Unknown photo - possibly Slovakian ?

[mil-archive]

Hello

I am wondering if anyone can shed any light on this picture I recently picked up on ebay - whereabouts it was likely taken and who the unit are ? It has been suggested as being a possibly Slovak unit.

The seller labelled it as unknown/Serbian & other photos from the group the seller was trading included a Kossack /Chetnick with Orpo and an anti-partisan unit with Fez.

The vegetation seems from a warmer climate but the clothes on the civilians appear European.



The right hand side of the helmet has an insignia, also left shoulder patch :



I am thinking this could possibly be Slovakian ?


Regards,
Gerard

[GregSingh]

Pretty sure they are from Croat Home Army. I've seen several photos of them wearing Czech helmets with the Croat checkerboard shield on the side - like on your photo.

There was also so called Russian Guard Corps from Serbia using Czech helmets, but they had a white St.George's cross painted on the front of the helmet.

Serbian Volunteer Corps had similar helmets as well, although with no markings on them.

[mil-archive]

Pretty sure they are from Croat Home Army. I've seen several photos of them wearing Czech helmets with the Croat checkerboard shield on the side - like on your photo.

There was also so called Russian Guard Corps from Serbia using Czech helmets, but they had a white St.George's cross painted on the front of the helmet.

Serbian Volunteer Corps had similar helmets as well, although with no markings on them.

Thanks for that. I have some other photos showng the Croatian symbol but for the one above I didn't put it together, it had looked more like the Slovak double cross symbol. On looking again it does seem to be the Croatian shield at an angle. Does anyone know if that is likely to make the civilians Serbian ?

I am still curious about the shoulder patch feature and if anyone has anything more to add to that or the overall conversation then please fire away.

I have some reading to do in Foreign legions of the Third reich vol 3 and also 'Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45 [Osprey men At Arms Series]'. Thanks again.

[Dr Eisvogel]

Thanks for that. I have some other photos showng the Croatian symbol but for the one above I didn't put it together, it had looked more like the Slovak double cross symbol. On looking again it does seem to be the Croatian shield at an angle. Does anyone know if that is likely to make the civilians Serbian ?

Hi Gerard,

if the unit in question is Croatian, then the civilians might be Serb or even Roma ("Gypsies")?

Why Roma? Because of the hats.

Best regards,
Eisvogel

[Cassius29]

I am very sure this photograph is "Domobrani",(Croatian "Home Guard"). The uniforms are hard to make out but I can see what looks like the M-24 Mauser pouches. Ironically enough, the Serbian Volunteer Corps did wear the M-32 Czech helmets as seen in the photos. But they did not have any decals or insignia on their helmets. In the book Croatian Uniforms And Insignia 1941-1945, it talks about the use of the checkerboard shield decal on helmets. But that it was a practice used less and less through the war. I am actually curious to know what the light colored square like patches are on some of the men's shoulders in the photographs.

[Poot]

The helmet emblem definitely looks like the checkerboard Croatian shield. There's also a soldier in the background at the left wearing what looks like a Feldmutze. Otherwise, it really looks like a circular firing squad...
Pat

[Cassius29]

Yeah, I'm not sure about the firing squad thing. Not that didn't happen but from what I read, the Domobrani weren't exactly the murderous type that the Ustase were. And all the soldiers have fixed bayonets. It could be a staging area before being marched off to somewhere else.