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Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread

The West Point Military History Series, Thomas E. Griess, Editor, The Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean

I want those sauteed frogs’ legs.

The color photographs in the first selection of photos are a small assortment from a remarkable-perhaps literally unique -collection taken in 1940-44 by Colonel Ritgen during his front-line service. The camera was a Leica III (Summitar f 1.'2 lens). Col.Ritgen's wife, at that time a nurse at the Paderborn military hospital, was a former employee of the Agfa company, and as a keen photographer herself was able to obtain through a personal contact with the firm a supply of the new and very rare Agfa 35mm color film. The exposed films were sent back from Russia to Agfa through the Army mail service, and the processed pictures were kept in Germany by Frau Ritgen. Col.Ritgen recalls that the excellent and sturdy Leica, which spent its time slung round his neck in a leather case, survived many hasty dives to the ground under Soviet shellfire; on one occasion he was forced to bale out of his burning PzKpfw 3 after coming off second best in an encounter with a KV.I, but the camera continued to function well. It had no built-in exposure meter, and given the circumstances Col. Ritgen was often limited to making a rough estimate, but it seldom let him down. It finally met its end in the stowage box of his tank near Tilly, Normandy in June 1944 when he was serving with the Panzer-Lehr Division. He was forced to take cover under the tank when caught by a heavy naval bombardment, and a shell splinter-probably courtesy of the cruiser HMS Orion -put paid to both stowage box and camera.

PzKpfw IV Ausf.D tanks of 65th Panzer Battalion (in effect, 3rd Bn., 11th pz.Regt.) photographed in East Prussia in May '1941 shortly before the invasion of Russia. The small turret number '421' identifies the battalion by its yellow color, the company-'4', the platoon-'2', and the platoon leader's tank-'I'. The two yellow 'Xs' on the front plate beside the driver's visor are the divisional sign of 6th Panzer; this device replaced the original 'reversed Y' rune and two dots shortly before Operation 'Barbarossa' . The national cross is in plain white outline on the 'Panzer grey' paintwork. On the nearside trackguard may be seen the shielded driving- and head-lights, the fire extinguisher, a jacking block of thick timber, barrel cleaning rods, and four jerrycans held by a retaining bar marked with the divisional sign. Note open flap of ventilation port in turret roof: ventilator fans were not yet fitted.

Further views of the PzKpfw IVs of 65th Panzer Battalion in May 1941. The division had only three companies of these heavy support tanks at the time of the invasion of the USSR, the great bulk of the three tank battalions being made up of Skoda-built PzKpfw 35(t) tanks, with a few light PzKpfw lls and some PzBefw.1I1 command tanks. In the lower photograph an SdKfz 15 staff car in the foreground bears the tactical marking of divisional HQ on the mudguard. Two of the NCOs in the photograph wear white umpire's brassards, indicating an exercise; and the mixture of headgear worn by tank crews at this transitional period is also indicated-in this photograph may be seen the original black 'beret', the stop-gap field gray sidecap, and the new black sidecap.

Photographed on '2 October 1941, during the breakthrough by Pz Brigade Koll north of Vyazma: the brigade commander's PzBefw.lII, with the white turret code 'R06', on a typical Russian dirt road-rollbahn. In front of it, a column of Granit ambulances; to the right, Soviet prisoners; and in the background, smoke rising from an oil dump bombed by Stukas.

Late summer 1941: a front-line conference at the forward HQ of 6th Panzer. Left is Generalmajor Landgraf, divisional commander from January to November 1941. Second left, in motorcyclist's coat, is Gen.Reinhardt, commanding general of XXXXI Panzer Corps until 30 September 1941. Right, in redstriped staff breeches, is the divisional GSO I, Maj. Count von Kielmansegg, who rose after the war to general's rank in the Bundeswehr and commanded NATO-AFCET.

Blurred but interesting shot of the division's second echelon passing through the supply convoys of the first echelon-the large number of vehicles visible in this photograph is a reminder of the enormous logistic 'tail' necessary to keep an armored division moving. The PzKpfw 35(t) on the right carries an air recognition flag draped over the crew bedrolls on the rear deck. Note wooden stakes marking the edges of the rollbahn

A distant but fascinating photograph of the fighting of 2 October 1941, which repays close study. In the right foreground is a Soviet freight train overrun on the tracks-note two locomotives, one facing forward, the other to the rear. In the background several buildings are on fire, and the sky is black with smoke from an oil dump. In the left and centre background, PzKpfw 35(t) Panzers in company strength may be seen advancing under fire.

The Soviets threw everything into the defense or Moscow even dogs. This one was shot before it could run under a German tank, as it had been trained-note the vertical detonator rising from the mine strapped to its back.

Winter 1942: the once-proud 6th Pz.Div. is now mobile only by means of panje -sleds. The author rides in the front of this one, muffled. in a sheepskin coat and carrying an MP-40.

The dash for the Myschkowa bridgehead: Oberst von Huenersdorf's command tank, in which the author rode during the attempt to drive a corridor through for the entombed 6th Army at Stalingrad, is seen in the foreground during the assembly of 11th pz.Regt. on 19 December 1942

A conversation which doomed the attempt to reach Stalingrad. Gen. Kirchner, commanding LVll Panzer Korps, ordered 6th Panzer to continue its advance from Wassiljewka; but Oberst von Huenersdorff' demanded that his superior come personally to the bridgehead and assess the situation. Here Kirchner, in sidecap, is briefed by von Huenendorff behind them, in a Rumanian winter cap, is Oberst von Unrein, commander of 4th pz-Gren Regt.

SdKfz 251 half-tracks of the division photographed at Wassiljewka on the Myschkowa in late December 1942-just 48 km from Stalingrad, and the furthest point of 6th Panzer's advance.

A captured. Soviet woman tank-driver.

Near the Don, winter 1942-43:After the costly fighting following the attempt to open a corridor to the 6th Army trapped in Stalingrad. A wrecked Soviet T-34-176, with some of its ammunition spilled on the snow, is surrounded by curious Panzer-Grenadiers of 6th Pz.Div. dressed in the reversible winter combat suits

Major (later Generalmajor) Dr. Franz Bake, 1898 to 1978; this very gallant and distinguished officer, photographed here in 1943, held various appointments within Il Pz.Regt. of 6th Pz.Div., and rose to command the regiment in 1943-44. During that winter he led the successful battle-group 'Heavy Panzer Regiment Bake', whose Tiger and Panther tanks achieved extraordinary results in a number of engagements; and in 1945 he was promoted to commanding general of 13th Panzer Division. In this photo Maj.Bake wears the black, pink-piped field uniform of the tank arm; the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves is worn at the throat-he was later awarded the Swords. On the left breast are the Iron Cross First Class; the gold Wound Badge, signifying at least five wounds in action and the Tank Battle Badge. In his buttonhole are the Winter 1941-42 Medal ribbon and the ribbon of the 1914-18 Iron Cross 2nd Class bearing the silver eagle 'bar' for a subsequent Second World War award. Most striking of all, on his right sleeve are no less than three awards of the Tank Destruction Badge, for single-handed destruction of enemy AFVs with hand-held weapons at Kursk Last of Col.Ritgen's photos

A Russian type TB-3 Heavy Bomber found abandoned. At times these aircraft were used to re-supply partisan units or to drop parachutists.

An early KV-l Model 1941 knocked out by 4.PanzerDivision in Venev on November 24, 1941. There are no less than 30 impacts of various caliber on The turret as well as two penetrations on the gun barrel. In the Three previous days, the Division had knocked out 3 other KV-l's, two on November 21 at Brusjanka where a Soviet counter-attack had been repulsed

4th Panzer-DIV cemetery located somewhere in the Soviet Union. The graves In front are those of Obergefrelters Lamprecht and Sippel. both From Art.Rgt.103 The Division suffered Its first heavy losses during the fighting for the Stalin line In Mid-July. During this month. they lost 321 men killed, 952 wounded and 38 missing On July 15. the staff of 4.Schutzen-Bngade were caught in a Soviet artillery barrage resulting In many officers being killed and wounded, including Oberst von Saucken, who would later command the Division. This forced the disbanding of the brigade staff.

Russian sailors fighting in Crimea 1942

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F1 and Pz.Kpfw.38(t) tanks from Wehrmacht 22.Panzer-Division at the Red Army repair base. One ot the tanks had soviet identification sign (""star""), "66" tactical number appeared by filling one numeral of three-figure German tactical marking. The Crime Front, the 79th training independent armoured battalion, April 1942.

Second Lieutenant S.G_Makovsky interrogating unfortunate German POW. The Crimea, October 1941

Destroyed Chevrolet 3000S truck, organic to the motorized company of "Wiking" SS Division. The Southern Front September 1941

These German officers are packed and waiting to be moved to Soviet prisoner of war cages. Military operations at Stalingrad had ended on 2 February, and the German Sixth Army had ceased to exist. The Red Army claimed to have destroyed 22 Axis divisions, plus 160 support and re-enforcement units. (Soviet captions)

In northern Stalingrad, the massive concrete blocks of three huge factories, the Tractor Plant, "Barrikady" and "Red October", formed natural forts together with blocks of workers' apartments. Red Army soldiers and workers defended the factories tenaciously, fighting for every shop floor and machine. General Chuikov estimated that no fewer than five German Divisions fought to take the Tractor Plant. Here German soldiers inspect the ruined factory.(Soviet captions)

May 1942 German police and medical orderlies burying wounded German soldiers and Russian civilians who were killed by retreating Soviet troops in the Izyum sector of South Russia.

Photo -no date or region given.

Caption-Date unreadable.

Russian auxiliaries of German infantry division in South Russia (1942)

Unknown & undated German cemetery.

No date-no caption.

Soviet POW's captured in Kharkov region during May 1942 offensive.

German soldiers part of unit holding "switchline" west of Donets-Izyum -Spring 1942

May 1942 by the Kharkov region-outside a medical dressing station.

Spring 1942 -Northeast of Orel-German front line "trip-wire" position used to alert main positions in rear when Russian activity is noticeable.

Soviet POW's dug out of collapsed building in a village west of Lake Ilman in North Russia-Spring 1942

German bunker North Russia region-Spring 1942

Soviet Union, South-Don/Stalingrad.-Panzer III, light and medium infantry fighting vehicle (SD.Kfz. 250 and SD.Kfz. 251) the 24th Panzer Division in driving in hilly terrain Summer 1942

The Anglo-Soviet treaty is signed agreeing to "afford one another military and other assistance and support of all kinds."
Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta's Second Carrier Striking Force, flying its flag on the carrier Ryujo sets out from Ominato harbor for its assigned tasks in the Aleutians.

May 26, 1942:

"Great Britain and the Soviet Union sign a mutual assistance treaty."

"Holding the shield of David, Jewish men pose in a makeshift synagogue in the transit camp of Beaune-la-Rolande, France.
The first targets of the Nazis in France, foreign Jews were evicted from their homes and sent to transit camps, prior to deportation to the death camps of the East.
While enduring uncertainty and deprivation, Jews sought to maintain religious community."