SS-Division "Handschar" photos

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AlifRafikKhan
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#91

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 17 Apr 2014, 10:14

Thank you, George... :)

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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#92

Post by Mujo » 06 Sep 2014, 05:54

Sauberzweig is aiming in with a K98, the men on the other hand are armed with some sort of Czech Mauser variant, perhaps vz.24s.
Not vz.33 due to the straight bolt.
This is contrary to the idea that 100% of the weaponry was fresh off the line German. Prinz Eugen was similarly armed.
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Sauberzweig at the rifle range in S. France - 1943
Last edited by Mujo on 06 Sep 2014, 05:58, edited 1 time in total.


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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#93

Post by Mujo » 06 Sep 2014, 05:55

Pioniers in training 1943 - can't tell if Neuhammer or Villefranche.
Photos sourced off tumblr.
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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#94

Post by Mujo » 06 Sep 2014, 06:21

This may be of some interest to some.
Cartoon strips written and illustrated by Enes Hasic, a surviving veteran of the Pionier battalion.
His account is important because he was among the few Bosnians that remained with the division into 1945.
He treated these strips as his own account of the men he knew, operations and general experiences. In short, in the dozen or so that survive, he talks about events that are rooted in fact. He talks of brave acts performed by the Bosnians on the eastern front and the positions occupied during the retreat to Austria.

Below - a modification to a recent WW2 sim/FPS showcases fez wearing SS men.
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Enes Hasić bio je u 13. Pionirskom bataljonu te brigade. Njegov otac je porijeklom iz Jajca, ali je učiteljavao u Sarajevu. Uza stariju braću Enes se kao maloljetan uklju.jpg
Enes Hasić bio je u 13. Pionirskom bataljonu te brigade. Njegov otac je porijeklom iz Jajca, ali je učiteljavao u Sarajevu. Uza stariju braću Enes se kao maloljetan uklju.jpg (77.32 KiB) Viewed 2266 times
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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#95

Post by Mujo » 07 Sep 2014, 03:28

The Gendarmes in action.
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ninoo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#96

Post by ninoo » 09 Sep 2014, 08:26

Hi Mujo,

You can see pictures before Cartoon strips at Yad vashem collections (some of them seem already published in Handzar bulletins) while the last one is from NARA. Pictures between them are collection from the NIOD.

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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#97

Post by Halle » 09 Sep 2014, 13:40

Some great pictures Mujo , thank you - in two of the training pictures ( wooden wall and ruined house ) you can definitely see a man wearing Styrian gaiters .

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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#98

Post by Mujo » 09 Sep 2014, 16:58

I've just taken a look at the Yad Vashem photo archive and all I can say is what a gold mine.
We're lucky to have the kriegsbericther archives opened up in their entirety. About 6-7 years ago it was only the usual 10 pictures in circulation, now there are hundreds upon hundreds.

Thanks ninoo

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AlifRafikKhan
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#99

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 12 Dec 2014, 19:10

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Marcus
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#100

Post by Marcus » 11 Apr 2015, 13:08

This thread was featured on our Facebook page recently.

/Marcus

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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#101

Post by Mujo » 24 Oct 2015, 23:38

z9.jpg
Much obliged Marcus.

A great find Ali. But I may have you beat.
Here we have another young artilleryman slamming a 105mm shell labeled "FES" into the breech (perhaps the same one). Considering the frequent references to the younger members of the division it is my belief that most of them were placed into the artillery wing of the division, so as to spare them the service in close proximity of the enemy that the men of the 27th and 28th Regiments would've faced. Many of them joined up with their fathers, who would've encouraged this decision.
Likewise the WW1 vets seemed to have been spared front line service by being given duties in the Flak Abteilung. And we all know that the more mutinous Croats were sent to the smallest of the contingents within the division (the Feldgendarmerie) so as to contain or quarantine their influences from the rest of the men.

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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#102

Post by Mujo » 24 Oct 2015, 23:46

Another interesting find.
An improvised hut with a comical sign that reads: "Mujo's Blockhouse." It is one of the few photographs showing a truly relaxed posture. You can note the mess tins hung on the branches to the left and the absence of cartridge belts or any weapons. There were a few periods of inactivity for the division and this semi-permanent position implies the place was cleared out of any partisan threat.
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#103

Post by Mujo » 24 Oct 2015, 23:54

Two division members posing for a photograph in a studio (location is likely Germany, due to the lack of any further insignia - this denotes that they are still ongoing training).
The caption indicates that theyre from Gracanica, one of the towns on the western edge of the division's area of operations.
Source: Gracanicki Glasnik
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Ivan Ž.
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#104

Post by Ivan Ž. » 25 Oct 2015, 14:49

Maybe I'm wrong, but the last photo looks quite odd (fake). There are a lot of fake "Handschar" photos out there; I don't know who's making them, but they are being offered for sale all the time (they are montages made to look like studio portraits). Again, maybe I'm wrong, but these faces look different from the rest of the photo and different from other period photographs.

But the "Mujin čardak" photo is excellent, what is the source?

Cheers,
Ivan

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Mujo
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Re: Some SS "Handschar" photo-infos

#105

Post by Mujo » 25 Oct 2015, 15:59

It's generic enough to be faked. My rationale usually revolves around uniform items. The brand new M43 uniforms were first issued in Croatia, along with the berghschuhe before leaving. The presence of the fez indicates a later date because the switch from the side cap to the fez occurs at Neuhammer in the winter of 1943-44. But then again the absence of the Gebirgsjager sleeve patch and collar tabs means they're still undergoing training. So it could've been taken on leave in a German city.

Mujin Cardak came from an NDH photo thread, it wasn't captioned. If I was to wager on the time period and approximate location I would say spring of '44 and north of the Majevica mountains.

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