 1934. Despite this, exactly three years after becoming an apprentice, Wolkerstorfer was hired on as a regular employee. However, he resigned his position, joined the Allgemeine-SS (General SS) on January 1, 1937, and departed Austria for Germany. By this time, he had already earned the Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen (German Sports Badge). On June 30, 1937, Wolkerstorfer was transferred into SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS Dispositional Troops), SS-Sturmbann “N” (SS Battalion “N”) that was formed in Prittlbach, Germany. The “N” stood for Nürnberg (Nuremberg) which was the garrison city selected for the unit. SS-Sturmbann “N“ was subordinate to SS-Standarte “Deutschland“ and participated in the Anschluss Österreichs (Annexation of Austria) that took place on March 12, 1938. By this time, Wolkerstorfer had the rank of SS-Mann (equivalent to a Private) but his superiors saw much potential in him and so on April 12, 1939, he was promoted to SS-Junker (officer candidate) and upon entering SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig on November 9, 1939, he had the rank of SS-Standartenjunker (also officer candidate but received while in officer school). Wolkerstorfer performed well, graduating on December 20, 1939, and his high marks and evaluations saw him considered for the Waffen-SS (Armed SS) as an officer. This was approved and on January 1, 1940, Wolkerstorfer reported to the SS-Unterführerschule Bresla-Lissa and by April 20, 1940, he graduated as a newly promoted SS-Untersturmführer (equivalent to a 2nd. Lieutenant) with his first posting being the 2./SS-Infanterie Regiment “Der Fuhrer“, 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich". Interestingly, Wolkerstorfer did not receive his SS number until sometime in 1940 despite his being in the SS since 1937. When received, it was 353112.

     On February 8, 1941, Wolkerstorfer was moved to 1./SS-Infanterie Regiment Deutschland, 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich" where he served as a platoon leader within one of the four companies underneath the 1st. Battalion and later, he would become the adjutant to the 1st. Battalion. Wolkerstorfer performed expertly during the campaigns in France and the Netherlands which earned him the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd. Class) on July 28, 1941. He was still with the battalion when it went into Russia during Unternehmen Barbarossa (Operation Barbarossa) which kicked off on June 22, 1941 and once again, Wolkerstorfer proved his mettle which was rewarded with the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (Iron Cross 1st. Class) on October 1, 1941. He was made company commander of 15./III.Bataillon, SS-Infanterie Regiment “Der Fuhrer“ in September 1941 and the unit saw heavy combat from September through November 1942. It was during this time that Wolkerstorfer earned his third of four Panzervernichtungsabzeichen (Tank Destruction Badge) when he destroyed a Soviet T-34 tank on September 23, 1941. He had destroyed two tanks prior during combat near Moscow on December 1, 1941. These awards, plus the Verwundetenabzeichen 2. Klasse (Wound Badge in Silver), were bestowed on Wolkerstorfer while he recovered from injuries suffered during combat around Istra, Russia in November 1942. Also, on December 5, 1941, Wolkerstorfer was recommended for promotion to SS-Obersturmführer (equivalent to a 1st. Lieutenant) and this was approved.

     Following his long convalescence, Wolkerstorfer returned to his unit in February 1943 and was once again in the thick of battle soon after his arrival. In combat that occurred between February 16-25, 1943, Wolkerstorfer again proved himself, earning the Deutsches Kreuz im Gold (German Cross in Gold) which was awarded on April 9, 1943. On April 20, 1943, he would earn his fourth (and last) Tank Destruction Badge. On October 1, 1943, Wolkerstorfer was transferred into the V. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps where he was put in command of 1./SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 105 (1st. Battalion, SS Reconnaissance Division 105). Four days later, he was recommended for promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer (equivalent to Captain) which was also approved. V. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps operated in the Balkans and saw combat against partisans. During this time, Wolkerstorfer was decorated with the Nahkampfspange im Silbur (Close Combat Clasp in Silver) on March 3, 1944. At some point, Wolkerstorfer became the commander of SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 505 as a report dated October 20, 1944 listed him at that position. Thus, SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 105 had became a Sondertruppen der Reichsführung-SS (Special Troops of the Reich Leadership) unit, hence the change in designation to SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 505. After being wounded for the sixth time, Wolkerstorfer was awarded the Verwundetenabzeichen 1. Klasse (Wound Badge in Gold) on February 13, 1945. His name was submitted to receive the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) on March 19, 1945 but this decoration was not approved prior to the end of World War Two.

     The photograph depicts Wolkerstorfer when he was an SS-Obersturmführer. Visible decorations include three of his four Panzervernichtungsabzeichen on his right sleeve and the Deutsches Kreuz on the right pocket of his feldbluse. Sewn through the buttonhole on the feldbluse is the ribbon for the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and beneath it, the ribbon for the Ostmedaille (Eastern Front Medal). On the left pocket is the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse. Other decorations that he received during his World War Two military career include the Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938 (Anschluss Commemorative Medal; received in 1939), the Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 (Sudetenland Medal; received in 1939), Verwundetenabzeichen 3. Klasse (Wound Badge in Black; received in 1941), Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen (Infantry Assault Badge; received in 1942), Panzerkampfabzeichen (Tank Combat Badge; received in 1942), the SS-Ehrenring (SS Honor Ring; received in 1942), and the Orden der Krone von König Zvonimir, 3. Klasse mit Schwertern (Croatian: Red Krune Kralja Zvonimira III.Stupnja s Macevima; Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir, 3rd Class with Swords; received in 1944).

     Wolkerstorfer passed away in his hometown of Linz on January 11, 1971.

Char B1 (n° 238) “Hardi I”: Knocked Out Near Origny-Sainte-Benoite

     The Char B1 heavy tank, No.238, was built by Renault and delivered to the 508th. RCC (Régiment de Chars de Combat) in December 1938 where the unit was based in Lunéville, France. By September 1939, the tank was transferred to the 8th. BCC (Bataillon de Chars de Combat) where it was issued to the 3rd. Company. Named “Hardi I”, the tank was commanded by Sous-Lieutenant Gérard Bernard (a rank equivalent to a 2nd. Lieutenant on the U.S. Army), Caporal-Chef Longefay was assigned as the driver (his rank is Master Corporal), Caporal Martin served as the assistant driver/loader, and Sergent Robert Le Fleuve was the radio operator.

     On May 17, 1940, “Hardi I” was situated in the town of Origny-Sainte-Benoite which was located some 9 miles to the east of the city of Saint Quentin. Bernard had positioned his tank to overlook a bridge that crossed over the Sambre–Oise Canal as it was assumed that elements from German Heeresgruppe A (Army Group A) would attempt to seize the bridge in order to continue their advance without being delayed by having to construct their own crossings. Unfortunately, French forces were unable to hold the Germans at Sedan which opened the way into the Meuse region and resistance began to crumble in the area. Origny-Sainte-Benoite, being along the German advance as anticipated by the French, saw a very brief skirmish between elements of the 8th. BCC and German forces. “Hardi I” was taken under fire by German panzers and one of them was able to score a hit on the French tank. According to the available documentation, it would appear that the German infantry were close on the heels of the German tanks and before “Hardi I” started to burn with earnest, the crew bailed out. Unfortunately, Sous-Lieutenant Bernard was hit in the kidney area by German small arms fire and collapsed near the tank. The remainder of the crew was able to reach the retreating remains of the 8th. BCC forces in the town and were evacuated. Bernard, luckily, had survived the hit and was moved away from the tank by German infantrymen and given medical aid in the field before he was sent to the rear for further treatment. In time, he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

     “Hardi I” was a tank that was photographed many times by the Germans. How long it remained where it was hit is not known but the photographic record show that over time, the left track was completely removed, the turret position changed, and the hull howitzer position was also changed. The latter two most likely occurred from curious German troops clambering inside and using the turret's manual traverse and messing around with the howitzer from within the tank. What eventually happened to “Hardi I” isn't known but it was likely scrapped at some point during the war or afterwards.

Jagdtiger "102": Demolition Outside Rittershoffen

     By 1900 hours on March 16, 1945, the 3e Division d'Infanterie Algérienne (3rd. Algerian Infantry Division; 3e DIA) had wrested control of the towns of Oberhoffen and Schirrhein from the Germans and solidified their positions. In the vicinity was Schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653 (Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion 653; s.Pz.Jg.Ab.653) who was preparing to evacuate damaged Jagdtigers by trains out of Soultz with their destination being the repair works in Bellheim. All three of the battalion's companies, 1./653, 2./653, and 3./653, were converging at Soultz with the hopes that the two trains positioned at Soultz could be loaded up and then dispatched under the cover of darkness. As work got underway with loading the Jagdtigers onto the rail cars, it was decided that a kampfgruppe (battle group) remain behind to provide a covering force to ensure the trains departed for Bellheim without incident. Put in charge of the kampfgruppe was Oberleutnant Werner Haberland, the commander of 1./653. The unit was made up of the remaining Jagdtigers from 1./653 and 2./653, seven Jagdtigers in all, plus those of 3./653 which was at its full strength of nine Jagdtigers. The kampfgruppe moved out and took up a position in the forest near Biblisheim and it did not have to wait very long before elements of the U.S. 36th. Infantry Division ran into the Jagdtigers during their push towards Gunstett. Haberland's Jagdtigers were able to punish the advancing U.S. troops enough to stall their advance. During the night, the 257th. Volksgrenadier Division launched an attack against the 3e DIA but failed to beat the Algerian troops. However, the trains departed from Soultz unimpaired and so their job done, Haberland had the kampfgruppe withdraw towards Wissembourg.

     Along the way, Jagdtiger “102” broke down near the town of Rittershoffen. It was decided that “102” could not be repaired nor taken with the kampfgruppe and so demolition charges were set and the Jagdtiger was blown up. The detonation blew a portion of the roof off the vehicle as well as blasted the gun mantlet clean off. The photograph here, though, depicts the remains of “102” after the end of the war. It was in the process of being scrapped in situ and one can see the Maybach HL 230 P30 engine has been completely removed along with the tracks, much of the rear hull and superstructure has been cut away along with a portion of the 128mm PaK 44 L/55 gun. The photograph does show the large breech block to good effect. Of note, some publications caption the post-WW2 photographs of “102” as evidence of the destruction caused by the demolition charges but this would be incorrect.

     As for s.Pz.Jg.Ab.653, by mid-March 1945, the unit's commander, Major Rudolph Grillinberger, issued a report to the Oberkommando des Heeres (Army High Command) which stated he had eighteen operational Jagdtigers with sixteen total needing repair, all of which had been dispatched by rail to Bellheim. Thus, the war was not yet over for s.Pz.Jg.Ab.653.

2cm Becker M II: Anti-Aircraft Success Story

     Somewhere on the Western Front, a crew poses with a 2cm (20mm) Becker M II automatic cannon. The Becker design actually predated the opening of World War One, development having begun in 1913 based on an earlier 1.9cm (19mm) model. Thus, when the German War Ministry issued a specification in June of 1915 for an aerial weapon under 3.7cm in caliber, weighing under 154lbs., and having a ten round burst, the Becker M II was already well advanced and thus at the right place and time. Unfortunately, when the weapon was mounted on Gotha G.I heavy bombers for testing in action, the Becker did not perform well. Still, potential was seen in the design and so the Spandau Arsenal was asked to lend their expertise to the weapon and after some modifications, an initial purchase order of 120 examples of the M II was placed. The Becker had a rate of fire of 325 rounds per minute and utilized a curved, 10-round or 15-round box magazine. Empty, the M II weighed 66lbs. and had a muzzle velocity of 1,600 feet per second. In service with the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Force), the Becker was used on the Friedrichshafen G.III heavy bomber as well as other bombers in the Großflugzeug (“Large Aircraft”;G-Klasse) category. In addition, some of the zeppelins utilized by the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) were also fitted with Becker cannons. The Germans also sought to use the Becker as an air-to-ground weapon and fitted it to prototype ground attack aircraft such as the Albatros D.VI and the AGO S.1. This latter use would see the Becker adapted as an anti-tank weapon for ground troops under the designation 2cm Tankabwehrkanone Becker M II. The gun was fitted to a heavy tripod though the recoil of the M II was still more than the tripod could handle and given the muzzle velocity, despite the caliber, the M II showed up poorly against tanks. In fact, the M II had a lower muzzle velocity than the Maschinengewehr 08 (MG 08) machine-gun which was 2,953 foot per second. Disliked by the troops, the Tankabwehrkanone M II saw production halted after some 200 were built and issued. The Becker, however, had better luck with the troops as a anti-aircraft weapon. Given aircraft were built of thin metal, wood, and canvas, the Becker's round, if it hit, could inflict significant damage, especially if it struck a critical component, such as the engine or control surface. However, there was no official anti-aircraft mount for the M II and so troops had to make improvised mountings such as that seen in the photograph.

     The gunner and the two loaders all wear the Infanterie Panzer (Infantry Armor) which debuted in mid-1917 and so this at least dates the photograph to that period. The armor was proof against small arms fire from 550 yards but it was more intended to protect the wearer from shell splinters and shrapnel. It came in two sizes, small and large, weighing 22lbs. and 24lbs. respectively. The smaller plates were secured to the chest plate by web straps with felt pads underneath the edges to prevent metal-on-metal noise. The armor was not popular with troops as it made shouldering a rifle and throwing grenades difficult and dug into the armpits when crawling. Thus, the armor became trench equipment rather than issued to individuals. When a unit left a particular trench line, the armor stayed behind and was then issued to the next unit to man the trench lines. Given the mobility restrictions, the armor was usually worn by machine-gun crews in static emplacements or as we see here, an anti-aircraft crew. It is likely the photograph was posed given the gun and crewmen are completely exposed. In actual combat, it would be better concealed with some form of cover, be it earthen berms or sandbagged emplacements. The M16 helmets they wear were first issued in January 1916, the shape inspired by the sallet helmet from the 15th. century. Of all the helmets made during World War One, the M16 was the best design of them all. The shape deflected away shrapnel, covered the neck and much of the head, and used a padded liner system which made wearing the helmet more comfortable. The lugs on the sides were ventilation holes and were also used as the attachment points for an armored plate. At 6lbs., the plate was not popular and was almost always used by static gun crews and snipers. Finally, the crew have donned their M17 Lederschutzmaske (leather protection mask) gas masks for the photographer.

Battle of Kwajalein: Armor Disparity

(U.S. Marine Corps)

     From January 31, 1944 to February 3, 1944, the Battle of Kwajalein took place on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It was to be a hard lesson learned for the Japanese and a morale boosting victory for the U.S. The U.S. committed the V Amphibious Corps which was comprised of the 4th. Marine Division, the U.S. Army's 7th. Infantry Division, 22nd. Marine Regiment, the U.S. Army's 106th. And 111th. Infantry Regiments, and Underwater Demolition Teams 1 and 2. Arrayed against this formidable force was the Japanese 1st. Amphibious Brigade, 2nd. Mobile Battalion, and the 22nd. Air Flotilla. The attack, called Operation Flintlock, was a multi-stage, two-prong assault along the numerous small islands which made up Kwajalein Atoll. The two main thrusts were against Kwajalein and Roi-Namur. Tasked with taking Roi-Namur was the 4th. Marine Division. First, the division took the tiny islands of Ivan, Jacob, Albert, Allen, and Abraham all within the initial start of the operation. The unit landed on Roi-Namur on February 1, capturing half the island by the end of the day then taking the remainder on February 2. The division lost 206 men, suffered 617 wounded, and 181 men missing in action. The Japanese defenders fought to the last with 3,500 men killed with a mere 87 soldiers being captured. The Japanese found that defending on the beaches without defense in-depth was a recipe for failure. For the U.S., it proved their revised tactics worked and it was the first victory within the Japanese territorial sphere.

     The photograph depicts U.S. Marine Private First Class N.E. Carling posing beside the M4A2 medium tank “Killer”. The tank belonged to Company C, 4th. Tank Battalion, 4th. Marine Division and the photograph was taken following the Marine victory on Roi-Namur. This photograph is one of several of “Killer” which are commonly seen in publications because of its war trophy mounted on the engine deck. The trophy is a Japanese Type 94 tankette and these photographs are often used to illustrate the disparity between U.S. tanks and those of the Japanese. To be fair, the Type 94 was never intended to battle other tanks and so the comparison isn't a very good one. Development of the Type 94 started in 1932 as a tracked vehicle which could supplement or replace wheeled armored cars as the latter had limitations, especially when it came to what terrain it could operate in. The prototype was completed in 1934 and after field testing, was put into production beginning in 1935. By 1937, some 823 had been built. The Type 94 was designed for reconnaissance, supply transport (it used a special tracked trailer for hauling), and if need be, infantry support. Armor protection for the two man crew was a maximum of 12mm down to a minimum of 8mm. The armament consisted of a single, turret-mounted Type 91 6.5mm machine-gun which was later upgraded to a Type 92 7.7mm machine-gun. The Type 94 was 5.4 feet high as well as wide and was 10.1 feet long with a total weight of 3.4 tons. Although the Type 94 was superseded by the Type 97 Te-Ke tankette in 1936, the Type 94 remained in service in some Japanese units until the end of the war. Which unit this particular Type 94 belonged to is difficult to say as both the 1st. Amphibious Brigade and the 2nd. Mobile Battalion were equipped with the type and there is no unit identification visible in the picture.

     The sides of “Killer” are protected by wood boards and these modifications were made in the field to defend against Japanese magnetic mines, namely the Type 99 mine. The mine contained 1.5 pounds of TNT or RDX explosive. A feature of the Type 99 was that two of them could be stacked together to increase the armor penetration. A single Type 99 could pierce 19mm of armor but together, two of the mines could penetrate 32mm of armor which was very close to defeating the 38mm of side armor the M4A2 had.

     Finally, of interest, PFC Carling is resting his hand on the fender of a Type 97 Te-Ke tankette and the crew of “Killer” have stuffed a duffel bag into the driver's compartment of the Type 94. In addition, the box-like structure on the rear of “Killer” is the exhaust adapter for the tank's deep-wading equipment. A exhaust stack would have been fitted to it while another similar stack would have been secured as an air-intake for the engine. This equipment allowed the M4 to come ashore in shallow water (though it could not fully submerge).

Captain Fernand Jacquet: Belgium's World War One Ace

Capt. Jacquet (left) and his gunner, Lt. Robin, with their Farman F.40.

     In October 1907, Fernand Maximillian Leon Jacquet (born November 2, 1888) enlisted in the Belgian Army as a cadet. After successfully completing training at the École Royale Militaire located in Brussels, Belgium, Jacquet received his commission as an infantry second lieutenant and was posted to the 4e Régiment de Ligne (4th. Line Regiment) on June 25, 1910. Jacquet, though, soon grew very keen on aviation and towards the end of 1912, he applied for both civilian flight school as well as military flight school in order to earn his flying credentials. He received his instruction in the village of Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor and earned his civilian pilot license (license no. 68) on February 25, 1913 and then his military pilot certification on August 30, 1913. After a promotion to first lieutenant, Jacquet was posted to the 2e Escadrille d’Observation (2nd. Observation Squadron) based in Boninne, Belgium. An interesting note was that Jacquet was nearsighted and it was the main reason he always flew two-seater aircraft so that he would do the flying while his gunner would do the shooting.

     When World War One began and Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914, Jacquet was in the thick of it, flying reconnaissance missions from his unit's Boninne base, to include deep penetrations behind German lines. He also took it upon himself to bomb German positions whenever possible, hitting German targets at Groote Hemme on November 24, 1914 and twice on December 24, 1914 at Beerst and Essen. At this time, Jacquet's mount was a Farman HF.20 pusher reconnaissance aircraft and it was on this aircraft and his later Farman F.40 aircraft that would carry the grim moniker of the death's head on the nose. On April 17, 1915, Jacquet scored Belgium's first aerial kill when his gunner Henri Vindevoghel shot down a German Aviatik reconnaissance plane. Sometime in 1916, Jacquet traded in the HF.20 for an improved F.40 mount. Like the HF.20, it was a two-seat pusher-style reconnaissance aircraft but while slower and with less range than the HF.20, the F.40 had a better service ceiling, had better armament, and in addition to a better bomb load, could carry ten Le Prieur rockets. During the course of the war in 1916, Jacquet and his gunner, Louis Robin, racked up another three kills though, on September 8, 1916, their F.40 was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. Fortunately, while the F.40 was utter wreckage, both men walked away unscathed. In December 1916, Jacquet was given command of the 1ère Escadrille de Chasse. On February 1, 1917, Jacquet became an ace when Robin downed a German Rumpler aircraft while Jacquet was flying a two-seat Sopwith 1 1⁄2 Strutter and by December 1917, Jacquet was promoted to Captain-Commandant and put in charge of the Groupe de Chasse, Belgium's first fighter wing. By now, Jacquet was flying the two-seat SPAD S.XI with his unit being a mixture of the SPAD S.XI and Sopwith 1 1⁄2 Strutters.

     When the war ended, Jacquet had seven confirmed victories with another nine unconfirmed and he had an impressive array of medals to go with his wartime service. His decorations included being a Knight of the Order of Leopold (Chevalier de Ordre de Léopold), Ordre de la Couronne avec des Palmiers (Order of the Crown with Palms), the Croix de Guerre (six citations), Médaille de la Victoire 1914-1918, Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1914-1918, Knight of the Legion of Honor (Chevalier de Légion d'Honneur), the Croix de Guerre (the French version), the Russian Order of St. Anna (Орден Святой Анны), and the British awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross (the only Belgian to have received this decoration during World War One).

     The photograph depicts Jacquet (on the left) with his gunner, Lt. Robin. Jacquet's rank is that of Captain as shown by the three stars on his collar tabs. The fuselage of his F.40 was all black with a predominantly white skull on the nose. The F.40 was a tall aircraft, standing 12.1 feet in height, had a length of 30.4 feet, and a wingspan of 57.9 feet. The F.40 used many engines but the most common was a Renault V-12, air-cooled piston engine that developed 130 horsepower that drove a 2-bladed, fixed pitch wooden pusher propeller. This gave the F.40 a maximum speed of 84mph at 6,600 feet. Enough fuel was carried for a 260 mile range or a total air endurance of 2 hours and 20 minutes. The service ceiling was 13,290 feet and it took the F.40 a total of fifteen minutes to reach 6,600 feet. For weapons, the usual fit was a single .303 caliber Lewis machine-gun though it could be fitted with two. A total of 530 pounds of bombs could be carried and the F.40P model could mount ten Le Prieur air-to-air incendiary rockets. These rockets were exclusively used against observation balloons and German Zeppelin airships.

     Jacquet retired from the Belgian military in 1921 after fourteen years of service. He, along with Louis Robin, opened a flying school in Gosselies, Belgium. On August 27, 1931, Jacquet became the commercial director for the British aviation firm Fairey's Belgium subsidiary Société des Avions Fairey that the British company had set up at Gosselies' aerodrome. When the Germans, again, invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940, Jacquet once again heeded the call to battle and joined the Résistance Belge (Belgian Resistance) at the age of 52. He was captured by the Germans and imprisoned at Fort de Huy in the city of Huy in 1942. The fort was used by the Germans to house all manner of criminals, communists, resistance fighters, captured soldiers from England, France, and Russia, and even hostages for one reason or another. It was also used as a transit stop for Jews and other "undesirables" before being taken to either the Neuengamme concentration camp in northern Germany or the Vught concentration camp in the Netherlands. Jacquet survived imprisonment and was freed from Fort de Huy upon the end of the war. He moved to Leval-Chaudeville and that was where he passed away on October 12, 1947 at the age of 58.

Corporal John Raines: Posing with the Big Boy

     Corporal John Raines, as written on the back of the photograph, “...posing with Tommy gun and one of the big boys.” Raines looks to be wearing the herringbone twill one-piece work suit which was commonly issued to both mechanics as well as tank crews. This uniform item would later become popular and would see wide-spread usage outside of the motor pool and armored vehicle troops. He is also wearing heavy leather gloves. On his head is what appears to be the M1938 combat helmet as evidenced by what looks like one of the ventilation holes on the helmet just below the goggles. The helmet wasn't designed to protect the wearer from bullets like the M1 steel helmet. Instead, the helmet was to protect crewman from sharp edges and protrusions within the confines of a tank or tank destroyer. For equipment, Raines only appears to be wearing the carrier for the M3 lightweight gas mask.

     In Raines' hands is the Thompson M1928 submachine gun firing the .45 ACP cartridge. That it is the M1928 model can be told by the Cutts compensator on the end of the barrel. Later Thompson M1 and M1A1 models did away with this compensator and also, as a further identifier of the first model is that the M1 series could not fit the 50-round drum magazine (seen here) or the larger, 100-round drum. Nicknamed the “Tommy Gun”, the weapon saw widespread use by Allied forces throughout World War Two and some of the 1.75 million weapons built continue to see combat even today.

     The “big boy” is a M3 light tank, known to the British as the “Stuart” or less commonly, the “Honey”. This is likely the initial production M3 judging by the positioning and style of the small pistol port flap on the side of the turret. The M3 was crewed by four men and first entered production in March 1941. The M3 served as a light reconnaissance tank and despite being declared obsolete in July 1943, the M3 continued to see combat until the end of World War Two. The M3 was armed with the M5 37mm gun which could successfully engage other light tanks, armored cars, and even some early war medium tanks but as the war continued in the European Theater, the M3's gun was woefully inadequate. However, in the Pacific Theater, the M3 was able to successfully combat Japanese tanks which typically were not thickly armored. Besides the British, the other large scale user of the M3 was the Soviet Union via Lend-Lease. In addition to the M5 gun, the M3 was equipped with five Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine-guns. One was mounted on a pintle mount fixed to the turret side, one was fitted co-axially with the gun, one was fitted in the front of the hull (which we can see behind Raines), and one was fitted into a sponson on either side of the hull, firing forward. The later M3A1 model did away with the sponson mounted weapons. The hatches for the driver and the co-driver are open and laying in the hatch of the driver is a Springfield M1903 bolt-action rifle judging by the butt plate which is about all that is visible of it.

     Unfortunately, there is no visible unit patch on his uniform nor markings on the M3 tank to identify what unit Raines was part of. On the back of the photograph is the location of where the photograph was taken, that being Washington D.C. If this is the case, it could be that he was part of the 428th. Reserve Infantry Regiment which was based in Washington D.C. It should be noted that some infantry divisions had a reconnaissance company that, in some cases, were equipped with M3 tanks instead of the more common armored cars such as the M8 Greyhound. As to exactly where such a field photograph could be taken, the only real possibility was Fort Humphreys which was located at Greenleaf Point, a peninsula at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The post, renamed to Fort Lesley J. McNair after World War Two, is the third oldest post in the United States, having been founded as Washington Arsenal in 1791. It is the home of the Inter-American Defense College and National Defense University but at the time of World War Two, the post was also used for basic training and thus a reasonable possibility for Corporal Raines' location. However, again, with no real specific identifiers in the photograph, an accurate unit and location isn't possible.

Char B1 (n° 326) “Dordogne”: Knocked Out Near Montfaucon

     The Char B1 heavy tank, No.326, and named “Dordogne” was originally assigned to the replacement battalion of the 41st. BCC ((Bataillon de Chars de Combat) on January 6, 1940. However, by May 10, 1940, the tank was transferred to the 2nd. Compagnie, 28th. BCC. The tank was commanded by Lieutenant Marcel Cousin, the driver was Adjutant-Chef (Chief Warrant Officer) Colombo, the radio operator was Sergeant Magne, and the gunner was Corporal Savrey. The 28th. BCC was part of the 1st. DCR (Divisions Cuirassées de Reserve) and on May 15, the unit was deployed to the north of Flavion, Belgium.

     On the morning of May 16, the German Panzer Regiment 25 ran into the 3rd. Compagnie of the 28th. BCC at approximately 8:30am. Soon, all three companies of the 28th. BCC were engaged with the German regiment. The German tankmen were unprepared to see their rounds bouncing off the thick armor of the B1 tanks, let alone the number of French heavy tanks encountered. As it turned out, Panzer Regiment 25 was not informed by Luftwaffe intelligence assets of the true strength of the French in the area. The German commanders decided that combat had to commence at close range in order to have a chance at eliminating the French tanks. Using the terrain to as much advantage as possible to mask their movements, Panzer Regiment 25 sought to flank the 28th. BCC and around 9:30am, the 2nd. Compagnie shifted from their position in order to stop the German advance. Unfortunately, the sporadic supply situation saw many of the company's tanks run out of fuel. The B1 tanks were struck dozens of times by German fire which put many of the tanks out of action. Those B1 tanks with fuel began to retreat but soon, the crews knew they wouldn't get far. So, instead, they used the last of their fuel to turn the tanks to bring the 75mm hull mounted gun to bear on the enemy. Once fuel was expended, the commanders used the turret mounted 47mm gun to continue the fight, often until the electric batteries died leaving only hand cranks to turn the turret. The combat was joined by Panzer Regiment 31 around 12:00pm and they too received a bloody nose by the tanks of the 28th. BCC. The German tanks began to run out of ammunition and their supply trains were still too far behind to offer any swift replenishment. By 2:00pm, the 28th. BCC still held their positions despite the punishment the unit received. At 6pm, the order was given to withdraw and what tanks of the 28th. BCC were still mobile and had enough fuel, commenced to retreat to either Beaumont or Chastre. Those tanks which could not retreat remained where they were, giving battle until they had nothing left. Abandoned tanks were blown up and their crews continued to fight on foot for a time before retreating from the field. All told, only three of the 28th. BCC tanks made it out of the battle.

     “Dordogne”, assuming the dates are correct, survived the battle but this would not last and on May 18, 1940, the tank was knocked out in combat with elements of the 2nd. Panzer Division near Montfaucon. The crew survived the hit and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Lt. Cousin suffered severe injuries and had his left arm amputated as a result of those wounds.

Major Carroll Burleigh Colby: Civil Air Patrol

     For those of us who grew up in the 1970s as kids, few school libraries didn't have at least one book by author C.B. Colby on the shelves. Most of the books I remember by him were military in nature but his span of works were not limited to the topics of weapons and war. Born Carroll Burleigh Colby on September 7, 1904, Colby's writing career began in 1929 when he sold his first fiction story. He took an interest in aviation and became a glider pilot in 1930 and soon embarked on a career of writing and illustrating articles for several aviation magazines. This would earn him the editorship in 1937 for "Air Trails" and "Air Progress" magazines. During World War Two, Colby became a war correspondent and was assigned to cover the U.S. Army Air Force in Alaska as well as Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. By 1942, Colby enlisted in the Civil Air Patrol (where he would attain the rank of Major) and in 1943, he left his editor seat for the two magazines to assume the post of aviation editor for "Popular Science" which he held until 1946 before relinquishing it to go freelance. Colby would commence writing non-fiction books for young readers in 1951 when "Our Fighting Jets" was published and from then on, the so-called "Colby Books" began to be released which not only covered military subjects but also public service/safety (such as police and fire) and outdoor sportsman topics. Colby would pass away on October 31, 1977.

     As for his decorations, it is difficult to determine with certainty what the ribbons are. The ribbon nearest the jacket lapel is likely the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Service Ribbon (old style) then the CAP Cadre Ribbon (ceased being issued in 1971) and the third could be the U.S. Armed Forces American Campaign Medal ribbon. Above the ribbon bar is his CAP Pilot Wing device. The devices on the jacket lapels were the standard CAP insignia of the 1940s which consisted of a pair of "wings and prop" and a pair of CAP initial devices. 

Observation Squadron VO-9M: Deployment to Haiti

The men of VO-9M in Gonaïves, Haiti. Photograph by 1Lt. Louie Bertol.

     On July 28, 1915, the United States landed 330 U.S. Marines in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Their mission was to protect "American and foreign" interests in the country. Haiti, by this time, was already unstable politically and various militia (nicknamed cacos) roamed the land and carried out numerous coups. The U.S. was also concerned about Imperial German influence in the region, including the monetarily powerful German minority within Cap-Haïten and Port-au-Prince. This would see the U.S. seize Haiti's gold reserve in 1914 and in February 1915, the dictatorship of Vilbrun Guillaume Sam came into power until several cacos overthrew and brutally killed him. This was the final straw which caused the U.S. to act, namely to defend her economic interests. The occupation, which lasted until August 1, 1934, was one of combat with the various militias who rebelled against the occupation, the assumption of much of the Haitian government's power in regards to running the country to the exclusion of Haitian political leaders, and efforts to improve the country's infrastructure. It was little over 19 years of turmoil, upheaval, and resentment. 

     Throughout the occupation, the U.S. Marines kept aviation assets in-country and U.S. Marine Observation Squadron VO-9M was one. This 1931 unit photograph depicts the men of VO-9M while in Gonaïves, Haiti. It was taken by First Lieutenant Louie N. Bertol. The flying boat behind the men is not actually a Marine aircraft. It was a Consolidated Commodore that was flown by Pan American Airways of which Gonaïves was a destination the airline serviced. The Marines, however, availed themselves of Pan American and used the carrier to ferry important personnel to and from the mainland as well as carry correspondence back to the United States. VO-9M was equipped with Vought SU-2 and SU-3 Corsairs (scout designation of the O2U) and missions included reconnaissance, mail delivery, passenger transport, and medical evacuations. By June 29, 1934, VO-9M commenced preparations to return to the mainland, specifically, to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Squadron property was assessed on what would remain behind, be destroyed, or returned with the squadron. Much of the physical infrastructure was to be turned over to the Haitians but the U.S. Navy felt that the unit's hangers and shops needed to be dismantled and sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. On August 15, 1934, the aircraft of VO-9M departed Haiti for good. 

     Sometime late in 1934, VO-9M would be redesignated as Scouting Squadron VMS-3 ( the "Devilbirds") and they operated from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands until inactivated on May 20, 1944. VMS-3 flew Grumman J2F Ducks, Vought OS2N Kingfishers, and finally the Douglas SBD Dauntless.

     The aircraft in the background are difficult to make out but appear to be Curtiss F6C-4 Hawk fighters.

Char B1 (n° 226) “Toulouse”: Abandoned in Origny-Sainte-Benoite

     Built by Renault, Char B1 No.226 was delivered to the 510th. RCC (Régiment de Chars de Combat) early in 1938 where the unit was stationed in Nancy, France. In September 1939, the tank was transferred to the 15th. BCC (Bataillon de Chars de Combat) but by April 18, 1940, the tank was assigned to 1st. Compagnie, 8th. BCC. The tank, named “Toulouse”, was commanded by Lieutenant Jean Renevey and had a driver by the name of Sergent Lavaux. Who the remaining three crew members were remains unknown.

     The 8th. BCC was within the area of operations of the French 9th. Army commanded by Général d'Armée André Corap. It was Corap's troops that faced Heeresgruppe A (Army Group A) which was under the command of Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt. Included in this force was the 7th. Panzer Division led by Generalmajor Erwin Rommel. It was the task of Heeresgruppe A to break through the Ardennes into France and while Belgian and French forces were able to cause minor delays, they did not have the anti-tank capacity nor the available manpower to stem the flow of German forces. It was the poor roads in the region which was the main cause of German delays and the Armée de l'Air Française (French Air Force) failed to take advantage of bombing the long German traffic lines that were more or less at a standstill. As an example, Panzergruppe Kleist (the original name of 1. Panzerarmee) had over 40,000 vehicles jammed into four passable routes through the Ardennes. By May 12, 1940, elements of Heeresgruppe A reached the Meuse Line which was a series of French forts and emplacements some 31 miles long. The next day, Panzergruppe Kleist launched attacks to establish three bridgeheads through the Meuse Line in what became the Battle of Sedan. The Germans focused their airpower against a narrow portion of the Line and the Luftwaffe flew 3,940 bomber and dive-bomber sorties against the French in a non-stop, eight hour bombing. Although there was some French resistance, it crumbled underneath the relentless aerial bombardment and by midnight, the Germans were five miles behind the Meuse Line. The combat in and around Sedan was intense but by May 15, 1940, the Germans had succeeded in pushing through, cutting off Corap's 9th. Army along its southern flank and in short order, the isolated French forces collapsed and surrendered.

     The photograph depicts “Toulouse“ along Rue Pasteur in Origny-Sainte-Benoite. What exactly happened to it is not known but most likely, the tank either had mechanical problems or ran out of petrol on May 16, 1940. Interestingly, “Toulouse“ was photographed many times by German troops and one such photograph shows the tank with no damage at all with a German soldier standing beside it holding a shell for the hull mounted 75mm ABS SA 35 howitzer. Later photographs show the tank in the condition seen here and from this, it can be surmised that the tank was struck by a German tank gun whose crew was unaware the tank had already been abandoned. That the shot was was through the rear of “Toulouse“ lends some credence to this as the Char B1 was difficult to knock out from the front and when able, German tank crews tried to get side or rear shots into the B1. The damage does show the Char B1's 6-cylinder, 16.5 litre inline Renault engine and six gear transmission (5 forward gears and 1 reverse gear). The hit set the tank on fire and secondary explosions caused further damage to the tank, including lifting the turret up and off its turret ring. At some point, the wreckage around the tank had been cleaned up and the tank's tracks coiled up next to the hull. It can be presumed that “Toulouse“ was eventually scrapped.

     As a note, the town of Origny-Sainte-Benoite has a war memorial commemorating French troops who had come from the town that fought and died during the First World War as well as World War Two. It is located off E44 on a plaza bordered by Place Jean Mermoz.

Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf E: Shot to Pieces in France

A PzKpfw III Ausf E belonging to the 8th. Panzer Brigade, 5th. Panzer Division riddled with hits from French anti-tank fire during the Battle of France.

     The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf E (Sd Kfz 141) was a significant enhancement of the medium tank. A redesign of the suspension allowed the tank to carry nearly double the armor protection of the earlier PzKpfw III makes. Another added feature, relevant to crew survival, was the inclusion of escape hatches on both sides of the hull. The Maybach HL120TR engine replaced the earlier HL108TR model and it was paired to a new gearbox which, unfortunately for the need for swift production of the tank, was a cause of delays on the assembly lines. For armament, the tank carried the 37mm KwK L/46.5 gun with two co-axial 7.92mm MG 34 machine-guns along with a hull mounted MG 34. In all, the tank held 131 rounds of ammunition for the gun and 4,500 rounds of ammunition to feed the machine-guns. For frontal protection, the turret had 30mm of armor at a 15 degree slope, the superstructure had 30mm at a 9 degree slope, and the hull 30mm at a 21 degree slope. The gun mantlet also had 30mm of armor. The sides of the tank had 30mm of armor though outside of the turret, it was at a 0 degree slope which meant it was less effective. The remainder of the tank had between 21mm of armor to as little as 12mm location depending.

     This level of protection for the five man crew, unfortunately, was not shell proof and in fact, it was vulnerable to a number of French anti-tank weapons when German panzer units took the PzKpfw III Ausf E into battle. The Canon de 25mm Semi-Automatique Modèle 1934 was both a towed anti-tank gun as well as one which equipped one of the more numerous French armored cars, the Panhard 178. The gun was able to penetrate 20mm at a 60 degree slope out to 1,000 meters and 29mm at the same degree of slope at 500 meters. Thus, even at the longest range, the Canon de 25 was a threat to the PzKpfw III. Another weapon the Germans had to contend with was the 47mm SA35 tank gun used in the SOMUA 35 cavalry tank and the Char B1 heavy tank and this gun was capable of piercing up to 60mm of armor at a range of 550 meters. Finally, yet another weapon commonly encountered was the Hotchkiss Mitrailleuse de 13.2mm CA Modèle 1930 mounted on some French light tanks and armored vehicles which, when using armor-piercing ammunition, could penetrate 18mm of armor at 500 meters and between 21mm to 26mm at shorter ranges. The vulnerability of the PzKpfw III Ausf E is vividly illustrated by this photograph which was taken sometime during the Battle of France which was fought from May 10, 1940 to June 25, 1940.

     The tank belonged to the 8. Panzer-Brigade which was part of the 5. Panzer-Division. This can be told by the division insignia that consisted of an upside down “Y” with single dot next to it that is on the side of the hull, next to the Balkenkreuz. There are over a dozen hits by at least two different calibers which have struck the front of the tank. The impacts on the turret cracked the cupola's optic ring, knocked the gun's armored sleeve off, and destroyed part of the gun mantlet. Perhaps the more damaging hits are near the driver's station where three penetrations hit with enough force to crack the superstructure. Not visible in the photograph are three hits to the front hull, one of which appeared to have penetrated. Sitting on the fender is 75 round saddle magazine for the MG 34 and the black object on the tank above the driver's position is the crash helmet portion of a schutzmütze, as worn by panzer crewman. The black wool beret that would have covered it is missing. Despite the damage, another photograph of this same tank was taken elsewhere that showed the tank had been recovered and taken to a field repair location. Whether or not it was being repaired or simply stripped of parts to keep other tanks going cannot be told for certain. Likewise, it is unknown if any of the crew had been killed following the tank being knocked out.

The Canon de 75 Modèle 1897: World's First Modern Artillery Piece

(Author's Collection)

     The French Canon de 75 Modèle 1897, better known simply as the “75”, is considered to be the first modern artillery piece and a testament to its design can be seen in its use by over a dozen nations, deployment in multiple conflicts spanning the years, and that the “75” set the pattern for artillery which came after it. The key reason for the success of the “75” was its hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. By using cylinders with compressed air and hydraulic oil, the recoil force of the gun barrel is taken up by the cylinders. The effect of this is that the carriage of the gun barely moves, if at all. Guns without such a recoil mechanism had to be repositioned and relayed onto target after every shot as the recoil forces acted on the gun carriage, moving it out of position. With the “75”, a high rate of fire could be achieved as the gun crew did not have to put the cannon back into position. An adequately trained “75” crew could put 15 rounds per minute down range while a highly experienced crew could double that rate.

     In this photograph, an American gun crew is training with the “75” which in U.S. nomenclature was the 75mm Gun M1897. That they are training is evidenced by their wearing the campaign hats rather than helmets and that the firing position is completely exposed which would not be the case if at the front. We see the barrel in full recoil and the advantage of the carriage not moving is clearly evident by two of the crew being right behind the gun shield. The U.S. would license build the “75” though those artillery units in World War One were mostly equipped with French built “75” guns. The design would continue in use by the U.S. Army, being modernized in the 1930s with a new carriage, improved range of motion, and improved ammunition. French built guns updated were designated as the M1897A2 and A3 models while U.S. built guns were designated M1897A4 guns. When replaced in service in 1941 by the M101 105mm howitzer, the “75” was used as an anti-tank gun on M3 GMC (Gun Motor Carriage) tank destroyers and these vehicles would see action throughout the war in all combat theaters.

The Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a: A Captured Komet

     The Messerschmitt Me 163 “Komet” was the world’s first operational rocket fighter, entering combat for the first time with the test unit Erprobungskommando 16 on May 13, 1944. Because of the highly limited endurance (7.5 minutes of powered flight), the Me 163 was deployed as a point defense fighter, flying from bases close to known Allied bomber flight paths. The high speed while under power meant interception of the Me 163 was difficult at best. The combat service of the Me 163, taken as a whole, was underwhelming. When Me 163 bases were discovered, bombers would simply fly around them, out of range of the Komet. The high speed, while giving defending escorts fits, meant the Me 163 pilot had mere seconds to line up a bomber, fire, and bank away to avoid collision. Only the most skilled pilots could achieve hits. Finally, once the fuel was used up, the Me 163 was no more than a glider and so the Allied fighters would attack Komet bases before the Me 163s could sortie or would simply wait until the Me 163s expended their fuel and would “bounce” them as they glided back to their base.

     This particular Komet, a Me 163B-1a (the type most deployed in combat), belonged to II.Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400) [II/JG 400]. It carried the Werk Nummer (Work Number) 191301 and was captured by the U.S. and given the Foreign Equipment (FE) number 500 (FE-500). The plane was sent to Freeman Field in the U.S. and while there, was refurbished to make it ready for flight testing. On April 12, 1946, FE-500 was air freighted in a Fairchild C-82 Packet to Muroc, CA (now Edwards Air Force Base). Once there, the FE number was replaced with a “T-2” number after the Technical Data Laboratory (which evaluated Axis aircraft) became part of the T-2 Intelligence section. Starting on May 3, 1946, T-2-500 underwent numerous unpowered gliding flights, being towed into the air by a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Nearly all of the flights were carried out by Gustav E. Lundquist (seen here in the cockpit). T-2-500, although the highly reactive fuels T-Stoff and C-Stoff were available, did not fly under power as it was discovered that the laminate on the wooden wings was failing and so T-2-500 was put into storage, ending up in Silver Hill in 1954. 

     The aircraft was put on public display in unrestored condition but in 1996, the aircraft was lent to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum who restored the Komet. In 2011, it was returned to the Smithsonian and is currently on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Gefreiter Heinrich Severloh: Refuting the "Beast of Omaha"

     Online stories proclaim him as the “Beast of Omaha” but the reality of it was, Grefreiter Heinrich Severloh was not all the title makes him out to be. It was more a case of hyperbole which arose from the pages of his memoir entitled WN 62 – Erinnerungen an Omaha Beach Normandie, 6. Juni 1944 published by Hek Creativ Verlag in 2000. In it, Severloh claimed to have caused between 1,000 to 2,000 casualties among U.S. troops storming ashore on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Was he posted to Omaha Beach? Severloh very much was present and did take part in the defense of the beach but his casualty claim is only believed by Severloh himself. Objective historians, on the other hand, dismiss his claim as outright fiction and have good cause to refute his words.

     Severloh was born in Metzingen, Germany on June 23, 1923, his parents farmers. On July 23, 1943, Severloh found himself conscripted into the Heer (Army) at the age of 19. Following initial training, he was posted to the 19. Leichte Artillerie-Ersatzdivision (19th. Reserve Light Artillery Division) which at the time, was based in Hanover, Germany. After a short stint with the reserve unit, Severloh was transferred to 3. Batterie, Artillerie-Regiment 321. As a side note, the reserve division was responsible for providing replacement troops to the regiment. With the regiment, he was trained as a kradmelder, or dispatch rider. Typically riding motorcycles, kradmelder were important components of artillery units with these men delivering messages between battalions and higher echelon units. As kradmelder often operated alone, their training included motorcycle maintenance so that common mechanical failures could be repaired in the field using spare parts carried on the motorcycle. In December 1942, Artillerie-Regiment 321 was deployed to the Eastern Front and instead of performing as a kradmelder, Severloh was made a pferdeführer (animal handler) and was posted to one of the unit's non-motorized supply trains. Perhaps upset with his lot, Severloh was cited by his superiors for uttering disrespectful and dissenting comments which resulted in him being put to hard labor where he was so severely worked, it resulted in him being hospitalized for six months. After his convalescence, Severloh was granted leave to return the Metzingen in order to assist his family in collecting the farm's harvest. 

     Despite the disciplinary action against him, Severloh was made a Unteroffizieranwärter (NCO aspirant) and sent to the Unteroffizierschule (Non-Commissioned Officer School) located in Brunswick, Germany in October 1943. Before he could graduate, Severloh was recalled from the school after less than a month of training and returned to Artillerie-Regiment 321 which had a number of units transferred into the 352. Infanterie-Division. The regiment's staff along with 2. Batterie, 3. Batterie, and 7. Batterie were all absorbed into Artillerie-Regiment 352 which was the 352. Infanterie-Division's artillery component. The division was moved to defensive positions in Normandy and specifically, Severloh was posted to Widerstandsnester 62 (WN62; Resistance Nest 62), one of fifteen such strongpoints situated along Omaha Beach. Specifically, WN62 was on the eastern side of the beach, overlooking two of the ten sectors the U.S. Army planned to hit: Easy Red and Fox Green. WN62 was between 40 to 164 feet above the beach depending on the position within WN62 which spanned 354 yards in width with a depth of 363 yards.

     When the U.S. landing commenced, WN62 was manned by twenty-seven troops from 716. Infanterie-Division along with thirteen men, including Severloh, from the 352. Infanterie-Division. WN62 was well armed and had a 7.5cm Flak M 37(t) (captured Czech 7.5cm Kanon PL vz. 37), two 5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 anti-tank guns, two 5cm leichter Granatwerfer 36 mortars, four machine-guns (one twin MG 34 mount and two captured 8mm Polish Ckm wz.30 machine-guns), and anti-personnel mines and barbed wire obstacles in addition to the thick concrete portions of the position. The task of the men from the 716. Infanterie-Division was to man the guns while the men from the 352. Infanterie-Division were mainly assigned as forward observers to direct fire from the unit's 10.5cm liecht Feldhaubitze batteries located 3 miles inland from the beach near Houtteville. Severloh was the Ordonnanz (Orderly) to Oberleutnant Bernhard Frerking. This meant that Severloh was Frerking's personal servant and acted as a runner, drove Frerking's vehicle, maintained Frerking's uniform and gear, served as a bodyguard to Frerking, among other tasks Frerking assigned to Severloh.

     During the attack, Frerking directed the artillery bombardment of the beach area from WN62's bunker while Severloh moved to a foxhole position that was 557 feet from the beach seawall and 492 yards from the drop zone of the landing craft. There, he manned a Maschinengewehr 42 (MG 42) machine-gun along with two Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifles. According to Severloh, a Unteroffizier (Sergeant) kept him supplied with ammunition to the point that Severloh claimed he went through over 13,500 rounds of machine-gun ammunition and 400 rounds of rifle ammunition. In 2004, he doubled down that he for sure caused 1,000 casualties but it was most likely 2,000.

     Despite the artillery fire, machine-gun fire, and mortar fire, U.S. troops (mainly from the 29th. Infantry Division and 116th. Infantry Regiment) made headway and Frerking called for a retreat from WN62, the men to make for the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. During the retreat, Frerking was shot in the head and killed, Frerking never to see his daughter who was born three months after his death. As for Severloh, he and the survivors from WN62 surrendered to U.S. troops on June 7, 1944. As a POW, Severloh was shipped to the United States and imprisoned in Boston, Massachusetts. After serving over a year and a half as a POW, in December 1946, Severloh was transferred to Bedfordshire, England to serve as forced labor on British road projects. Finally, in March 1947, Severloh was returned to Metzingen, Germany after his father petitioned the British to release him as he was needed to work on the family farm. Severloh died on January 14, 2006 at the age of 82 in Lachendorf, a town near Metzingen.

     Returning to Severloh's claim, according to the U.S. Army V Corps, U.S. fatalities on Omaha Beach was 694. A further 331 were missing and 1,349 were wounded. All told, this is 2,374 casualties. It is simply not possible for Severloh to have been the primary cause of these casualties, especially as Omaha Beach was some 5 miles long. The MG 42 had a maximum effective firing range of 1.2 miles when on its bipod. If fitted with the Lafette 42 tripod, it was 2.2 miles. Thus, he did not have the range to take the entire breadth of the beach under fire. It is also unlikely that he would have had the full range pf his weapon due to terrain limitations from his position. Despite the MG 42's range, it has been calculated that between 25,000 to even 100,000 rounds of ammunition had to be expended to result in a casualty. Numerous factors go into this but study depending, about 30% of casualties were caused by bullets. The reported casualties also include those killed or wounded by mortar fire and artillery fire, both of which were the main causes of casualties. This also doesn't include the unfortunate soldiers that drowned when their landing craft dropped them in deep water. The MG 42 was fed by 250-round belts and if Severloh is to be believed, he ran through 54 total belts. In action, typically, the barrel of the MG 42 had to be changed out every 150 rounds to allow the barrel to cool. Most machine-gun teams had one to two spare barrels with them to continually rotate them. If the gunner did not rotate the barrel, it would get too hot which would degrade accuracy as well as risk a weapon malfunction. So, assuming Severloh was changing out barrels and firing at the more practical rate of 150 rounds per minute, he would have consumed 13,500 rounds of ammunition alone in an hour and a half. If firing at the weapon's 1,200 rounds per minute, 13,500 rounds would have lasted a little over 11 minutes of firing time. It is said that the Unteroffizier was delivering ammunition to Severloh until 3:30pm. However, the assault on the two sectors of the beach had started at 6:00am with troops hitting the beach before 7:00am. If, indeed, Severloh was in action all that time, then he wasn't maintaining a constant fire which would reduce his ability to inflict casualties. In addition, some question that a single MG 42 had such a quantity of ammunition available. Since the MG 34 machine-guns used the same ammunition, one has to suspect that either the Unteroffizier was taking from the stockpile for the MG 34s or Severloh's accounting is simply way off.

     While Severloh was certainly a contributor to the casualties suffered by U.S. troops attacking the two sectors of Omaha Beach in his defense of the area, there are too many factors that cast doubt on his ability to have inflicted such a huge number on his own. Between his limited zone of fire with the MG 42, rate of fire concerns, ammunition availability, and the fact both artillery and mortar fire were impacting the beach in addition to small arms fire all add up to refute his claims. This also doesn't take into account that fact that his 2,000 casualties claim accounts for almost the entirety of the casualties across all 5 miles of Omaha Beach. Of course, you can be your own judge.

The Raketenpanzerbüchse 54: Germany's Bazooka

(Author's Collection)

     Two men from the Panzer Lehr Division form a team to practice with the Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 (RPzB 54; Rocket Anti-Tank Rifle Model 54) which was better known as the "Panzerschreck" or "Tank Terror." The RPzB 54 was the German response to the U.S. Army's M1 "Bazooka" and fired an 88mm rocket propelled shaped-charge grenade designated the RPzB. Gr. 4322. With an effective range of 150m, the grenade was capable of penetrating 216mm of face-hardened armor at an angle of 90 degrees. Typical engagement range was around 70m but because of the smoke created by the rocket once fired, the weapon was often called the "Ofenrohr" ("Stove Pipe") and it forced crews to quickly abandon their firing position before enemy fire was brought to bear. The photograph depicts the first version of the RPzB 54 which lacked a protective face shield of later makes. Thus, the firer is wearing winter mittens (of which the white lanyard connecting them can be seen) to protect his hands, a gas mask without a filter to protect his eyes and face, and a hood (likely also a winter one) to protect the rest of his head from the rocket's back blast. The loader, having taken a knee, has lowered his head in an effort to protect his face from both the blast and the dirt that the rocket would kick up after leaving the tube. The wooden crate next to the loader could hold two RPzB. Gr. 4322 grenades. The loader is armed with what appears to be a Maschinenpistole 43/1 (MP 43/1) judging by the stock shape and size.

     That the men belong to the Panzer Lehr Division is denoted by the schulterklappen (shoulder boards) visible on the loader. The cypher in the middle of the bottle-green colored schulterklappen is the letter "L" of "Lehr" which means "teach." The piping around the board was a light green. The Panzer Lehr Division was first formed on December 30, 1943 and was made up of instructor personnel from Panzertruppenschule I, Panzertruppenschule II and other Panzerwaffe training and demonstration units (hence the unit name). Thus, from the very beginning, the unit was considered elite due to the vast experience of the men within its ranks. Because of this status, it was the only panzer division to be completely equipped with tanks and half-tracks for the mechanized infantry. The division saw extensive combat on the Western Front.

The 37mm M1916: Soldiering On In WW2

     The Canon d'Infanterie de 37 Modèle 1916 TRP (standing for Tir Rapide, Puteaux; fast firing [made by] Puteaux), whose name was shortened to 37mm mle.1916, was a weapon whose purpose was to bring under direct fire hardened emplacements, such as machine gun “nests” and other hard points so as to facilitate assaults against enemy lines. As it was to be hauled into action by the crew, the mle.1916 was small and four men could carry the gun once broken down. In action, only two men were needed to operate it. A well trained crew could fire up to 35 rounds per minute. Entering service in 1916 with the French army, the gun was accepted into service with the U.S. military as the 37mm M1916. 

     The M1916 was not well liked and it was felt that mortars were better able (and in a way, more safely able) to bring enemy strongpoints under fire. Nevertheless, the M1916 remained in U.S. service for many years after the end of World War One, typically in a training role. This photograph depicts U.S. Marine soldiers “training” with the M1916. Given the Marine in the background is relaxing and reading a newspaper, this photograph was most likely staged rather than showing actual range training. 

     By 1941, the M1916 was either in storage or repurposed but during the Philippines Campaign (1941-1942), the M1916 was brought out in order to plug shortfalls in equipment. France still had the mle.1916 in service by 1940, using it to fill out anti-tank units still waiting for the more potent Canon de 25mm Semi-Automatique Modèle 1934 anti-tank gun. Enough mle.1916 guns remained that the Germans put captured examples into service as the 3.7 cm IG 152(f). The Japanese thought enough of the gun to obtain a license from the French to build it as the Type 11, putting it into service in 1922. The Type 11, despite being obsolete, would remain in service with the Japanese until the close of the war in 1945.

The French Potez 390: Obsolescence in the Phoney War

Rear gun position of a French Potez 390 observation plane. From a press photograph. (Author's Collection)

     The headline for this press photo, affixed to the back of the photograph on a piece of paper, reads “The 'Stingers' of a Mighty Wasp” with instructions to use the photograph in connection with articles on the European crisis. As the date was unfortunately faded away, it is difficult to assess when the photograph was taken. However, the instructions suggest a date during the Drôle de Guerre, or Phoney War, which ran from September 3, 1939 to May 10, 1940. As for the aircraft, the most likely candidate is the Potez 390 A2 (Artillerie Biplace) observation aircraft and since the print on the photograph lists Paris as the location, this suggests it belonged to one of seven Escadron d'Observation units that was equipped with the type and operating near the "La Ville-Lumière" ("City of Light" as Paris is known). The Potez 390 was, by 1940, woefully obsolete yet the situation of the looming war kept them in service past their prime. They were retired from frontline service only in October 1939 but continued to serve as training aircraft until the defeat of France in June 1940. 

     The Potez 390 started out as the Potez 39 and design work had commenced in 1928 with the first flight occurring in January 1930. It was to replace the aging Breguet 19 and Potez 25 aircraft then in service. It was a two-seat, parasol monoplane that was of all-metal construction, a first for Potez. Power came from a single Hispano-Suiza 12H 12-cylinder, air-cooled V-engine that developed 580 horsepower that drove a 2-blade, fixed pitch propeller. This provided the aircraft with a maximum speed of 155mph at 11,483 feet.  Enough fuel was carried to give the aircraft an operational range of 500 miles. The maximum service ceiling was 23,000 feet and to attain its maximum speed altitude, it took the Potez 39 a total of nine minutes to achieve it. The Potez 39 was a fairly large plane, having a span of 52.6 feet, a length of 32.1 feet, and a height of 11.2 feet. The total wing area was 377 square feet and the combat weight of the aircraft was 5,842 pounds. The aircraft was accepted by the Armée de l'Air and put into production as the Potez 390 with the first deliveries starting in 1934.

     For weapons, the armament consisted of dual Darne-built Lewis Model 1915 machine-guns chambered for the standard British 7.7mm (.303 inch) cartridge and this is what we see in the photograph. The entire mount was of the Tourelles (Turret) TO 10 type. This is the rear firing gun position (manned by the observer) and movement of the guns was entirely manual. The round pan magazines (that held 47 or 97 rounds) that sat atop the weapons are not fitted here. Just behind the gun mount are canvas bags to catch the ejected brass so as not to pose a slipping hazard for the firer. Fitted into the nose of the Potez 390 was a single 7.5mm Darne machine-gun. If need be, a modest bomb load totaling 265 pounds could be carried on under-fuselage racks.

     By 1939, all seven units equipped with the Potez 390 were grouped under the 1st. Armée Aérienne and consisted of Groupe Aérien d'Observation (GAO) 504 (based at Chartres), GAO 511 (Nantes), GAO 510 (Rennes Saint-Jacques), GAO 505 (Epernay-Plivot), GAO 517 (Nancy-Essey), GAO 512 (Limoges), and GAO 513 (Montbéliard). Given the photograph mentions Paris, the two units nearest the city were GAO 504 and GAO 505 but without being able to see any insignia on the aircraft, we cannot say with any certainty what unit the Potez 390 belonged to. When the Germans invaded France on May 10, 1940, there were a total of 43 Potez 390 aircraft within France. Of this total, 29 were distributed amongst the active units with a total of 20 operational planes. Another 11 aircraft were assigned to training schools with 5 of them operational, while the remaining 3 aircraft had been retained for experimental purposes with all 3 in non-operational condition. By this time, the more modern Potez 63.11 twin-engine aircraft was the main equipment for French observation squadrons. No unit is known to have flown the Potez 390 in combat against the Germans.

     The only other user of the Potez 39 was the Peruvian Air Force that bought twelve Potez 391 aircraft. This was simply the Potez 390 but fitted with a Lorraine 12Hdr Pétrel supercharged, 12-cylinder, water-cooled V-engine that developed 500 horsepower at 2,300rpm. It also had a larger air intake than the Potez 390.

Bundeswehr Soldaten: 3. Panzerdivision

     Female soldiers belonging to the 3. Panzerdivision (3. PzDiv) march on parade. The Bundeswehr unit was formed on July 2, 1956 in Hamburg, Germany and was one of the largest formations to have been stood up post-World War Two. The main area of operations for the 3. PzDiv was the Norddeutsches Tiefland (North German Plain) which consisted of a region bounded by the North Sea coast and the Baltic Sea coast. The Norddeutsches Tiefland was considered one of the two major invasion routes (the other being the Fulda-Lücke or Fulda Gap) that Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries would take into Germany as the topography favored the use of armored and mechanized forces. The region was also militarily protected by several NATO nations, to include U.S., Dutch, Belgian, and British forces. The headquarters of the unit, Stab./3. PzDiv, was based at Estetal Kaserne located in Buxtehude, Germany.

     The unit is identified by the sleeve patch that consisted of two crossed horse heads on a red background. Interestingly, the insignia was similar to that used by the 216. Infanterie-Division in World War Two. The division was made up of Panzergrenadierbrigade 7 (headquartered in Hamburg), Panzerbrigade 8 (based in Lüneburg), Panzerlehrbrigade 9 (based in Munster), Artillerieregiment 3 (headquartered in Stade), and sixteen other units housed throughout the region. The women are wearing the beret badge for panzergrenadiertruppen which is a stylized Marder IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) above crossed rifles over the West German flag, all encompassed by a wreath. The green beret was worn by the combat arms of the Bundeswehr (infantry, jägertruppe, panzergrenadiers, armor, etc.). Thus, the women could have belonged to Panzergrenadierbataillon 71, 72, or 73 under Panzergrenadierbrigade 7 or Panzergrenadierbataillon 82 which was under Panzerbrigade 8.

     The typical Panzergrenadierbataillon of the late 1980s was equipped with 24 to 35 Marder (“Marten”; a type of mustelid animal) IFVs, six Panzermörser M113s (M113s converted to carry a 120mm mortar), and 12 to 23 M113 APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers). Panzergrenadierbataillon 71, a reserve unit, was reinforced with thirteen Leopard 1A5 MBTs (Main Battle Tank).

     The weapon the panzergrenadiers are carrying is the Heckler & Koch G36 which was adopted by the Bundeswehr in 1996. Development of the G36 began in 1995 in a hasty attempt to field a 5.56x54mm battle rifle after the cancellation of the radical 4.7x33mm caseless G11 rifle. The G36 is a gas operated, rotating bolt weapon which was a departure by H&K in not using their battle tested roller-lock, delayed blowback system. This was done to reduce the per unit cost of the G36 as well as simplify the operation. The weapon is fed from 30-round translucent plastic magazines which permit the firer to quickly assess remaining ammunition in the weapon. A tubular folding stock was fitted and the G36 has a integral ZF 3×4° telescopic sight graduated out to 800 meters. There is also a reflex sight on top of the telescopic sight but is only calibrated out to 100 meters. A notch sight is provided in case of sight failure and this is incorporated into the sighting bridge which doubles as a carry handle. Unloaded, the G36 weighs 7.6 pounds and this weight savings comes from the use of carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide, steel, and Nylon 66 (which is lightweight but has high mechanical strength, stability, and rigidity). Rate of fire is 750 rounds per minute with an effective range of 800 meters though the 2,788 foot per second muzzle velocity gives the round a maximum range of 2, 860 meters. The firer has two settings (aside from Sicher, or Safe) and that is Einzelfeuer (semi-automatic) and Feuerstoß (full automatic fire).

     Elements of the 3. PzDiv were deployed in 1962, 1976, and 1979 to assist local civil authorities during flooding in the region and in the case of 1979, emergency conditions created by heavy snowfalls. Some elements were also mobilized and sent to Somalia in 1993 as part of the second phase of the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). Called UNOSOM II, the major incident was the Battle of Mogadishu...best known in the U.S. as the “Black Hawk Down” incident. On September 30, 1994, the 3. PzDiv was disbanded, its last commander being Generalmajor Gerd Schultze-Rhonhof. Following the disbandment, Panzerlehrbrigade 9 was incorporated into the 1. Panzerdivision.

The Erma Maschinenpistole: Soldiering into World War Two

     A Waffen-SS officer, cigarette in his mouth, smiles for the camera from his dugout. Where he is isn't known but given the extent of both the foxhole he is reclining in and the prone fighting position dug near it, it may be a defensive line location in which he and his men had the time to make more substantial fighting positions. The sticks driven into the ground near his head were likely for securing his camouflage zeltbahn (shelter quarter) to as a means to provide a more complete covering for his position since it appears that he has simply flipped half of it back. That he is an officer can be determined by the round belt buckle (Koppelschloss) that holds the black leather belt (koppel) around his waist as well as the white braid on the feldmütze (field cap) on his head.

     The photograph is of interest because of the weapon sitting next to his stahlhelm (steel helmet), the latter fitted with a camouflage cover. The weapon is a EMP, which stood for Erma Maschinenpistole, and this was a pre-World War Two weapon built by the Erma-Werke. The EMP, which was sometimes also called the MPE (Maschinenpistole Erma), was derived from the VMP1930 that was designed by Heinrich Vollmer. Vollmer had originally sold small numbers of the VMP1930 to Bulgaria under his own company, Vollmer Werk. However, financial difficulties forced Vollmer to liquidate and Erma-Werke bought all of his intellectual properties, including the VMP1930. Vollmer himself became the chief weapon designer for Erma-Werke.

     The VMP1930 was modified by adding a cooling jacket around the barrel and the name was changed to the EMP. Erma-Werke started to produce the weapon in 1932 and offered customization to customer specifications. Despite this, there were generally three common models. The first had a 11.8” barrel, a tangent rear sight, and a bayonet lug. The second had a shorter, 9.8” barrel, no bayonet lug, and either a tangent or flip-L rear sight. The third make did away with the characteristic front grip and instead, used a grooved stock. Customers, in addition to Bulgaria, included Mexico, Spain, and Yugoslavia. It was not until 1933 that the German Heer (Army) submitted a purchase order for the EMP. In addition to the Heer, the EMP was also obtained and issued to the SS as well as German Polizei (Police) forces. In all, some 10,000 EMP weapons were built when production ceased in 1938 to make way for producing the Maschinenpistole 38 (MP 38). By 1942, the EMP had disappeared from the ranks of the Heer, replaced by the MP 38 and its successor, the MP 40. However, the SS, Waffen-SS, and Polizei continued to use the EMP throughout the war. Interestingly, some 3,250 former Spanish EMP weapons ended up in French hands after being confiscated from Spanish Republican fighters who fled from Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, there were only 1,540 usable magazines and so between 700 to 800 EMP weapons were actually able to be issued and the majority of these were provided to the 638 Infanterie-Regiment, better known as the Légion des Volontaires Français Contre le Bolchévisme (LVF), a combat unit made up of French volunteers that fought for Germany on the Eastern Front. After the LVF was disbanded in September 1944, some of the former LVF members transferred into the Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS Charlemange (Franzönische Nr. 1) and took their EMP weapons with them.

     The EMP had a overall length of 35.5”, had a weight of a little over 9 pounds, and used a blowback action. Weapons used by Germany were chambered for 9mm Parabellum. Internally, the weapon used a telescoping mainspring casing designed by Vollmer. This same casing would be used in the MP 38. A simple tubular receiver carried the bolt and casing. The weapon used a side-mounted feed which accepted 25- or 32-round detachable box magazines. The magazine well had a slight forward angle to improve ammunition feed. To set the EMP on safe, the bolt handle was pulled back and secured into a slot on the receiver. In the photograph, the officer has his EMP on safe based on the position of the bolt handle. Muzzle velocity was 1,250 feet per second with a cyclic rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. The effective range was 150 meters with a maximum range of 250 meters. Without being able to see the rest of the officer's EMP, it is difficult to say for sure what model it is but chances are good it is the second model.

SS-Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Hannes: 12. Kompanie, III. Bataillon, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 "Germania"

     Somewhere on the Eastern Front, SS-Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Hannes checks to see how well a M24 Stielhandgranate (stick hand grenade) fits into the muzzle of the 76.2mm ZiS-3 gun utilized on the Soviet SU-76 (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka-76) assault gun. Hannes, whose rank was equivalent to a Captain in the U.S. Army, was the commander of 12. Kompanie, III. Bataillon, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 "Germania", of the 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking”. Born on August 27, 1913, Hannes would eventually join the Waffen-SS and his membership number was 297 080. His promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer occurred on June 21, 1944 and he would later be awarded the Deutsches Kreuz im Gold (German Cross in Gold) for his acts of bravery and combat prowess while company commander on October 9, 1944.

     The technique of using a stick grenade and shoving it down the gun barrel of an enemy tank or tank destroyer was taught to infantrymen as a means to attack enemy armor. The intent was to detonate the grenade inside the gun tube and hope the explosion caused enough damage to render the gun inoperable. A skilled “panzerknacker” (“Tank Breaker”) used the M24 stick grenade in other ways to achieve kills against enemy armor. One such way consisted of removing the wooden shaft from six grenades and using wire to secure the warheads around a seventh grenade, creating what was called a Geballte Ladung or bundled charge. The explosive power of seven grenades was able to render tanks immobile by blowing off tracks, damaging running gear, or causing engine damage if placed on the thinly armored rear deck of tanks. Even a single M24 stick grenade had the possibility of inflicting engine damage with a good placement. Another method of using the M24 consisted of lashing one grenade to a einheitskanister (a 20 liter metal fuel can...better known as a “Jerry Can”) which was ¾ full of fuel and throwing the can up onto the engine deck of an enemy tank. The resulting explosion was enough to cripple a tank. It was standard procedure for truck drivers to maintain one of these improvised anti-tank devices on their vehicles in case enemy armor broke through into rear echelon areas. The Eierhandgranate 39 (Egg Grenade Model 1939) could also be utilized to create a Geballte Ladung as well as be thrown down a gun barrel. Since it was egg shaped and depending on the elevation of the enemy tank's gun, it had the potential to roll down and detonate near the breech and if the “panzerknacker” was lucky, a round was already loaded or the grenade rolled out into the fighting compartment when the breech was opened, exploding inside the tank.

     Of course, to utilize any of the methods above required the infantryman to be very close to the target, even next to it. In an urban combat zone, tank hunters have more cover and opportunity to get close enough to utilize grenades. While still risky, more so if infantry were supporting the tanks, the odds were a bit more in favor of the tank hunter. In more open terrain, without some form of cover, attacking a tank at such close range was not likely to succeed. However, there was a variant of the M24 stick grenade, the Nebelhandgranate 39 (Nb.Hgr.39), or Smoke Hand Grenade Model 1939, and “panzerknackers” found a way to use them effectively to help them assault a tank. A six foot length of rope or cord connected two smoke grenades together. In one hand, one grenade was held facing upwards and the other facing downwards. Upon throwing, centrifugal force pulled the grenades apart, extending the rope. The target was the gun barrel of the enemy tank. The rope would catch on the barrel and wrap around it and by this time, the smoke commenced to issuing from the grenades and obscured the vision of the tank's driver and the hull machine-gunner (if the tank had one) as well as made it difficult for the commander in the turret to utilize his vision blocks to see what was happening. This allowed the “panzerknacker” to have a better chance to get up to the tank and effect an attack using explosive hand grenades or other close combat methods.