Taking care of partisans

[Wustenfuchs]

Quote:
"I have seen that image many times both with and without the second watch. One wonders though, which came first and which was the edited version. There were plenty of people who had incentive to make the Soviets look bad. Most likely the photo was hastily published and then touched up for East-bloc consumption but anything is possible."

You know Jim, I really didn't think about it that way, the watch could certainly have been added to discredit the Soviets. The Cold War gave rise to a lot of dirty tricks on both sides.

The photography lesson was great! Thanks.
Bill

[cavszabo]

To get back to the execution of partisans: Under the Hague and Geneva Conventions of the time, a combatant who did not distinguish himself from the population:

1. By wearing some distinguishing mark that could be seen from a distance.
2. By carrying arms openly.
3. Who belonged to some defined chain of command.

Could quite legally be executed. Wearing civilian clothes was seen as the same as wearing enemy uniform. An example of the Allies, quite rightly, executing their enemies was when German Brandenburger groups went behing American lines before the 1944 Ardennes offensive wearing US uniforms. The captured ones were shot.
The Sov. partisans generally hid their weapons, and took them out when it suited them (illegal) and also wore German or other captured uniforms. So let's not shed too many tears for them, shall we?

Of course, this doesn't justifiy torture!
BTW, I was surprised to see that at the time, reprisals were allowed against the civilian population, as long as they were the same number, e.g. one suspected partisan for one soldier.
The world has sure changed!

Chris

[joyarjun1]

A most enlightening discussion, Kameraden!
Am intrigued though that the wristwatch in the Reichstag-capture snap was either missing, or added. WHY? What difference would the presence or absence of a wristwatch on the hand of a Soviet trooper make???!
joyarjun1

[cavszabo]

Originally Posted by joyarjun1

A most enlightening discussion, Kameraden!
Am intrigued though that the wristwatch in the Reichstag-capture snap was either missing, or added. WHY? What difference would the presence or absence of a wristwatch on the hand of a Soviet trooper make???!
joyarjun1

Hi,

The original, incidentally was airbrushed by top Soviet photographer, Yevgeny Khaldei. The significance is that the Soviets raped and looted their way from the Soviet/Polish border through to Berlin. They demanded three things according to eyewitnesses like my parents: "Wine, women, watches." They had a fascination with watches, which many of them couldn't tell the time from. Once, a Soviet soldier approached my dad (in Budapest, Hungary) and asked him to wind his watch. When my dad obliged, the soldier offered to give him a number of watches, which were all the way up his arm under his coat.

The watches are evidence of looting, and of course, the Soviets later tried to remove evidence of this. There are still large art collections in Russia which were looted from the eastern countries as well.


A good article on the airbrushing of the photo:
How iconic photo of Russians raising flag over burning Berlin was airbrushed to save soldier from Stalin's rage | Mail Online

Cheers,
Chris