SS-Division "Handschar" photos

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Ivan Ž.
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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#646

Post by Ivan Ž. » 07 May 2019, 20:24

balkanguy44 wrote:
07 May 2019, 19:00
Heinrich Himmler talks with a young German instructor, Neuhammer, January 1944.
Who is the guy next to Himmler (left side)?
history1 wrote:
07 May 2019, 20:01
The source says nothing about a place nor a date when this visit happened.
I don't know who the officer is, but the photos were taken in November 1943, while the magazine was released in January 1944. The place is Neuhammer.

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Ivan

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#647

Post by balkanguy44 » 07 May 2019, 20:37

Hello, Ivan

Thanks for clearing up my mistake with the date. :)

Cheers,
BG44
Cheers,
BG44


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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#648

Post by balkanguy44 » 20 May 2019, 16:35

Hello everyone!

Is this Halim Malkoč?

image.jpg
(Source: Google/can't trace back the website)
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BG44

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Ivan Ž.
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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#649

Post by Ivan Ž. » 20 May 2019, 16:44

Hello, BG44

It's Džemal Ibrahimović, imam of the Flak-Abt., which was being inspected by the Mufti (seen in the full version of the photo).
The civilian with fez is Ibrahim Kirlić (seen in some other photos wearing a fedora hat).

The source is Bundesarchiv, via Yad Vashem (search for the number 1797/8).

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Ivan

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#650

Post by balkanguy44 » 20 May 2019, 17:45

Hello, Ivan

Thank you very much! :)

Cheers,
BG44
Cheers,
BG44

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Ivan Ž.
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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#651

Post by Ivan Ž. » 21 May 2019, 00:50

Cheers.

By the way, if you're interested in Malkoč, you can find him in another photo on the Yad Vashem site (search for the number 1797/56).

Halim Malkoč on the left, Abdulah Muhasilović on the right (I don't recognise the person in the middle)
1797_56.jpg
1797_56.jpg (185.15 KiB) Viewed 4057 times
Ivan

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#652

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 21 May 2019, 02:08

Looks like the person in the middle is a muadhin, calling for prayer (based on his hand's gesture)

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#653

Post by balkanguy44 » 13 Sep 2019, 06:27

I know it is off-topic but I wanted to say that Zvonimir Bernwald passed away on 11th September. Another veteran gone.
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BG44

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#654

Post by FlyingStukas » 31 Jan 2020, 01:29

Hello everyone, hopefully we can start this thread back up.

An interesting photo from the Beeldbank site, showing Albanians of the Regiment 28 of the Handschar Division marching across a bridge. They're seen wearing the Albanian fez, Albanerfez. The site also gave a date of May 1944, which I don't know how reliable it actually is, but would fit the overall story as the Albanians were transferred to the newly created 21st SS Skanderbeg Division in the summer of 1944.

Cheers,
Filip
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Albanians of the Handschar Division marching in row, May 1944.jpg
https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/detail/aabc4a1e-0259-11e7-904b-d89d6717b464/media/5d6a2964-1814-9017-64c4-0591a533e82a?mode=detail&view=horizontal&q=bosnien&rows=1&page=15
Albanians of the Handschar Division marching in row, May 1944.jpg (48.09 KiB) Viewed 3031 times

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Ivan Ž.
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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#655

Post by Ivan Ž. » 31 Jan 2020, 01:55

Hello, Filip

That is the Albanian Battalion crossing the Sava Bridge in Brčko, leaving the "Handschar" Division to serve as the nucleus for the "Skanderbeg".

The month is April.

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Ivan

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#656

Post by FlyingStukas » 31 Jan 2020, 02:16

Hello Ivan,

Ahh, had Brcko on my tongue, thanks for confirming it. Had the Albanian Fez been created for the Albanians of the Handschar Division since their training days in Neuhammer, or was it introduced fairly recently to their departure for the Skanderbeg?

Cheers.
Filip

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Ivan Ž.
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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#657

Post by Ivan Ž. » 31 Jan 2020, 02:24

Hello again, Filip

I think Dmitry will be able to give you a more precise answer. In any case, the Albanian fez was worn only for a brief period of time, in 1944.

Over to Dmitry ;)

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Ivan

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#658

Post by FlyingStukas » 31 Jan 2020, 02:31

Thank you Ivan, hopefully Dmitry can clear this up.

During the training days of the Handschar Division in France, the Fez still wasn't issued, and we first see in photographic evidence during the division's training (and inspections) in Neuhammer. I vividly remember photos from the Kriegsberichter website where the divisional taylors were photographed whilst sewing the Fez, but no sign of the "Albanerfez" until actual combat days, most notably seen in Unternehmen Osterei. We later see it as the de-facto standard headwear of the Skanderbeg, but even this wasn't strictly true - the Albanians used head scarves, bandanas, caps and all sorts of different headwear and mix-match of official German-issued clothing and civilian clothing.

Cheers,
Filip

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#659

Post by Ivan Ž. » 31 Jan 2020, 02:37

There are interesting and less known (or unknown) details for both fezzes; for example, how long it took for the "Handschar" to get them, who got them first, the change of the size and so on. But since they (the fezzes) were both researched by Dmitry, let's wait for his reply.

Cheers,
Ivan

PS
The Albanerfez was not a headwear of the "Skanderbeg" actually; photos can be quite misleading sometimes ;) Also, the Neuhammer photos are also debatable; no one was pictured sewing a fez, but some of the men were only pictured wearing a fez, probably only for propaganda purposes.
Last edited by Ivan Ž. on 31 Jan 2020, 02:46, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: SS-Division "Handschar" photos

#660

Post by FlyingStukas » 31 Jan 2020, 02:45

So was it ditched once they transferred to the 21st SS or just used scarcely? It is quite bizarre that they went through the trouble of creating a specific headwear for only one Regiment of a foreign SS Division. I always think of the (subjectively) funny photo of Karl Gustav Sauberzweig wearing it, whilst handing out some awards to the Albanians when I hear of the Albanerfez.

All in all, best to wait for the expert.

Cheers,
Filip

edit (in any case, the standard-issue Fez was widely distributed by the time of the arrival of the Grand Mufti, maybe even before. That goes to say that the official headwear had been designed and distributed (to what extent?) before any operations even took place. I have not seen a photo of the Albanerfez prior to any Operation)

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