Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland: War Games in Mailly-le-Camp

     It was not an uncommon occurrence that Waffen-SS units operated alongside and with regular German Heer (Army) forces, especially on the Eastern Front. This was often by necessity given the fluidity of the battlefield and what units were available to fill gaps in orders of battle. The photograph shown here illustrates just such an occurrence of close cooperation.

     The photograph was taken by Kriegsberichter (war correspondent) Stöpfgeshoff sometime in 1944 during a war game held on the training grounds located in Mailly-le-Camp, France. Stöpfgeshoff was part of Luftwaffe Kriegsberichter Kompanie 3 (Lw KBK 3) which was assigned to Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) that supported Axis troops in occupied France (to include Vichy France), Belgium, and the Netherlands. While certainly war correspondents that served with the Luftwaffe had a priority to their own, they were by no means restricted to just documenting Luftwaffe forces. The training grounds had been used by the French military since 1902 and by the 1930s, it was exclusively used by French armored forces. Following the fall of France, the Germans occupied the grounds and used it to train their own armored troops.

     The central subject depicts a Waffen-SS soldier holding the rank of SS-Unterscharführer which is the equivalent to a U.S. Army sergeant. This determination is made solely by the silver tress on his uniform's schulterstücke (shoulder boards) and the absence of any rank pips on it. As for the uniform itself, he is wearing what is called a “panzerkombi” (literally, “tank suit”) and this is basically a pair of overalls. In this case, the uniform is cut from what collectors today call the “SS-Eich-Platanenmuster” camouflage pattern. It is a combination of two types of Waffen-SS camouflage, “Oak” (“Eich”) and “Plane Tree” (“Platanenmuster”). This camouflage pattern appeared early in 1943 and the “panzerkombi” he is wearing is one of the early makes as it does not have the thigh pocket. Of note is that the entire uniform is reversible from a “spring” side which uses green hues as the dominant colors and a “fall” side in which brown hues are the main colors. He is wearing the black M1938 feldmütze (field cap) on his head. Although difficult to see, he has a pair of binoculars in his hand and a pair of kopfhörer (headphones) over his ears. Although his unit's cuff title is not visible as it was not worn on the “panzerkombi”, he is from the 9. Panzer Regiment, 9. SS-Panzerdivision "Hohenstaufen".

     The other two men are part of the elite Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland (specifically, 1st. Kompanie, Großdeutschland Panzer Regiment) and this can be told by the “Großdeutschland” cuff title on their right sleeve (visible only on the crewman leaning out of the rear hatch) and the cipher on their schulterstücke. Both wear the typical black panzer uniform consisting of the black panzerjacke (tank jacket, more commonly referred to as the panzer wrap) and black trousers. They also wear the M1938 feldmütze. The pink piping, the waffenfarb (branch color) of panzer troops, does not appear present on the collar of the panzerjacke which suggests a mid- to late war manufacture when it was done away with to simplify construction. It is, however, present around the schulterstücke and the collar tabs. The soldier in the rear hatch looks to have been awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 2nd. Class) as evidenced by the ribbon on his lapel.

     The tank is a Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and we are looking towards the back of the turret. The tank's commander is in the upper hatch while the other man, likely the tank's loader, is in the turret's circular rear hatch. This is because the gunner sat below and to the front of the commander while the loader was on the opposite side and was nearest the hatch. For the war game, men from 9. Panzer Regiment served as referees and to identify them as such, they wore a white band around their arm. He is listening in to conversations on a Großdeutschland radio communications network, discussing an outcome of an engagement, or receiving instructions from higher command.

de Bange 155mm Long Canon Modèle 1877: Service in Two World Wars

     A photograph taken from a Keystone View Company stereoscope card depicts a French gun crew manning a camouflage painted de Bange 155mm Long Canon Modèle 1877. As the date suggests, the 155 L de Bange (the short name for the gun) was by no means a new gun by the time World War One began in 1914. Development of the gun started in February 1874 by a committee made up of French artillerymen. The intent of the committee was to learn lessons from the Franco-Prussian War which took place between July 19, 1870 and January 28, 1871 and from these lessons, conceive of a new heavy caliber gun for siege purposes as well as equipping fortresses. Towards the close of April 1874, the caliber of 155mm was selected and three manufacturers produced their designs which were put to test beginning in 1876. The winner of the competition was Charles de Bange with his 155 L gun and the French military put in an order for 300 guns in November 1877.

     The 155 L de Bange featured a hooped steel construction style and the barrel utilized gain-twist rifling. This method utilized rifling that had an initial slower twist rate at the breech end of the barrel which got progressively faster as the shell traveled down the barrel. This accelerated the angular momentum of the projectile. This wasn't so much as to propel the shell faster but to spread the torque of the spinning shell, which causes stress on the barrel, to be spread across as much of the length of the barrel as possible. This, then, allowed wear of the barrel to be more distributed rather than being concentrated at the breech end. As the photograph shows, the 155 L de Bange had no recoil mechanism and instead, it relied on friction to slow the backwards motion of the box trail carriage. To reduce the recoil further, wooden wedges were put behind the wheels. When the gun fired, the carriage rode up the wedges which bled off momentum and the gun would roll back down the wedges to more or less the same position it started from. This also helped eliminate the need to manhandle the gun back into position after every shot. The loader is likely checking the breech lock, a round already loaded given the gunner is ready with the lanyard to fire the cannon. Once all was set, the loader would retreat away from the gun before firing as the recoil of the gun had the possibility of the carriage jumping the wedges or coming off them. This concern also accounts for the long length of the lanyard so the gunner could be as far away from the gun as possible. The gun fired a 100lb. high-explosive round to a maximum range of 8 miles and a competent crew could fire one round every minute. The gun had a very limited traverse of 4 degrees with a maximum depression of 10 degrees and a maximum elevation of 28 degrees. The combat weight of the gun as shown in the photograph was 7 tons and so it was by no means easily moved.

     When World War One began, the French had pinned their hopes on the excellent Canon de 75 Modèle 1897. Some 1,392 155 L de Bange guns were on inventory, either in depots or in fixed positions. The French quickly learned that the Germans used heavier caliber guns that outranged the 75mm French gun and they had no counter to them in the field. In short order, the French started dragging the 155 L de Bange guns out of mothballs as a quick means to even the odds. The wheels on the gun's carriage were updated by fitting them with Rotaie a Cingolo (“Caterpillar Track Rails”), or simply cingoli. These hinged plates had two purposes. The first was to spread the ground pressure of the gun across more surface area which permitted easier movement over soft ground. The second purpose was the plates provided an immediate firing platform without extensive preparation as two plates per wheel would always be flat upon the ground. It took ten horses to pull the 155 L de Bange though gun tractors were used as well. By the end of November 1914, 112 guns were in service and by August 1, 1916, 738 guns were in action with French heavy artillery regiments. The 155 L de Bange served as a standard artillery piece but was also used in the counter-battery role, using its range to destroy German heavy guns when they were located. As the war went on, newer heavy guns began to enter service and usually after 10,000 shots, 155 L de Bange guns were taken out of service. But this did not last long as production of the newer cannons could not keep up with demand and so new barrels for the 155 L de Bange were produced starting in 1916. One way to tell an original barrel from the 1916 barrels is the position of the lifting handle. An original barrel, shown in the photograph, had a lifting handle in-line with the barrel while the new barrels had the lifting handle across the barrel. Even by November 1918, each French Army Corps had a single heavy artillery battalion equipped with the 155 L de Bange.

     Following World War One, a number of 155 L de Bange guns were sent to Romania and the Soviet Union who put them to use with the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. In 1937, the Russians sent a number of the guns to the Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. As for the French, 305 of the guns remained in service, most once more situated in fortresses or placed along the Maginot Line. France donated 48 guns to Finland in 1940 but none arrived in time to see action during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union which occurred from November 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940. They did, however, see combat under the designation 155 K/77 during the Continuation War which pitted Finland and Germany against the Soviet Union from June 25, 1941 to September 19, 1944. By this time, only 19 guns were left in service. Although the Germans captured some operational 15 L de Bange guns following the fall of France, they did not put them into service.

Private: 1st. United States Army

     A studio portrait of a Private, enlisted grade E2, of the 1st. United States Army. The 1st. Army, established on August 10, 1918, was the first of three such armies created by the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Following World War One, it was inactivated on April 20, 1919. However, an amendment made in 1920 to the National Defense Act of 1916 would see four field armies raised, geographically located throughout the United States. The intent of this was to provide a skeletal organizational structure to accommodate mass mobilizations of forces in the time of national need. Thus, the 1st. Army was reactivated on September 11, 1933, with its geographical area being the northeastern U.S., at Fort Jay, Governor's Island, in New York. Its main mission was training support. For much of its early existence following its reactivation, the 1st. Army was more on paper than actual troops and it consisted mainly of staff personnel. This changed as the U.S. moved towards a war footing and starting in 1939, under the command of General Hugh A. Drum, the 1st. Army began to fill out with actual personnel. The 1st. Army entered combat with the invasion of Normandy (D-Day) on June 6, 1944 and would see continued action in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns. It was the men of the 1st. Army who shook hands with Soviet forces at Torgau, Germany, along the Elbe River, on April 25, 1945. In May 1945, the 1st. Army's headquarters returned to New York to begin preparations for Operation Coronet. This was the second phase of Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. The 1st. Army was tasked to invade Honshū, the largest of the Japanese home islands, in the spring of 1946. Fortunately, the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the Japanese surrender, removing the need for Operation Downfall.

     The private appears to have belonged to one of the field artillery battalions within the 1st. Army as evidenced by the branch insignia on the lapel of his jacket which consisted of two crossed cannons. That he served with the 1st. Army is denoted by the unit patch on his left shoulder. Although difficult to see, it consisted of a black letter A with an Army green border. The private is also no longer in the U.S. Army, having been discharged under honorable conditions. This can be told by the Honorable Discharge Emblem lozenge sewn onto the jacket above the right breast pocket. This emblem was nicknamed the “Ruptured Duck” as the poor design of the eagle was such that is more resembled a duck than an eagle. Because of this, we can assume this photograph was taken post-World War Two. Beneath the “Ruptured Duck” appears to be a Meritorious Unit Citation ribbon that is surrounded by a gold laurel frame. His ribbon bar, from top to bottom and left to right, seems to consist of the American Campaign ribbon, the Purple Heart ribbon with an oak leaf device (which meant he was awarded the decoration twice), the Good Conduct ribbon, an unknown ribbon (possibly a state National Guard ribbon), and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four Service Stars which represented campaigns he had participated in.

     Today, the 1st. Army is still very much active, being the oldest and longest established unit in the U.S. Army. Its main mission is to train Army Reserve and National Guard forces. It is divided into two commands, 1st. Army Division East and 1st. Army Division West. Under each are training brigades. 1st. Army Division East is based at Fort Knox, Kentucky and is responsible for all states east of the Mississippi River while 1st. Army Division West is based at Fort Hood, Texas and covers all states west of the Mississippi River. Notable early commanders of the 1st. Army included General John J. Pershing (1918), Lieutenant-General Hugh A. Drum (1938-1943), and Lieutenant-General Omar N. Bradley (1944). Interesting notes about the 1st. Army include their motto which is “First in Deed” and the A in the unit's patch represents the letter A in Army and also, being the first letter in the alphabet, harks to the unit being the first, as in, the 1st. Army. The patch was authorized on November 16, 1918 and approved by the War Department on May 5, 1922. Today, the A remains in black but now uses a white and red background.

Freiwilliger: 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division

     The 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division (1st. Cossack Cavalry Division) came into being during the months of April and May in 1943. Of all the various Eastern volunteers, the many tribes of Cossacks made up the majority of them. The first Cossack volunteers commenced fighting for the Germans almost from the very outset of the German invasion of Russia. Over time, more and more Cossack units were raised but were scattered among the many German forces spanning the Eastern Front. The creation of the 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division brought these various units into one fold and with additional recruitment, some 12,000 men were assembled representing Don, Kuban, Terek, and Ural Cossacks. The division was made up of two brigades, each with three cavalry regiments and one artillery regiment. Division assets included a reconnaissance battalion, two engineer battalions, one signal battalion, and a divisional artillery battalion. The division was first deployed into action on October 12, 1943 against Yugoslav partisans and in 1944, was shifted to Croatia to battle Chetniks and Croat partisans. The unit gained a reputation for ruthlessness to the point special courts-martial were set up in the division to dispense justice on those Cossacks who exhibited more extreme barbarism. The division first saw battle against the Red Army near Pitomača, Croatia. There, the Cossacks showed their prowess in combat, forcing the Soviets to retreat from the field. By February 1945, the 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division was absorbed into the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps.

     The soldier pictured is from one of the units within the 1. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Division. This can be told by the plain shield seen beneath the Russian Liberation Army (Russkaya Osvoboditel'naya Armiya, abbreviated ROA) shield. The divisional shield was red with a white border. The ROA shield (POA in Cyrillic) was introduced early in 1943 and issued out to the various Osttruppen (Eastern Troops) but it would not be until the formation of the Komitet Osvobozhdeniya Narodov Rossii (Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia) in November 1944 would the ideal of a singular Osttruppen army come into being. So, many of the various Osttruppen and Cossack soldiers would simply add the ROA shield to their uniform rather than replace their indigenous unit insignia with it. The ROA shield featured a blue St. Andrews cross on a white field surrounded by a red border. The POA lettering was yellow with the shield's background being a dark green. The photograph can be dated to sometime after May 1943 given that he wears the regulation crossed lances collar patches which were first authorized for Cossack troops on May 29, 1943. The lances were silver on a red background. For enlisted men, like this man who holds the rank of Freiwilliger, the patch had a olive green border. As typical for many of the ROA units, he has a mixture of rank accouterments. His shoulder boards are from the previous rank regulations for Cossacks that were issued on November 11, 1942. These consisted of shoulder boards which were of the same pattern as the German military except that the material was green with red piping around the edges. The 1943 regulations called for Czarist-style shoulder boards. He is lightly equipped, the only notable piece of equipment being the metal gasmaskenbüchse (gas mask case). 

     For weapons, he holds a Soviet Shpagin 7.62X25mm PPSh-41 submachine gun. The weapon could use a 35-round box magazine but it was most often seen, and used, with its 71-round drum magazine. The weapon was popular with Soviet troops but also was highly valued by the Germans who would use captured examples whenever possible. In German service, it had its own designation which was the MP717(r). Enough examples were captured that many were rechambered to fire the 9mm Parabellum round and such conversions were known as the MP41(r). Soviet soldiers nicknamed the weapon "Papasha“ which meant "Daddy“. The soundness of the design is validated by the fact that the PPSh-41 still sees combat to this day in the hands of various militias and irregular forces around the world.

Zugführer: Festungs Grenadier Regiment 360

      A Zugführer (platoon leader) of Festungs Grenadier Regiment 360. The unit, formally the 6th. Cossack Regiment, was commanded by Oberst der Reserve (Reserve Major) Evert von Renteln. Identification of this unit is made rather simple by two specific pieces of insignia. The first is the sleeve shield which is red with a white border. But the more prominent of the two is the tank badge. When Cossack units were first formed, the wearing of German combat decorations was forbidden. This changed but until then, commanders of foreign auxiliary units would come up with their own decorations to award bravery. In the case of von Renteln, he created the tank badge with a golden “F” as a means to award those soldiers who showed bravery in battle against Soviet tanks. 

     This Zugführer wears the authorized collar tabs and shoulderboards as given in a German Wehrmacht order issued on November 11, 1942. He is also wearing the authorized cap badge which consisted of two crossed lances over a red bar on a green oval background. For decorations, he wears three Tapferkeitsauszeichnung für Angehörige der Ostvölker (Valor Award for the Eastern Peoples; shorted to Ostvolkmedaille [Eastern Peoples’ Medal). The medal with the green and red striped ribbon is the Ostvolkmedaille 2nd. Class in Silver while the other two are likely the Ostvolkmedaille 2nd. Class in Bronze. The award had 1st. and 2nd. Classes and was awarded in gold, silver, or bronze. The German awards are the Panzerkampfabzeichen (Tank Battle Badge) to recognize soldiers who took part in armored assaults. The other decoration is the Verwundetenabzeichen (Wound Badge) in Black which signifies he had been wounded up to 2 times in combat.