Perutz Peromnia Negatives: 1938-39 Brink of WWII

[Hatchetman]

I recently got a fairly interesting roll of film for $10. Perutz Peromnia was the film type. Some of these I identified as Czech military fortifications, occupied by the German army.

IMG_0002 by Rob F, on Flickr

IMG_0008 by Rob F, on Flickr

IMG_0009 by Rob F, on Flickr

IMG_0031 by Rob F, on Flickr


You can see the entire roll here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/22953190@N07/w230sb

 

[AgX]

To my understanding these fortifications were situated in Sudetenland.
That part of Czechoslovakia became part of the German Reich by means of the Munich treaty. Even with the critique on this treaty in mind, the term "occupation" can be misleading.

 

[dasBlute]

wow, what a find, the "kid" ready to drive the bus, beside the flower, is a perfect moment

 

[AgX]

There are flowers in the passsengers compartment too. The bus is a civilian version (panoramic roof). The photos obviously were taken before the outbrake of war, there was not yet large requisitioning of cars/busses. Thus likely it is still civil registered, as those trucks and that motorbike on the road.

In war time such busses were requisitioned complete with their owners/drivers. (At least I know one such case.)

Those trucks and that bike however are all civil registered in the far North of Germany. Maybe they had been leased there and taken with the unit which was regular stationed in the North. The bike at least is a civil version too. They got an army marking (WH) that otherwise would form part of the licence number.

However requisitioning started already in spring of 1938. So these vehicles may already be requisitioned at that early stage, but still kept in their civil state and their civil licensing, only added with that painted army marking.
Anyway, it is the first time I see vehicles obviously in regular use (army marking) that are civil registered.
Military licence plates go back to 1923.

EDIT: I got one photograph of that requisitioned bus and owner/driver, where the busses already had military varnish and tactical signs but still civil registration, and the driver still wearing his pre-war tenue...

 

[AgX]

And maybe you change the title of that flickr page, as those photos obviously were made in Oktober 1938. And thus not WWII related in the narrow sense.

And the title of this thread too...


(Another date might be March 1939, the occupation of the rest of Czech country via the Sudetenland, but then the vegetation would not fit.)

 

[AgX]

Photos #10 and #17 show the German Autobahn. Interesting is that sign warning of deers.

 

[anfenglin]

Looks totally different now

 

[AgX]

That was before standardisation. Which brings us back to the topic somehow:
Aside of the atriocities of war german occupation had weird sideeffects, typically unknown. As the introduction of right-hand driving in Czech country, the introduction of Western European Time in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, as well as in the Netherlands the german stop sign...

 

[Frank53]

Yes, those years brought us all the good things
Regards,
Frank

 

[AgX]

The first photo in this thread too was taken in old-Germany, in Silesia.

 

[cowanw]

The first photo in this thread too was taken in old-Germany, in Silesia.

Which town would that be?

 

[JPD]

That's an interesting find! When I scroll through pages on eBay I often see whole photo albums for sale and old family photos and negatives, and it makes me wonder why people sell parts of their family history like that. And it's not only wartime photos, but also portraits of men, women and children.

The first photo in this thread too was taken in old-Germany, in Silesia.

You have a keen eye for details, as always. Was it the sign on the wall that gave it away that it's Schlesien?

 

[AgX]

Yes, it is for a brewery from Sprottau in Silesia.

 

[pentaxuser]

Well as it was Silesia and not what is now the Czech Republic this kind of "ruins" my next observation which is that I thought the first soldier in the first photo bears a remarkable resemblance to pictures I have seen of Reinhard Heydrich, the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia

pentaxuser

 

[AgX]

As top rank official in the german security authorities you hardly would have seen him at such photo at such place... let alone in such uniform.
But yes, there is some resemblance, though the guy in that photo looks younger.

 

[JPD]

Well as it was Silesia and not what is now the Czech Republic this kind of "ruins" my next observation which is that I thought the first soldier in the first photo bears a remarkable resemblance to pictures I have seen of Reinhard Heydrich, the Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia

He does resemble Heydrich, but all three seem to be officers of lower rank, Unteroffiziere (Corporals).

 

[Murray Kelly]

Thank you for showing us these images. Some of those lads don't look more than teenagers. They would have been born 100 years ago. I am 83 and my memories of that time are more focused on the Pacific war. TU again.

 

[Hatchetman]

Thank you for showing us these images. Some of those lads don't look more than teenagers. They would have been born 100 years ago. I am 83 and my memories of that time are more focused on the Pacific war. TU again.

My pleasure. You'd be surprised how few people have any interest at all!