SS and police photo id 1942

[h1bennett]

The attached are stills from a film which turned up last year in England in Devon. I am researching the film on behalf of the copyright holders South West Film and TV archiv. The film lasts for 10 mins and shows police operations in South Russia in 1942. My question is can anyone id any of the characters in the stills?

Harry Bennett

Reader in History, University of Plymouth[img[/img]

[harmel]

Hi the 2nd pic officer on left I am sure is SS Gruppenfuhrer
Ludolf von Alvensleben HSSPF Black Sea.
SS General in 1st photo not positive,but you have
come to the right place to get an id.
Harmel

[Max Williams]

It is von Alvensleben. These stills have previously been the subject of discussion on this forum where several people were identified. However, I am at a loss as to the identity of the dwarf SS-Brigadeführer in the first photo.
Max.

[harmel]

Like you Max I am stumped on this SS Bdf, is there is a possibility that the date is 1943 rather than 1942,as von Alvensleben did not take up this position till 1943??
Regards Harmel

[h1bennett]

Hi there - thanks for your help. Everything about the film points to 1942 as the most likely date including an opening shot which refers to task force Gieseke which is charged with smoothing the building of strategic road DG IV. It seems likely that the imperative of getting the road from Lvov to Stalino built necessitated quite a few meetings of senior police and ss figures. The key figure in the film seems to be the guy pictured with Alvensleben. He seems to be involved in a tour of inspection of commands including SE Kertsch, Nowy Bug and several other places that we have not been able to locate. Superficially he seems to have a resemblance to Jeckeln and one of the shots shows a Storch taking off - one of Jeckeln's favourite means of getting around. The film is damaged in several places and there are several odd cuts to scenes (including one which shows women digging a very deep pit under armed supervision). The film is a print of the original and the film stock comes from a company called voigtlander rather than AGFA. One angle of research is to follow up whether voigtlander had some sort of excluse deal with the SS in terms of film processing. What is also significant is that the film has been brought to the attention of the National Holocaust Museum (Washington), Yad Vashem and one leading American academic in the field. Their silence on a topic which one would have thought would have engaged them has been remarkable. It makes the film an ever more curious object. All comments and thoughts gratefully received. :D

[Max Williams]

It's definitely not Jeckeln in the photo with von Alvensleben. It could be the local military commander.
Max.

[Phil Nix]

May I suggest the Bf is Hans Doring who was SSPF Stalino-Donezgebiet 19.11.41 to 19.5.43
Phil Nix

[harmel]

Hi Phil,looks like Döring

Noticed though if taken 1943 he is not wearing his Inf Assault Badge won in 1941 while serving with the W/SS or IC 2nd Class ribbon or WSC 2nd Class ribbon,
the photo does show what looks like an IC 1st Class, but not awarded till 5/11/44
all this info from vol 1 A-G from Andreas Schulz etc, sorry I am not saying this as nit-picking but I thought I would add the info.

Kind regards Harmel

[h1bennett]

Doring would tie in nicely with Gieseke. Einsatzstab Gieske was supposed to co-ordinate the building of strategic route D.G. IV from Lvov to Stalino. It would be no surprise if Doring was called to a meeting given his area of responsibility.

[h1bennett]

On the Jeckeln subject the big guy is definitely police from the insignia displayed elsewhere in the film. Here is another still of an officer who is fairly distinctive.

[Phil Nix]

Here is Adolf von Bomhard and he was the applicable police commander in the area at that time

[h1bennett]

Thank you :D this is really useful.
From the id's that have been suggested we seem to have a major conference of police leaders in 1942.

[steve248]

If the period is 1942 then not much point in suggesting Jeckeln as a possible candidate. He left the area in November 1941 having switched
positions with Prützmann.

[harmel]

The Generalmajor(oldman) I have been trying to
id,I looked at the Chief of Staff to WH Cmdr Ukraine
not him.
He is though wearing a Shield possibly Krim at a guess
and at the time a possible Div cmdr or OFK or FK.
On the subject of Bomhard was he that small,and the
other officer is he Org Todt.
Harmel

[Minotauros]

Who is Gieseke?