Unpublished Images of Nazi Germany
1939? - 1941

Update! January 3, 2003--Comments from some readers have been added that shed light on some some of the photos.

Update! Jan 5, 2003--more images added on page 4..

During the early 1970's I attended many estate auctions in northern Maryland. Often, I would purchase odd lots consisting of miscellaneous items thrown into boxes. Most of the time, the contents were little more than junk but occassionally you would find something interesting. These photographs were found in such a box. They were contained in a small black leather pouch. These images appear to have been taken by a German soldier before or during World War II. A few of the photos have hand-written notes on the back. The earliest notation reads 1939 but some of the images may be earlier. I have elected to post a selection of these images for those interested in this period.

I have included a few editorial notes but I am no scholar of WWII history.

Several viewers have written to me with additional details, which are now included.

Dennis

	The crane in this image has been identified. In fact, there's a Web site all about the crane. It was used at the German shipyard in Wilhelmshaven before, during and after WWII. It's called the "Langer Heinrich" and it was used to built a number of famous German warships including the Graf Spee, Scharnhors,and Tirpitz.
	Another shot of the harbor, this shows the WW I Battleship Hessen. The caption on the back of the photo reads something like "Willy, I'll show you around this place after you get here."
	Appears to be some sort of training camp.
	An elaborate state funeral. A viewer wrote..."the one called "Elaborate state funeral" -- I am (almost) positive that this picture was taken during the funeral of Obergruppenfürer Reinhard Heydrich, in Berlin. I saw a similar picture in a book (Idon't have it anymore) from Heydrich's biography. As you should know, Heydrich was deeply injured in tchecoslovakia and died within 10 days after the attempt. (sorry for my english, my mother language is french). If you even find a book, with a picture of Heydrich on the cover, have a look inside and a similar picture should be inside... goodbye..."
	Artillery unit. A viewer pointed out that this must be a training exercise as they are wearing soft caps. If in combat, they would wear hard helments.
	Note picture of Adolf Hitler hanging on wall. The man in the middle appears in many of these images.
	School yard soccer game with the infamous Nazi salute.
	Horse-drawn caissons.

more images on page 2

This page was authored on: December 27, 1997

Legal Note

You may download these files for academic purposes; however, I retain the rights to these images. They may not be used for commercial purposes.