Reichsbahn Photos-Who, What, Where and When?

[cyberia]

Before I post any photos in this thread, something needs to be explained.

One never knows what will turn up when researching history. That includes the history of one's own family.

Last fall, I sent word out to relatives in Germany looking for wartime photographs of my father, brother, or any other relative. I didn't have much hope. So many of them had been lost to the war, and even Allied souvenir hunters.

From Bavaria I received one of my own baby photos. From further north, a cousin sent me a large package. Her father, my uncle Ernst, had been a minor official for the Riechsbahn, the wartime German railroad.

The package contained more than 100 photographs. Some large, some small. Some appearing posed, some candid. Some with hand entered dates in pen on the backs, others with three-digit numbers written in pencil.

My uncle had been an hobby photographer, but these could not have been his. These photographs are too professional, and testing done by a photo lab tech who works for one of the newspapers of the chain my wife is employed by, confirmed that most of them had been screened. A process that enables them to be printed or published.

However, after numerous inquires, exposure on another site, countless hours of Google, I can find no published photos to match them. There is a chance they have never been published, or published within the Reich in some now lost volume of work.

My uncle Ernst can not help with the mystery, as he died in the 1980s.

Along with Pirate-Drakk and Panzermacher, we have, on another site, examined all of these photographs to try and link dates and locations. I hope they will try and repeat that process with me here, along with other members.

It is my hope, that our members will not only enjoy and learn from the posting of these photographs, but help ID whatever we can with them, and perhaps even discover if they have been published, and help me provide a link from them to my uncle.

Either way, I think you will find them a rare and at times fascinating glimpse into the lives of those caught up in Hitler's war.

I will start with the posting of four of these photographs, and continue with installments of two thereafter:

Heer troops at ease in an open boxcar. To my eye, this photo looks posed.



A nervous looking young man has his papers checked by a female conductor



Panzers being rolled up for transport



Sign on a delousing station for troops home on leave includes a warning to behave while back in Germany

[Horch]

I for one have never seen those you posted. It wasn't all fighting. Those are some good pics of, I don't know,behind the scenes activity? Thanks!

[cyberia]

Female Heer personnel checking a train schedule. This photo appears posed.



Anti-partisan look out by Wehrmacht troops astride a locomotive. Most likely in the East

[cyberia]

A member of the military police checks papers track side, date and location unknown

A young soldaten, looking none too happy, no doubt leaving for the front

The packages seen in both photos have been determined to those handed out to troops by home front auxiliary groups. They usually contained food, sweets, cigarettes and socks.

[Pirate-Drakk]

Originally Posted by cyberia

A member of the military police checks papers track side, date and location unknown

This has to be one of the most terrifying photos of WWII. Innocent boys going into combat as replacements on the Russian Front. No gloves, no helmet, no
"when is the next air raid" look in their eyes..like the trooper checking their docs on the loading dock...

[Pirate-Drakk]

Another great thread Cyberia, nice going!

Here's a couple of useful things I was able to dredge up from the web.

"In terms of freight wagons, some of the more major German types were:

Type SSmys and Sa 705 six-axle heavy load wagon (for heavy tanks, etc)
Type SSy "Koeln" four axle medium to heavy load wagon
Type R10 two axle, open stack wagon (about 9.400kg/20723lbs payload)
Type R10 "Stuttgart" two axle, open stack wagon with a brake-house
Type Ommr "Dresden" and "Linz" two axle box cars; (these are they wagons seen in movies transporting the MG or light FLAK crews in some sort of sandbagged protective position)
"Villach" type two axle open goods wagons (about 10.000kg/22.246lbs payload)
Type OOt "Saarbruecken" four axle coal transporter
Type Om "Breslau" two axle, open goods wagon with a brake-house"

"One of the biggest problems one can encounter in the railroading business is that of developing an optimal time schedule and being able to adhere to it in a reasonable fashion. From the German perspective, the following types trains (and in order of scheduling priority) had to be considered in German rear and front areas:

Troop transportation trains; their movement and special troop transfer requirements.
Supply trains
Empty trains which had just unloaded and were returning for a new run.
Military Post/military mail trains
Medical evacuation trains; hospital trains.
Rest and Relaxation trains.
POW trains
Construction and repair/workshop trains"

From this site with some additional useful information:
Deutsche Reichsbahn - The German State Railway in WWII

[Horch]

Originally Posted by cyberia

A member of the military police checks papers track side, date and location unknown

A young soldaten, looking none too happy, no doubt leaving for the front

The packages seen in both photos have been determined to those handed out to troops by home front auxiliary groups. They usually contained food, sweets, cigarettes and socks.

Looks like he has one of his 'condoms' over the barrel to keep the crud out during transport?

[Pirate-Drakk]

Originally Posted by cyberia

Sign on a delousing station for troops home on leave includes a warning to behave while back in Germany

Apparently this sign is for troops returning home from the front...

Quick transliteration:

Preparations for the homeland

1. Hand in ammo
2. Delousing
3. Control of papers - rail warrant [to be] stamped at command post
4. Receive march [=travel] provisions i'e. food
5. Change money [currency]
6. Each according to wish to the Verschönerungsrat. Verschönerung = beautify, embellish, adorn. Rat = advice. I think this was where uniforms could be tidied up - also possible facial grooming, etc.
7. Notify your home coming by post in the camp - "mum I'm coming"
8. 1.5 hours beforehand [you will be] called to the trains, for assembly there and being divided up[ [into coaches]
9. Everything in a good mood, with clean behaviour and joy at [visiting] homeland

[cyberia]

Originally Posted by Pirate-Drakk

Apparently this sign is for troops returning home from the front...

Quick transliteration:

Preparations for the homeland

1. Hand in ammo
2. Delousing
3. Control of papers - rail warrant [to be] stamped at command post
4. Receive march [=travel] provisions i'e. food
5. Change money [currency]
6. Each according to wish to the Verschönerungsrat. Verschönerung = beautify, embellish, adorn. Rat = advice. I think this was where uniforms could be tidied up - also possible facial grooming, etc.
7. Notify your home coming by post in the camp - "mum I'm coming"
8. 1.5 hours beforehand [you will be] called to the trains, for assembly there and being divided up[ [into coaches]
9. Everything in a good mood, with clean behaviour and joy at [visiting] homeland

P-D is on the money!
Here are two more on the same subject:

An ammo collection table for returning troops

A rail station soup kitchen for men coming home from and retuning to the front

Coming up next: One of the most amazing photos from this collection. A rare, candid snap of a prominent historical figure.
P-D and I spent a lot of time scrutinizing this photo with magnifying glasses and researching rank and insignias to give an approximate date.
We are both fairly competent of our findings and will share it here for the first time anywhere.

[Jim O]

Well don't tease us!!!