Crewmembers of an Sd.Kfz.221 Take a Breather During an Exercise

The two crewmembers of an Sd.Kfz. 221 take a breather during an exercise. These scouts are assigned to Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot) 5 (2. Panzer-Division) as indicated by the A/5 on their shoulder straps. The scout on the viewer’s left is an NCO candidate, as indicated by the strip of silver-colored ribbon (Tresse) wrapped around his shoulder strap

Source :

Book "Scouts Out: A History of German Armored Reconnaissance Units in World War II" by Robert Edwards, Michael H. Pruett and Michael Olive

Kfz.13 of Aufklärungstruppe

Scouts were expected to perform their duties in all types of weather—not especially comfortable in winter in an open vehicle with no heater. While infantry soldiers were subjected to the same conditions, they frequently had the latitude to move about to stay warm, whereas armored personnel often spent hours in stationary positions. The lead vehicle seen here is the Kfz. 13.

Source :

Book "Scouts Out: A History of German Armored Reconnaissance Units in World War II" by Robert Edwards, Michael H. Pruett and Michael Olive

Aufklärungstruppe Getting Ready for a Parade

Given the attention being paid to their uniforms, these scouts appear to be getting ready for a parade or ceremony of some sort. These soldiers are attributed to one of the troops of Aufklärungs-Abteilung (motorisiert) 6. The lead armored car is an Sd.Kfz. 221 armed with a single machine gun in a manually traversing turret. It is followed by several Sd.Kfz. 223’s, essentially the radio version of the same vehicle, identifiable by its typical prewar and early-war frame antenna.

Source :

Book "Scouts Out: A History of German Armored Reconnaissance Units in World War II" by Robert Edwards, Michael H. Pruett and Michael Olive

A Group of Panzers in the Russian Steppe

A group of panzers rests on the Russian steppes as the commander of the lead vehicle, a Befehls Panzer III Ausf.E, takes stock of the situation. The panzers at rear are Panzer Iis, which were by this time relegated to the reconnaissance role. The Befehlspanzer is recognizable by the “Rahmenantenne” (frame antenna) on the rear of the superstructure, the plugged hull MG port and the ball-mounted single MG34 where the normally seen twin MG34s were in the gun mantle. It is then assumed that the 3.7cm KwK L/46.5 is a dummy mounting. Unlike the previous photo, this panzer has the Notek head-lamp mounted in the more conventional position on the driver’s side fender.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Panzer III in a Ruined Surrounding

This Panzerkampfwagen III (Ausf.E or F) has the turret stowage bin fitted. It is heavily ladden with external stowage on the fenders and engine deck, where an aerial recognition flag can just be seen, directly below the crewman. Most of the panzer’s markings are obscured, but a possible number “5” can be seen on the turret bin, while a white-outline balkenkreuz national insignia can be seen on the rear plate.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Panzer III Crossing the Pontoon Bridge

This Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.E or F carefully makes its way across a bridge constructed by an engineer bridging column; note the prefabricated appearance of the bridge’s construction. In the foreground, two soldiers take advantage of the river to refresh themselves. The panzer has appliqué armor bolted to the upper glacis as well as a plate on the superstructure front. There is also a storage bin on the turret rear wall. The way the turret reflects light makes it impossible to read what may be a tactical number on its side wall.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Three Destroyed Panzer III

This first of three photos depicting destroyed Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.Fs, shows a panzer with a heavily damaged suspension system, including broken tracks, a missing pair of front road-wheels, and a missing drive sprocket. The next photo will show how much more the vehicle was damaged. The far vehicle has suffered fire damage (as seen in the next photo), which may account for its “nose-down” attitude; intense heat could soften the torsion bars, causing the panzer to “sink” under its own weight.

This second of the three photographs depicts a total of three knocked-out Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.Fs. The panzer in the foreground appears to have fire damage on the engine deck (note the road-wheel, minus the rubber tires to the right), while the far panzer has lost its front superstructure plate.

In this final photo of the set, a group of Heeres (Army) cavalrymen pass the panzers, no doubt wondering at the demise of such formidable machines of war, while their less-glamorous steeds plod steadily onward. In this photo, a shirtless panzer crewman (note his trousers and boots) inspects the rear deck of the burned-out panzer. It is apparent that there is a rectangular patch of white paint just below the Panzerkampfwagen IIIs commander’s cupola, whose significance is not known.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Panzer III Tauchpanzer

This Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.E of F was at one time fitted out as a “Tauchpanzer” for fully submerged operation. A number of different panzers were so converted for the aborted invasion of the United Kingdom, code-named “Operation Seelöwe” (Sealion); some were used by the 18. Panzer-Division to cross the Bug River in the initial stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union, “Operation Barbarossa”. This panzer is identified as a submersible by the flange around the rim of the turret front plate (where a canvas cover was fixed to seal the mantle area), as well as the cover on the engine air intake grills. There is a storage bin on the turret rear as well as a Notek head-lamp on the fender, both retro-fitted items. The markings on the turret side consist of a divisional insignia (upright “Y” with three horizontal strokes) in yellow and a tactical number (101), designating the panzer as belonging to the 1. Kompanie, in white. A white-outlined Balkenkreuz, with black center, is below the turret on the side of the superstructure. It was common for the insignia of Panzer-Regiment 18 to be displayed on the turret stowage bin’s rear face.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Panzer III with Armored Cooling Vents

The Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.F introduced the small armored cooling vents for the transmission on the glacis plate, as seen here. This panzer seems to be un-marked and does not mount a Notek head-lamp, while the surrounding elements suggest that the photo was taken during the French Campaign of 1940.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

Panzer III Past a Division's HQ

A Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.E moves along a road, past a Panzer-Division’s headquarters (note the pennant on the right side of the photo, and the command pennant on the sedan parked behind the soldier at left). The panzer has a Notek black-out driving head-lamp in a most unusual position on the center of the glacis plate; normally these devices were fitted on the driver’s side fender. Note also that the soldier on guard duty at left is wearing the short ankle boots with gaiters, something not commonly seen when the Panzer III Ausf.E was a first-line panzer.

Source :
Book "Panzer Vor: German Armor At War 1939-45" by Frank V. De Sisto

German StuG in the Street of Vilnius

A German Wehrmacht Sturmgeschütz, or StuG (assault gun) unit rolls through the streets of Vilnius during the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa; the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Over the course of the operation, about four million soldiers of the Axis powers invaded the Soviet Union along a 2,900-kilometer (1,800 mi) front, the largest invasion force in the history of warfare. Vilnius, Vilnius County, Lithuania. June 1941.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/140880392825/a-german-wehrmacht-sturmgesch%C3%BCtz-or-stug-assault

A Column of Leibstandarte Vehicles Stuck in Mud

 A column of German Tiger I heavy tanks and a MAN ML 4500 truck of the 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" become bogged down during the fight for Western Ukraine. Throughout October and November 1943, temperatures were hovering just above freezing, which meant sudden thaws and rain turned most roads and fields into thick, muddy quagmires that sucked in even tracked vehicles. Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, Soviet Union. November 1943.

Source :
http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/141221122000/a-column-of-german-tiger-i-heavy-tanks-and-a-man

StuH 42 and a StuG III of Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 280 in Netherlands

StuH 42 and a StuG III of Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 280 are seen driving south along Weverstraat in Oosterbeek, Netherlands on 24 September 1944.

Source :
http://5sswiking.tumblr.com/post/142759335737/stuh-42-and-a-stug-iii-of-sturmgesch%C3%BCtz-brigade