Allegedly an Aktion Reinhardt man, but...

[Sergey Romanov]

Those are supposed to be photos of SS-man Feix from Belzec.



But they look absolutely fishy.

If by any chance the face looks familiar to you, please, leave a comment here, at http://holocaustcontroversies.blogspot. ... ht-be.html or at sergeyhc (at) gmail (dot) com.

[Earldor]

Looks suspiciously like a forgery. The pose, the bullwhip and an Iron Cross IIRC... But what makes me most suspicious is the tight cropping of the photo. No context available. All the genuine photos we have from the AR camps are of the regular snapshot type you always see with amateur photographers; buddy photos, photos of some incidents, activities or buildings. But they always contain more background.

What's the provenance?

[Sergey Romanov]

The provenance is nil, in my opinion. The source is unreliable (from other indicia). Nevertheless, as some people are not fully convinced, I wish to analyse this further. The first two photos were cropped by me, they were on the alleged documents (SS card and Fragebogen).

If someone actually recognized this person, that would be wonderful.

The SS-man is supposed to be Feix.

[Peter]

I am sure Feix didnt even have KVK1mSch

[Walter349]

The uniform does'nt actually fit, Nor does the belt. Most wore the pistol further back, if not actually at the rear. Hat looks 'Wrong', can't put a finger on it, it just does. A very strange stance as most photos peaople stand around looking like they don't know what to do with their hands.

Whole thing very 'Suss'

[Kentaurus]

Third photo looks like it was aged with Photoshop. And why would an SS camp man pose for a photo with a whip? This has fake written all over it.

[Fritz the Rat]

The hedge in the backgound consists of chamaecyparis trees which doesn't usually grow in Treblinka but in Germany.

Fritz

[Sergey Romanov]

For an update on this and related matters go to

http://holocaustcontroversies.blogspot. ... fakes.html

[David Thompson]

Thanks, Sergey. What a very strange story.

[Kal_El]

im cant say im completly sure, but i my first reaction when seeing those pics, before i read the thread, was i seen them before. I do think it was in a reenactment thread somewhere.

[S. Wolff]

I found this forum via the blog post connected to this subject. Though it is an old topic I have to share my thoughts. As someone who takes an interest in genuine history stuff like this really turns my stomach.

Item 1. http://static.flickr.com/104/283829291_f5c26ad096_o.jpg
The first document has too crisp, clean white paper to be a vintage document, the typing of the name/rank/regiment etc are all perfectly crisp in Courier New typeface which is totally wrong. Plus, who believes this supposed SS man who worked in a concentration camp or his surviving family would save this documentation of him belonging to a "criminal organization," and in such pristine condition? For what? Sentimental value? What are the odds of finding a crisp, clean, perfectly preserved ID grouping for an infamous concentration camp guard? You're more likely to find O.J. Simpson's bloody knife.

The inkstamps on it are all obvious copy-paste in Photoshop with a little ill-advised tinkering with the opacity (real black ink wouldn't be semi-transparent, you know..). The Himmler signature is copy-paste, the other signatures are obviously a Photoshop using the calligraphy brushes- and look how matte black compared to Himmler's signature. Bad, bad fake.

Item 2. http://static.flickr.com/105/283829324_30b74fd98d_o.jpg
The second paper is fake for much the same reasons, too clean, too new, and you can tell the paperclip is a copy-paste Photoshop job like the stamps- it is way too small. The clipped photo looks like a modern passport/driver's license photo! They did not take this style of BLUNT, frontal, face-only photos for ID purposes back then. Profile view, 3/4 view or frontal-slightly askew was more the norm. Do a Google search for "Kennkarte" "Ausweis" and you'll see what I mean.

As far as the photos of "Reinhold," on these documents: it is an easy matter for anyone acquainted with photography to distinguish a photograph taken with a modern digital camera and one taken with a film camera of a 1940's or earlier model. They have a completely different visual quality. It takes extensive knowledge and use of Photoshop filters to get a modern digital photo to look anything like a real vintage photo, I have been doing this for years and my photos still look modern, because digital photography can't re-create exactly the complex mechanisms of vintage film photography. This person has obviously taken a digital photo and in Photoshop applied film grain filter, sepia and yellow color filter and PRESTO!: instant sh*t vintage fake. :roll:

Item 3. http://static.flickr.com/115/283829296_24a47fe6e0_o.jpg
The evil Nazi with a gun and a whip, hands on his hips looking positively evil and ready to torture. Iconic imagery, straight from a cheesy Hollywood production. This would make a great DVD cover of a low-budget Nazi sexploitation film, but a historical relic for documenting the Holocaust? I'm afraid not. I've seen many photos of camp personnel as it has been an area of interest to me for years- they did not take these kind of portraits of themselves mugging for the camera in ridiculous Aryan He-Man poses, LOL.

But lets look at the details: For one, his uniform looks like an el-cheapo repro uniform you can buy from a Hong-Kong sweatshop, and it fits him terribly. Back then everyone and his Grandma had their clothing custom fitted to some extent, not just the wealthy. You either took it to a professional tailor or had your wife or mama fix it for you. One didn't just get handed a one-size-fits-most uniform and wear it, like in today's military. Even an enlisted man would have his tunic tailored a bit to fit him properly.

The holster looks strange, and I don't think they wore them like that. Only in the movies! Note to those who want to make phony photos: stop looking for historical facts on your television. :roll:

We have an actual photo of Reinhold Feix and his holster cannot be seen, because it is worn in the back:
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1781 ... zeczi4.jpg
SS-Wachmannschaft des Todeslagers Belzec hinter der Kommandantur, 1942 (USHMM Washington D.C.)
v.l.n.r.: Fahrer (im schwarzen Mantel), Fritz Tauscher, Karl Schluch, Reinhold Feix, unbekannt, Karl Gringer, Ernst Zierke, Lorenz Hackenholt, Arthur Dachsel und Heinrich Barbel.

Here are some random SS men, while they wear the holster on the side, it is not right next to the belt buckle like the faker is wearing his:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4194 ... 034eu1.jpg

His cap looks phony, I mean, it appears to be an ironed-on eagle for crying out loud, and way too close to the cap-band. I can't tell if it is supposed to be visor cap or crusher cap style, looks like a combination of both, and thus, a phony since such a thing didn't exist.

His whole uniform is ok for a low-budget community college theater production of Schindler's List: The Musical! but wouldn't pass inspection for a reenactor, I think. If this guy came to my Dress Like A Nazi-themed costume party looking like this I'd probably ask him to leave.

Item 4. http://static.flickr.com/119/283829300_13afbc2a09_b.jpg
Without a physical copy and magnifying glass it is hard to tell with photocopies of old documents since the quality deteriorates with duplication. But given the blatant forgeries above, this document should be held with skepticism. It is easy enough to fake something in a deteriorated, photocopied condition like this.

I hope the person perpetrating these ludicrous forgeries has given up his "hobby," because it really doesn't help anyone.

[Ian Hulley]

The cap band is green (i.e. Heer) .. look at the collar patch for comparison. Also the award of an Iron Cross I or II would automatically qualify the recipient to the relevant award badge (Infantry Assault, General Assault, Panzer Assault etc) something much treasured in the world of the KL system, where the KVKIImS was the highest 'award' commonly seen.

Looks like a crock of cr@p to me.

Ian.

[Eddy Marz]

A grotesque and amateurish fake; without a doubt.

Eddy

[Sergey Romanov]

Many years have passed, we have many new members, so I'm gonna ask - does anyone recognize this mug? Could be some neo-Nazi.