Photos - Germans with captured firearms

[shamirnewell]

I would say a PPD 40 and the troops I would say 4th SS in Russia. They sure are taking a lot of pictures in this shot.

[carius]

The last photo appears to show a Suomi instead of a PPSh, and the MG on the ground is Czech, I think.
Pat

SMG is PPD,not Suomi.MG is czech ZB-53
Regards
George

[Marsalkka Mahtimeisseli]

I would say a PPD 40 and the troops I would say 4th SS in Russia. They sure are taking a lot of pictures in this shot.

The SMG in the picture seems to have a one-piece stock, not a two piece stock like in the PPD-40. So the SMG seems to be PPD-34/38.

[Poot]

There are some interesting things going on in that one photo. There is a second MG in the background of the first, and it appears to be the same type. There are no unit designators visible on anyone that I can see so it could be any W-SS unit, including the 7th, who were frequently photographed using Czech crew-served weapons in Yugoslavia.

The soldier with the (added) red horizontal line pointing at his throat also has an axe mounted on the left side of his body. I haven't seen that before, at least with that much clarity. I'm always amazed at how many surviving photos were taken on personal cameras by German troops like those shown in this example. This photo gives at least a hint at how widely distributed personally owned cameras were at the time.

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №391799179758

George

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №232389796428

George

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №172466801814

George

[Poot]

Good photo, Carius.
I've seen a few photos of German troops firing SVT's in apparently casual (as opposed to true training) contexts. That one is new to me, though.
Pat

[kerryboo]

Here is a big boy's toy, a recently captured QF Pom-Pom on a ground mount, or possibly a mount removed from a Naval vessel,
Kerry.

[carius]

Image from ebay.de №202052607508

George[/i]

[B Hellqvist]

Cavalry lieutenant with a PPD-40 (second from right).

[AlifRafikKhan]

Hi, what are these MGs used by an SS unit in 1939?

[Poot]

The LMGs are Czech ZB.26s or ZB.30s, and the HMGs are Czech ZB.53/Vz.37s.

Also note the use of Czech VZ-24 rifles stacked in the first photo, with their typical straight bolts, lack of both sling slot cut-outs and bolt take down ferrules in the stocks, and lower sling attachment points close to the butt plates (unlike K98k rifles).

It's a simple task to find post 1938 Wehrmacht photos of VZ-24's in use with German forces. Czech small arms comprised a very significant portion of available arms for combat units early in the war, before they were largely relegated to second line troops after (probably) 1942.

[B Hellqvist]

The second guy from the right carries a captured Soviet PPD-40 submachine gun. (Photo from my collection.)

[temurlanjan]