August Meyszner in a war crime [?] photo

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Ivan Ž.
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August Meyszner in a war crime [?] photo

#1

Post by Ivan Ž. » 25 Aug 2016, 13:10

This photo can be found in Yad Vashem and USHMM archives. It shows a German kicking a lying man in civilian clothes - and if you look closer, you will see that the tallest person in the photo is none other than SS-Gruf. August Meyszner (HSSPF Serbien). There are also some mountain and police troops present (or mountain police troops).

Yad Vashem caption: "Machva, Yugoslavia, German mountain soldiers kicking a lying man, 1941."

USHMM caption: "A soldier with a unit of German mountain troops kicks a man to death during the 'cleansing' of the Macva region in September 1941. The man third from left is a Ustasa officer."

The date (and thus the location as well) is false, since Meyszner became an SS-Gruf. and came to Serbia in early 1942. Presence of mountain troops next to him is also strange (other than 7th SS, which they are not), unless it is the late stage of the war [or am I missing something?]. Meyszner's own presence in a village also seems unusual (judging by the surrounding, they are in a village).

Does anyone have more info or opinions on this photo please?

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Thanks in advance,
Ivan

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Re: August Meyszner in a war crime [?] photo

#2

Post by itaiv40 » 26 Aug 2016, 16:39

Not that it matters much, but judging by the limpness of the body, the person already looks dead. At the moment the photo was taken they may have merely been turning him around rather than "kicking him to death."


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Ivan Ž.
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Re: August Meyszner in a war crime [?] photo

#3

Post by Ivan Ž. » 26 Aug 2016, 20:19

The kicking to death is of course just a speculation of the archive, the same as the date (which is false) and location (probably also false). But the officer on the left is clearly swinging his foot towards the lying man (note: a German officer would hardly be the one to turn or touch a body of a dead local civilian, especially with his bare hands).

Cheers,
Ivan

PS
I'm guessing that the incorrect info that the photo was taken during the Mačva operation (1941) comes from the Museum of Yugoslav History (many similar incorrect IDs were made there), which is probably the initial source of the photo too (it is located there as well).

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Re: August Meyszner in a war crime [?] photo

#4

Post by Georges JEROME » 27 Aug 2016, 15:13

kicking a alleged partisan to obtain informations is a more realistic explanation.

which interest to kick a body : dead people are not usefull for intelligence anti partisan war.

Georges

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