Searching for particular Waffen-SS crime photo (Balkan)

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Ivan Ž.
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Searching for particular Waffen-SS crime photo (Balkan)

#1

Post by Ivan Ž. » 13 Apr 2005, 12:45

I saw a photo when i was a kid, and then again a couple of years ago,
in which Waffen-SS soldiers (wearing helmets; possible "Handschar", can't remember)
are cutting some partisan's head off with an axe.

Actually, i saw two photos;
in the first one the axe is in the middle of neck (!),
and in the other one the head is off.

Please, if anyone has the photo, post it or send it by PM.

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#2

Post by Larry D. » 13 Apr 2005, 14:06

I think it is important to be cautious when interpreting some of these WW II atrocity photos from the Balkans. I have read on numerous occasions that some of these photos were "staged" for propaganda purposes. Some of them, it is alleged, were Ustasha wearing German uniforms, while others were Partisans wearing Ustasha or German uniforms. I don't know how you can tell them apart and know with some certainty which are authentic and which are staged or posed, so I would therefore suggest you and other collectors look them over pretty carefully. Wartime Yugoslavia was a hotbed of political hatreds with each side willing to do anything to get some advantage over the other. Faking some atrocity photos would have been just one of the weapons used.


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#3

Post by bakof » 13 Apr 2005, 14:19

You will have to watch out for fake photos! Somewhere I have a photo showing some SS-soldiers beheading a prisoner with an ax. But the prisoner where allready dead before the execution.

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#4

Post by G. Trifkovic » 13 Apr 2005, 15:09

in the first one the axe is in the middle of neck (!),
I was at the State Archives some three weeks ago,and saw exactly that one (among some 50 other ,very graphic photographs of German attrocities in ex-Yu.). Germans were wearing ,IIRC, standard fieldcaps,so it wouldn`t be easy to find out which branch they belonged to.

Mr. Larry,a question: what should one think of these attrocity photos? Mainly staged? Should a pic with ,say,Germans hanging be more "trusted" than the one where Germans use axes? (I know they hanged,but that they used axes...It fits their Balkan cronies somewhat more...). Would you please share some of the techniques of telling true from posed?

Cheers,

Gaius

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#5

Post by Mark V. » 13 Apr 2005, 15:29

Actually the photo, you guys are talking about, depicts SS-Karstjägers 8O and was taken in Slovenia 8O during one of anti-partisan operations in summer 1944. Tone Ferenc wrote an extensive article about it: "Krasoslovec in jamar, polkovnik in zlocinec dr. Hans Brand".

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#6

Post by G. Trifkovic » 13 Apr 2005, 15:32

Any details,Mr. Mark? Fake,real? Who is Hans Brand?

Cheers,

Gaius

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#7

Post by Mark V. » 13 Apr 2005, 15:35

Mr.Gaius,

100% authentic.

KTB of Geb.Btl."Heine" confirms that two partisans were beheaded by SS-Karstjägers.

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#8

Post by Mark V. » 13 Apr 2005, 15:39

SS-Stubaf. Dr.Hans Brand was the SS-Karstwehrbataillon commader.

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#9

Post by G. Trifkovic » 13 Apr 2005, 15:40

Where the hell do you get all the info!?!? :wink:

The info is too "juicy" to stop bugging you right now: How come that these two unfortunates were beheaded,and not,say, shot or hanged? What in earth have they done to the Germans to deserve such penalty? Any info on how the higher command took it? Any comment on their part?

Cheers,

Gaius

P.S. Info on that pic you found in an article or in the book?

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#10

Post by Mark V. » 13 Apr 2005, 16:05

The info comes from the above mentioned article and was also published in the book "Satan in njegovo delo". It's difficult to establish the true reason for the beheadings. German sources (Rolf Michaelis) claim that this was a revenge for a similar partisan act on the other hand recent research by a forum member c.g. (see http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... highlight= ) shows that nothing of that sort happend and that the story of this particular partisan warcrime was invented after the war.

There's not much info about the higher command response but I would think it wasn't that uncommon to behead a partisan. The partisans got ahold of the photos through a photoshop in Triest, owned by a partisan supporter.
Last edited by Mark V. on 13 Apr 2005, 16:20, edited 1 time in total.

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#11

Post by Mark V. » 13 Apr 2005, 16:15


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#12

Post by G. Trifkovic » 13 Apr 2005, 16:19

Thanks a lot Mark! :)

Cheers,

Gaius

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#13

Post by Mikedc » 13 Apr 2005, 18:49

Dr. Ing. Hans Brand: German researcher

Born in 1879.
He was a caveresearcher and professor.
Member of the SS(nr. 340.782).
Worked as an explorer in the Pottenstein-caves, French mountains.
He started a sub-camp from Flossenburg overthere.
On 9-11-1942 he got promoted to SS-Standartenführer.
From late summer 1942 till November 1942 he was commander from the SS-Karstwehr-Kompanie.
From November 1942 till June 1944 he was commander from the SS-Karstwehr-Bataillon.
Died in 1959.


Greetings,
Mikedc

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#14

Post by Ivan Ž. » 13 Apr 2005, 19:27

Thanks for pic and info!
But there's at least two more (that i've seen) taken from other angle.
Anyone got them?

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#15

Post by Ivan Ž. » 13 Apr 2005, 19:34

Larry D. wrote:I think it is important to be cautious when interpreting some of these WW II atrocity photos from the Balkans. I have read on numerous occasions that some of these photos were "staged" for propaganda purposes. Some of them, it is alleged, were Ustasha wearing German uniforms, while others were Partisans wearing Ustasha or German uniforms. I don't know how you can tell them apart and know with some certainty which are authentic and which are staged or posed, so I would therefore suggest you and other collectors look them over pretty carefully. Wartime Yugoslavia was a hotbed of political hatreds with each side willing to do anything to get some advantage over the other. Faking some atrocity photos would have been just one of the weapons used.
I'm perfectly aware of all that. Germans and partisans also wore Chetnik uniforms etc.
I live in Serbia, so i'm quite a bit informed about that stuff :)

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