WWII from axis perspective

Mr Flibble · Oct 10, 2019

Some of the images appear to be reversed. The Luftwaffe adler insignia goes on the right side of the chest

In the 'ski class' photo, directly behind the man looking back is a what appears to be a man in a panzer wrap jacket.

AgX · Oct 10, 2019

The varying outfits are irritating. Was that a leaisure course for soldiers or a mountaineers training?

dutchsteammachine · Oct 12, 2019

Unfortunately there appears to be horizontal banding on some rolls, but not others. I think this depends on the density of the negative. Very dense or faint negatives may introduce banding.

I do not know why this suddenly appeared, while not on the two previous rolls. Scanning one of the previous rolls to test appears to show no banding.

I guess there is no perfect scanner in existence, and I may have to go back to my coolscan 8000. Will try the scanner on my laptop to see if it changes anything.

AgX · Oct 12, 2019

Any ideas on location? The photo above already could give hints by architectural details.

dutchsteammachine · Oct 12, 2019

AgX said:
Any ideas on location? The photo above already could give hints by architectural details.

I do not, sorry. More photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/steamarchive/albums/72157708532991505/page2

Axes-1-Agfa-Isopan-F-6 was clearly taken with a different camera than the other photos. Maybe even a different photographer?

dutchsteammachine · Oct 12, 2019

Really, it seems to happen on correctly exposed negatives. Maybe I got a faulty second-hand unit?

AgX · Oct 12, 2019

Something completely different:
You title your photos as "axes", thus plural. However the common term in this political context is "axis", thus singular.
In this form the term is even handled by the three partnering countries Germany, Italy and Japan themselves. Plusthe added east-eurapean partnering countries. So indeed one may think of a multiple of axes between these countries.

The german term "Achsen" is a plural form but also used in a kind of singular addendum to a noun.

dutchsteammachine · Oct 12, 2019

Yes, I first thought it was written as 'axes' but meant axis.

Changing it now would take a lot of work, so the world will have to deal with my mistake for perpetuity.

John Koehrer · Oct 19, 2019

Looking through these just shows how people are the same everywhere doesn't it? Clothes change scenery changes but
soldiers are always the same when it comes to unfamiliar places. Most of the time this will be the only visit to a foreign land
some of them will experience.

alanrockwood · Oct 20, 2019

John Koehrer said:
Looking through these just shows how people are the same everywhere doesn't it? Clothes change scenery changes but
soldiers are always the same when it comes to unfamiliar places. Most of the time this will be the only visit to a foreign land
some of them will experience.

Yes, and unfortunately, many soldiers will never see their homeland again?

dutchsteammachine · Dec 5, 2019

Reflecta RPS 10m purchased for normal prize, arrived and clearly already used before ... was nowhere in description at video/photography web store.

The problem with this, and I have noticed with all scanners in the meantime, is that the film must be flat to get the entire scan sharp. Scans with the RPS 10m are rarely sharp everywhere, even with new film with my own photo. Sometimes the focus range of the scanner is not large enough to get the centre sharp.

It seems worse than my RPS 7200, but that will be due to the higher resolution. There are also weird artifacts ...
Worthless ... scanner goes back.

What now? there are a few options:

1. I can try to modify one of my scanners to accept rolls, maybe my Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III?

2. I can go back to the old ways and use my glass holder with Nikon Coolscan 8000, this always ensures flat film! but the more things against the film = the more dust, and then I have to cut the film.

2. I completely distance myself from scanners and make a DSLR 'scanner' setup with my Nikon D610. For this, the DigitaLIZA 35mm holder seems the cheapest and best option? The Film Carrier MK1 + Pro Mount MK2 also seems a good option, but it costs a lot more.
Lenses I don't know, maybe a Nikkor 60mm AF-D Micro? I will have to purchase a macro lens for this.

My idea is that I can: 1. Use the lens aperture to get everything sharp. 2. Maybe I can use the glass holder, but I don't know if AN-glass will be visible in the photos?
It is all something to think about ...

Here some results from the Reflecta RPS 10m:

swchris · Dec 5, 2019

dutchsteammachine said:

these are regular "Wehrmacht" soldiers, or?

I'm just now remembering my grandmother saying that those SS guys were so cute in their black uniforms. 20 years ago or so. ("fesch" was the German word she had used for "cute").
But none of my grandfathers were in the SS, so I feel OK. Fuck Nazis!

regards,
chris

AgX · Dec 5, 2019

Typical tourists at a typical drstination.

jay moussy · Dec 5, 2019

A quick personal note on prisoners of war, from my native France:

At my father's dairy farm landed a German prisoner, assigned to work there.
The fellow was quite unfamiliar with farm work, owned a movie theater in Ulm, and had trouble keeping up with the hard tasks, huge painful blisters, etc.. My dad, a Resistance fighter himself, was kind to him. Years later, in the 60's, the German family visited, and this child, me, was quite taken by the size of their Mercedes and the chocolate goodies they brought with them! Christmas cards were exchanged for many years.
People tried to make to best of what they had.

benjiboy · Feb 25, 2020

tomkatf said:
They ran on gasoline whereas most AFV's used diesel, which was much less combustible.

All German tanks and A.F.V's were petrol driven, Russian tanks ran on diesel which was a huge advantage in the Russian winter because it has a much lower freezing point than gasoline, the only petrol-driven tanks the Russians had were about 4,700 Sherman M4's that were supplied by the U.S on lens lease. The Germans had to light fires under their tanks and other petrol-driven vehicles in the mornings to get them to start. The only diesel-engined Sherman tanks ever produced were made for the U.S. Navy for the marines to use in the Pacific.

benjiboy · Feb 25, 2020

T

swchris said:
these are regular "Wehrmacht" soldiers, or?

I'm just now remembering my grandmother saying that those SS guys were so cute in their black uniforms. 20 years ago or so. ("fesch" was the German word she had used for "cute").
But none of my grandfathers were in the SS, so I feel OK. Fuck Nazis!

regards,
chris

These are not " Wehemamacht soldiers " they are Luftwaffe enlisted men, all three are sergeants.

AgX · Feb 25, 2020

benjiboy said:
All German tanks and A.F.V's were petrol driven, Russian tanks ran on diesel which was a huge advantage in the Russian winter because it has a much lower freezing point than gasoline.

The other way round: petrol has a much lower solidification point than Diesel. But of course the Soviets were used to circumvent this. The german forces did not even include a winter campaign in their strategic plannig.
On the other side, diesel fuel is more economic, both in use and manufacture. Also it is much more safe concerning accidental burning and exploding.

Diapositivo · Feb 25, 2020

benjiboy said:
The Germans had to light fires under their tanks and other petrol-driven vehicles in the mornings to get them to start. The only diesel-engined Sherman tanks ever produced were made for the U.S. Navy for the marines to use in the Pacific.

I read when I was a child the book "Il pilota di ferro", which I think is "Stuka pilot" in English, by Hans Ulrich Rudel, the famous German pilot of WWII. I remember that detail when he said that they had a hard time to unfreeze the frozen gasoline for the planes. They were given, for the task, some special stoves, which were actually fueled with gasoline, which was naturally frozen when they needed the stove.

AgX · Feb 25, 2020

As I said, that is not true. Gasoline solidifies at about -45°C, whereas standard Diesel can become troublesome already ad 0°C. But as indicated one can tweak Diesel to near Gasoline in this property.

And one could not de freeze gasoline in aeroplanes witha a stove, due to its storage- You likely mix up gasoline with motor oil.

Mr Flibble · Feb 26, 2020

Most German AFVs had room in the battery compartment for a small lamp-oil heater. Though, in the heart of Russian winter (or the Ardennes offensive) I doubt this was enough to keep them going.

AgX said:
Typical tourists at a typical drstination.

Indeed, Mont Saint-Michel.

That does sort of tie in well with the visits to Paris that these are men of a FLAK-Regiment in North-Western France (in 1942/43 by my guess )

dabsond · Feb 26, 2020

I spent 6 years stationed in Germany during the 90's. I am married to a German woman and spent a lot of time with her family. Her grandfather was captured on the Russian front. He was held in Russia as a POW until the early 50's. I didn't get to meet him however, I did talk quite a bit with her father about it. He remembers answering the door to a stranger when he was a boy and the stranger asking for his father. The father went to the door and saw the man and immediately passed out. It was someone from his German army unit that they left for dead, thinking he had frozen to death. Obviously not. My wife's father also heard that when they were released a one of the ex-POWs ate a ring of bologna when he got back to Germany. His system was unable to handle it and he died in the emergency room.

benjiboy · Feb 26, 2020

Three million Germans invaded Russia only one million ever got back to Germany.

AgX · Feb 26, 2020

The sum of German deads in the USSR was about 4 million.

benjiboy · Feb 26, 2020

The majority of WW2 was fought in Russia, not in Europe, D.Day was a sideshow compared, which is why the Russians don't attend the commemorations (the Germans had only about 74 divisions employed fighting in Europe including Italy, but they had 176 divisions fighting in Russia).

jtk · Feb 26, 2020

dutchsteammachine said:
I got them from Ebay, I dont remember there was much extra information. Perhaps I should ask the seller, but likely he got it from an auction house and doesn't know either.

OBVIOUSLY "ask the seller"

WWII from axis perspective

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